As a child I lived on a subsistence farm. We raised and butchered chickens, pigs, and goats, and we hunted small game in the fields and woods. When you have to do it yourself, you do it right. The animals were not crowded or abused-- unless you count their deaths, of course.
It may sound like a contradiction but you respect the animals more when you are involved in the entire process of killing, butchering, and processing because you know what's involved. Such is not the case when picking up a package at a market, which is much less personal.
I thought about abstaining from meat, but I think I like it too much, and meat is complete protein.

I am normally not that much of a meat guy but I made this tonight and damn it was tasty....

I'm not a vegan, but if I think about it, their arguments against meat eating are very convincing to me. Especially the moral arguments - that most of the animals we eat are treated pretty horribly, and we make it so that they exist to serve us in the end. Eating meat to survive is one thing, but eating meat for convenience or pleasure doesn't seem very defensible. Personally, I'm looking forward to synthetic meat.

I've killed, dressed and eaten a chicken before. It is harder than you might guess and yes, this is a legitimate argument for being vegetarian.

I raise goats and I have eaten goat but I tend to use the milk from a few of the does to make soft cheese, soups, puddings etc. when I want them. I also use goats milk in the making of my soaps.

I would if I could, but I am a city dweller. But I buy the big chunks of meat at Costco and cut them to cooking size and place them in portions in ziplocks and to the freezer they go.

Absolutely not.

Meat grosses me out utterly yet I have to deal with it as a protein resource (food allergies like crazy).

I have known folks who do however. I would end up with a farm fall of rescues.

My chickens live in my back yard. We don't eat them but we eat their eggs & sell some too. I raised them from chicks. They used to have names till I got too many. They stay with us till the ends of their lives. Have one or 2 that are 12 now, but most don't live that long.

PETA people eating tasty animals

I have harvested ckickens, rabbits, geese, turkeys, squirrels, white tails and hundreds of fish so yes I know and appreciate where our food comes from

That is why I am a hypocrite, and impending vegetarian
I can't do those things, but I eat meat.

Yes. Well, all but the vacuum packing. We didn't have that on our farm.

I'm as close as the nearest supermarket. I want my meat nicely cut and packaged. I know this is somewhat unreasoned, and I acknowledge the illogicality, but it is the way I feel. I don't feel guilty about it at all. Humans are omnivores and evolved to eat meat as well as other things. For those who have already further evolved to become vegan, I applaud you. I'm not there yet, and I'm fine with that.

I eat less meat based protein and more vegetable based protein. I don't have the capabilities or facilities to raise my own animals or butcher them.

Stepped on a goat to pump it's blood out before we hung it up. Had a lot of trouble knocking off my pet ducks, despite calling them peeking, l'orange, and white wine sauce. I do feel if you want to eat it you should take responsibility for it's death.

A lot of interesting responses with hesrtfelt concern about animals and their treatment. I would agree with most of the concerns and wish a better fate on animals raised for consumption. And though I was raised in a era, and around people that were, or came from, ranching and farming areas, I don't have an emotional reaction to killing animals to eat that many brought up away from such roots have. It is the endoctrination of young children to see things in the Bambi realm. I grew up with that movie and it gave me a sense of how I should treat an animal. But my enviornment kept me grounded in reality and the need to separate what is needed to be done as adults from childish emotions. I know kids and grownups that get so emotional about animals being abused or killed in hunting that they cannot talk about it without getting physically distressed. Now that is where emotions have trumped logic. Where indoctrination by anti hunting groups and animal rights activists have created a disconnect between logic and emotions. Where there is no logic to be discussed.
Example: California passed a law 20 plus years ago banning the sale of horses to slaughter houses to be used for food and glue and leather. No logic here, pure emotions by horse loving people. So, now old horses have to be kept past their usefull age and disposed of in specific ways by the owners. A lot of resources go to accomplish this, for no logical reason. WHY HORSES? BECAUSE THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL AND A LITTLE SMARTER THAN COWS OR SHEEP. No other reason. In europe horse meat is eaten like cow meat and rightly so. But California has more horses than about any other state. More people who own horses with money and poltical power. I understand the attachment because I have owned a horse and had my own mount when I ranched in Montana. But I would never impose on others to have to keep an old horse till it died of natural causes if they didn't want to. It is the imposition of ones personal view pushed on others for no logical reason. Just like religion.
Another example: Cat rescue. Why cats? They are not a natural animal for any area. Wild cats and roaming domestic cats have destroyed the eco system of all the canyons in southern California. There have been many articles on this over the past 30 years. Yet I used to see people set out foid for all the stray cats. Save cats and destroy the little animals and birds that inhabit the canyons throughout southern Cal. Again, emotions over logic.
I could go on but you get the point. People have turned animal rights, which in so far as protecting animals from cruel treatment is good, to trating animals as humans with the right to be free and not owned by anyone. It is religious in nature, because there is no logic based in science for it. It is fine to believe that if you wish, But don't try to argue that it is logical and natural and those who do not see it that way are cruel and unevolved humans. If their view was followed then all pets would not be replaced once they died. So, no more cats, dogs, horses, etc. No more pet birds or pets of anykind. Only natural animals to be left free. And when the rats, rabbits, deer, bear, coyotes, and wolves become real pests by esting crops, gardens, and people, then just live with it. Overstated? Maybe, but remember, logic is not relevant to many in this camp. It is logical to them because their base assumption and belief is that all living things are sentient and therefore have rights equal to us humans. To me the assumption is illogical. But that is where the real debate lies. And when you accept that assumption, you must then logically define what is a sentient being. Why treat a rat any different than a dog or horse. Why are insects treated different than lizards and snakes. Where do you draw the line logically. It opens up a whole can of worms.

