DIY HUMANE way to Kill Slaughter Chicken (Stun-kill, Gas)

Hello,
im unsure where to put .(mod pleae relocate me if wrong location) i will post the Humane way i find and plans..

I be Tommy..

sorry this is kinda long. when it comes to killing any thing it should be done properly and i am covering my bases..

Im new here and new to raising and the dreaded Slaughtering and even procesing

i have 2 problems LOL

i have read up on different Kill methods,
Breaking the Neck (swing it around or however)
Ax its head off
hanging and silting throat
Making a Funnel for it and slighting throat..
to all of those not no But xxxx NO!!!!!

my problem with all those.
its a personal kill (ill remember there eyes), and it will not be dead instantly.. while draining.. after sliting
its not my car oil i can just uncap and wait a minute.. this is a life im taking to continue mine..

i have heard of a funel that had a stun feature but haven't found any more info.. but it would be alive going into it getting nervous. so no to that

however i could put it in a funnle after it dead just so i dont have to be cruel after the kill (hanging upside down by feet thats sad no mater how i look at it)

the more i think about it im thinking gas or stun kill..
it would be an impersonal Kill..and thats better not ok but better

the more i think about it if i did the prosesing i think the chicken needs to be COLD.. warm ikk.

so my thoughts are..
making a Nitrogin or Co2 Gas Chamber (thats easy Styrofoam cooler or bigger custom built box) and both gases avail cheaply. my concerns are does gassing like this hurt at all or do they just get sleepy.. and a Co2 detector as long as it starts beeping i know it hit enough ppm to kill (for the testing part)

the stun-kill is another option
the problem with that is

and my problem with designing a DIY stun-kill i have to test it and im not willing to test on animals....
i heard bout electrocutions not working and hurting the person. so that could hurt my chicken..
if i can get a source that tellls me what voltage, at what hz, and amperage and where on body to design box for (one they would just walk threw and poof.. nothing holding them or attached

and yes i have thought about having someone else do the processing however the kill would be bad there in my eyes..
i would do the kill and bring dead to them..
so it wont suffer at all....as u see no mater what i do i have to figure out the kill part

economics has lead me to Raising my own Eggs/Meat..(how crappy is that Americans so broke they have to revert to farming) im a geek if any thing not a farmer

and the KFC crap pushed me over the fence.
so i normally wouldn't even consider killing an animal..

thanks for your time.. any thoughts will be apreciated..

I am with you...there seems no really good way of doing this. I am just going to eat the eggs and leave it at that.

Tommy,
It gets better after the first time you slaughter one of your birds. We bought chicks ( cornish-rock) for the express purpose of raising them for meat. We chose not to give them names unless it has something to do with food (after a while they all looked the same anyway). It is easier if you try to distance yourself emotionally from them and realize that you are raising this bird for food, that he is living a much better life than the one you would buy at the grocery store, and that YES, he will die a much more humane death at your hands than that grocery store bird.

I have children between the ages of 6 and 10 and they helped with the whole process. It was an educational experience for us all and while it could not really be called fun, they know where their food came from, cared well for it while it was growing and appreciated it greatly when it was on the table. They prefer our birds to what we now have to buy since we ran out of what we raised. Now we have to wait until it is cooler to raise some more.

We used the killing cone method and slit their throats. I think next time we will use the ax and just be done with it. I think that method is faster and probably more humane. What ever method you choose, you want to be sure to get the blood out of the meat quickly which makes for better quality meat. Get someone who is experienced at this or atleast willing to be there with you and give it a go. Choosing your orneriest rooster might make it easier.

hey BB...how about having someone else process them? is this the same method they would use to kill them? ( cone i mean like you used). For me I am too much of a passivist...and i guess a hypocrite since i eat store bought chicken to ever be able to look the bird in the eye as its growing. I certainly understand the reasons and sentiment behind growing them yourself and knowing they are well cared for prior to their ultimate fate though.

Quote:
Well said Birdbrain.

I've only culled 2 birds so far so I'm still in the "shock at killing something mode".
Both times I took a large sharp knife and cut off the head, let it flap,
then hung it for a few minutes.

It's a strange thing. The more you think about it and agonize over it the worse
it will be. Cutting of the head or breaking the neck are the quickest and most
humane way to do it. Slicing the throat is quick and common but a little slower.

