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Quote: When you make that first deep cut, there is a whole lot of blood loss in those first few seconds. That amount of blood loss puts the bird On The Other Side, the blood pressure drops drastically, there is no more conscious brain function. That's why you use a veryveryvery sharp knife...

I had to learn how to process chickens by myself soon after having broody hens hatch clutches of chicks and finding myself with an excess of cockerels. Certainly it's a shame to have to do away with these handsome birds, but I try to put a positive spin on it and think how nice it is to have my...

Quote: I'd like to hear how this ends up working for you. There seems to me to be too much scope for error, missing your target, whacking your cone, not getting an efficient kill, having inefficient drainage of the bird's blood, etc. It's good to do a lot of research online, but it...

Quote: I am wondering about the logistics of this. I don't think you could get the chicken's head & neck to extend far enough out of the end of the cone to get an accurate chop. You would also be swinging the axe horizontally, rather than vertically straight down. You'd be working against...

The cone is to keep their wings from flapping while you're cutting and also while they're dying. You can also use duct tape or something stretchy like the sleeve or leg from a sweat suit, something like that. You tie their legs together with a zip tie or a cord and hang them from a branch or...

There really is a lot of information being posted about processing chickens, I guess there's more being added every month. Some will have sound, helpful information, some others will be a waste of your time to watch. I agree with Beekissed's assessment of the beginnings of those videos, I...

There's really nothing "wrong" about dispatching a chicken and NOT eating it. Sure, the meat could have been consumed by some human or animal, but you could say the same thing about a pet rabbit, guinea pig, pony, etc. Would it be a "shame" to waste them if you buried them and didn't eat them...

Remember, you're just trying to gently send a chicken to The Other Side of the Road. Not blow up the neighborhood, with yourself in it. You're talking overkill, in the literal sense of the word!

There seems to be a way that they flap their wings when they are truly dead & just moving reflexively. It's a faster-paced movement, and when you're able to recognize it for what it is, it's noticeable for being an atypical type of movement. I don't know if I'm describing it well enough, but...

Redhen, I'm sorry for your loss but am glad you & Mister took care of your hen. Whether you do it by yourself in your arms, or use the broomstick method, or have someone help, cervical dislocation is a quick & humane method of culling a chicken. A firm, swift, decisive yank kills them...

Carol in WV, You did very well with your first session, and each time I bet you'll learn something new to make the next session go even easier. I'm wondering why you decided to first slice and then pith? Usually the birds go limp/are dead after the first deep cut that lets the blood out...

Tinybirds & anyone else, I'm sorry if I caused offense by taking offense at anything you wrote not meaning offense. It sounds like you're already doing a great job dispatching your guineas humanely. And videotaping the procedure in order to inform & educate others is really helpful. I learned...

You can read enough of my posts about butchering chickens for the table to know that I'm not offended by this topic. I read & replied to this thread to help the OP and any others learn how to do the job more effectively & quickly, and therefore, more humanely. I respect people's different...

I guess if you had that expensive equipment on hand you could insure that the bird would be quickly & effectively stunned -- therefore treated humanely. I don't think everyone can guarantee the effectiveness of using boards, bats, or golf clubs. With practice, perhaps some can. But I still...

The original point of this looooooooong-lived thread was to find a more humane way to dispatch a chicken. I don't think whacking them on their heads is a more humane way of killing a chicken than quickly slitting their throats. I think there's even more scope for not doing a complete or quick...

GBov, you should be able to butcher in your garage without making a mess, I know some folks who have even butchered in their kitchen. I think the part that makes the biggest mess is when the birds flip & flap while they're still bleeding out. But if you have them in a cone or otherwise bind...

Well, I'm presuming that other folks more knowledgeable in chicken anatomy & physiology have determined that if those particular vessels are severed then the bird is rendered instantly lifeless, and there is a logical explanation for the continuation of movement. I'm taking their word for it...

Quote: So it just looks worse than it really is for the bird. There's the same amount of flopping & flapping after the chop, but you have the reassurance that if you remove the entire head with one whack, there's really no way the bird could be feeling anything after that. I used to have...

I had 2 roos to process today and put each one to sleep before dispatching. I tucked the head up under a wing, held the bird by his sides, head down, and swung him side to side about 10 times. This put the birds to sleep so deeply I could lay them on the table and they wouldn't move while I...