Good.

Although raising your own animals for your consumption is healthier, and you can make sure the animal is treated humanely, I could never raise an animal and then eat it. I would get too attached. I stopped eating mammals about a year ago, after my neighbor killed a cow in front of its mother and she went crazy. She ran around the field mooing and bucking; and, for months, I could hear her calling out for her baby. I also had to hear the pigs squealing when they would shoot one of them. I will eat fowl (typically chicken and some turkey) and what seafood I like. But, again, I would not be able to eat anything after seeing it alive--not even a shrimp. However, I wouldn't mind having some chickens for the eggs. And, yes, they would named and become pets.

So far I see no logical argument against hunting or eating meat. People should eat the way they want. The early Greek doctors said 2000 years ago that each individual needs to adjust their eating habits to their own body and lifestyle. That is just as true today as ever.
Eating veggies because some animals are crammed into tight spaces may seem noble, but I think it would be better to just fight for better treatment of animals raised for consumption.

I grew up on a dairy and beef farm. I hand fed and played with cattle and pigs that I ate later. I'd rather eat meat and have them eat grass and forage rather than have to change environments to provide enough vegetable matter to support too many humans.

2018 lab grown meat sold for first time 2040 Millions of cows slaughtered to make room for synthetic meat labs ...simon cries cos it never tasted as good as the real thing..........vegans bemused at slaughter of animals in favour of synthetic meat

I've hunted, cleaned and cut up meat. I've cut up sides of beef. Meat is the main point of a meal - IMO. It is usually the last thing I eat. It's my dessert. My take in that chickens, cows and pigs live for a purpose. They were bred to be used - for meat, leather, and, in some cases, milk. Without these functions cows, pigs and chickens would not exist as we know them today. And they're delicious and nutritious.

As a child I have seen chicken heads being chopped off. We were using them for tea that night and for lunch tomorrow. It first took a while to get the idea of sacrificing an animal for food, but I got the hang of it. I was so pumped as a kid to see the insides of a chicken, to a point I wanted to become a veternarian. I was also taught by my granfather how he killed his cows on his farm and what machines he used. I thought it was pretty cool but I never really thought of any form of an arguement from a vegan contributes my ideas. Then I saw the obesity rates started to rise (especially in fast food) and how many meat processing plants don't contribute towards the health and saftey regulations properly. There are two types of veganism that is; processed veganism and organic veganism. You can still be an unhealty vegan. It depends on what the individual wants.

Well so far I am psychotic and disrespectful to animals. Name calling with no logical argument to go with it. Emotions over logic.

I have done all of the above to animals both large and small but, I prefer to eat inspected meat over home butchered. I raise animals for food in doing so, I believe that it is my duty to see that each of them has a life of good days ending in one bad day. Respect for animals is a vital part of raising them for food, they receive guaranteed healthcare, food and water which is more than what many people have.