Not many things in life that are "Right" are easy. Raising your own chickens to
feed your family is the "Right" thing, no matter what your beliefs and politics are.
You may be surprised how good you feel about it once you get over the initial
few cullings.

I find it amazing that y'all seem to be thinking the same things as I am, and at so close to the same timing. Today, one of our many (TOO MANY) Black Australorp roos "attacked" ds. The BA's are really my father's, but ds takes care of everyone. He was spreading corn and decided to take a handful to one of the hens, Blue Belle. This roo must have wanted the corn, even though there was a lot on the ground, and I was spreading more because he jumped up on ds, scratching his thigh. It didn't help that ds didn't follow my directions and put on clothes, it takes a lot to get him to put on clothing these days. Anyway, we have a small run that was used for our chicks and this roo ran in there. Ds locked the door and decided that he was going to have this one for supper.

Now, the question is: How do we do it? I don't think there is a place that will do chickens, although there is a place in town that will process deer and such. I'm looking in books and back issues of Back Yard Poultry because I know I saw something, somewhere.

Wish us luck!

Well. as much as I hate to say this, I have not perfected slitting their throats. YET. I still think it is a good method though.
It has to be better than trying to gas them. That just don't seem right. Not knocking you. Just don't like the gas idea at all.

I'd go for a stunner that would knock them out but leave them alive for bleeding out purposes.

All in all, I'm with BB. I'm going to try just whacking their heads off this time. I'll let you know what it was like tomorrow.

When I was young we would just cut their heads off. My problem was that the blade was never sharp enough to go right through. I didn't feel that was right. But It was human error. If you don't feel comfortable looking at their eyes cover their heads. The bodies will flail, could be scary for kids but they may think it's cool. It is probably the least painful for the bird as the spinal chord is completely severed, even though it could be a bit traumatic for you. You also don't need to take their lives to SAVE yours, if you were starving you would have no qualms with this. Because of the meat industry KFC, Campell's and such, I don't eat meat anymore. Most importantly, don't name them, play with them, cuddle them, that's hard with babies. maybe you can get started pullets next time. Good luck

Quote:
I always hated the flailing part. That is why I went with the killing cone. My mom grew up on a ranch and told me that next time I butchered birds to get a bucket with a few inches of water in it and have it ready to drop the bird into (neckfirst) after I cut the head off. This would keep them from flapping every where and getting blood every where and possibly keep the meat from getting brused. When I was little we always used an ax or enormous knife (a big meat cleaver would probably work as well as long as it was good and sharp).

Spock, I hope things go well for you!!

TitiBebbs, here is an online link to an article on how to butcher. I think it is written by the same guy who wrote that Backyard Poultry article. http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Butchering-Ready.html

wow thanks all..

the gassing.. i have done a lil bit of experimenting this morning..
with Co2 and it hurts the Nose and Lungs if u inhale it..
well it was more of an accident.. i dropped my C02 tank in my Shed and it flew around and it hurt to breath.. we have experienced this before when opening a 2 liter and taking a wiff at the opening..

so i guess co2 isn't the gas if gassing.
maybe the nitrogen or argon..

im going to get some nitrogen..and see what a whiff smells like.
(i kinda wish i had the Reports from the Govts who have done gas testing on pain etc.. )

also the other thing i was thinking about gassing..
if you do..
1. make a silencer for the nozzle.. its loud..
2. slowly change out the air from O2 to Death gas..
so they slowly get tired and not like i cant breath..
again reports form the sicko gvtts would help...



Quote:
but i am and i do..

i think i have attachment issues.. (with animals, not all but most)example my cat had 8 kittens.. and i kept them for a year.. and it was super hard to give them up and chose which to keep and just about every day this particular one of them them shows up in my mind.
i so regret giving her away.. (at the time it was just another kitten comperd to the liter) i know how a ladie feels when she has to give up her baby. (yes its the same for me) i wonder bout her all the time.
and i gave them away about a year ago..

that is what i don't want to happen..looking back on them..

i wont be able to ignore them as babies or raising..
my later goals are to start my own hatchery for personal and friends..
so i can have Free Supply of chickens..
Costs are being micromanaged since there isn't much to for any project. to ensure this not only is HUMANE im trying to get cost super low..

i know im confusing.. sorry

thats all i gots for now