DIY HUMANE way to Kill Slaughter Chicken (Stun-kill, Gas) - Page 26

Thanks! I think we may do it this way. Thanks again..

ITs done..she didnt suffer at all. Hubby said that he'd do it that way again if we had to.

About the broomstick method: my personal experience.

It works well with younger and smaller birds but not so well with old full grown large breed roos.  They have strong necks and require a lot of pressure on the handle, otherwise you may pull the head under the handle without killing the bird then have a flapping scared bird.  My problem was a 7 to 8 pound Delaware Roo done on dirt and pulling hard I tended to go up on my tiptoes releasing some pressure on the handle.  I use a knife on large birds now.

If you don't have a cone and would wish to use something to control the bird, you could use the sleeve from an old shirt or a pant leg with the end pulled tight so the bird wouldn't fall all the way through.  I used a pair of vicegrips to close off the bottom of a pant leg .   I then screwed the top of the cut off pant leg to some wood and placed the large roo in upside down.  I reached up into the leg and found his head and pulled it through then let the pant leg hang down with the bird upside down and let it get comfortable prior to using the knife.  A metal cone would be easier but This worked for me.  (Not the same roo)

The leg of a pair of jeans with little holes cut round both ends with stout cord threaded through.  The smaller end drawn in so the chickens head will fit easily through and the other end left wide open to insert the bird then the draw strings pulled tight, looped round the feet and the bird hung up.

Worked a treat

Then I use long handled loppers on the neck, right behind the head.

But thats just me, they work really well with no chance of mucking it up or hurting myself.

I've tried killing chickens several ways. Previously, I chopped off their heads and let the body drop into a large bucket. But, I often ended up with broken wings.  Just last week, I found a way that works well for me.  There is a device used to hang horse feed buckets from a hook. It's heavy metal shaped into hooks on each end. Using a hammer, I shaped one end of the hanger to allow a chicken leg to enter but not let a foot slip out.  Previously, I had driven a large nail into a branch on a small tree. The shape and location of the branch allows the birds to hang totally free from the tree when suspended upside down by the hanger.

The process is easy. Scoop up a bird, ease the hangar around his leg, turn him over and place the other end of the hangar over the nail. In just couple secs, the bird calms down, and I stretch his neck and quickly slice his jugular vein. The bird bleeds out and dies within 30 - 60 secs. There is flapping at the end but because the bird is suspended in air, there is NO broken wings or even bruising.

This is so much quicker and easier than tying up legs, stuffing the bird into a pant leg or even a cone.

Works for me and it's the way I'll be doing it from now on.

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 instantly.  Once you feel that crunch and see the neck hanging limp, you know the job has been done.

Tothemoon, you can use this method with chicks too, hold their little feet in one hand, place their neck between two fingers, & pull.  But it's too heartbreaking for me to see so I instead wrap them in a paper towel, hold them over the little hole I've dug under a bush, and snip through their neck with a sharp pair of shears, and let everything fall into the hole.  Well, not the shears.  It's up to you to decide just when their quality of life is so poor that it's best to help it out.

As for dispatching meat birds, if you don't have a cone you can just use duct tape wrapped a few times around their wings & sides.  And zip-ties to hold their legs together and hang them overhead.

Thanks sunny, im still hoping they might get better but I dont think the lil guy with the bulging eyes is going to. The one that doesnt seem to be walking well is getting a little better at it so im still praying for them both.

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Use the report button. You know better than to fan flames.

Place a sock over its head ..it calms the bird and you dont have to look it in the eye! Then use a sharp axe ..deeds done quickly!