To offer a different perspective... I keep a handful dual purpose laying hens, primarily for eggs but after a few years when their egg production slows down I

To offer a different perspective... I keep a handful dual purpose laying hens, primarily for eggs but after a few years when their egg production slows down I use them for soup. My kids come up with names for all of them and we enjoy interacting with them in different ways, but at the end of the day we all understand that the reason we keep them is for food. I don't get attached to them because I know that some day I'm going to be the one putting them down. I like knowing where my food comes from and being involved in the harvest. It would feel wasteful to me if I didn't eat the chickens.