Whats the most humane way to kill a chicken?

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I have read through all these posts and i'm thinking that the killing cone and the cut juggular might be the way we will be going, but are you supposed to cut through the wind pipe as well or just the vein?
 
I do have a question about the killing part. Other than having something to hold during scalding, whats the purpose of leaving the head on? As an avid hunter, i find it more humane to take the life as swift as possible. With the bird in the cone, would a nice sharp set of the "pictured" large wire cutters work to decapitate the bird? Some may feel that the racing heart muscles trying to pump blood, when its just not there doesn't register to the bird, or inflict pain, but somewhere in my mind i think the beheading would be a quicker death? Any insight to methods, and reasons for the method would be appreciated.
 

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I explored a few different ways to kill a chicken. I wanted death to be swift and as painless as possible and to be the least traumatic for me as possible. I found what I feel is the best advice from a poultry vet and if it's allowed, I'm posting a link to the article because a picture is worth a thousand words.
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2017/02/how-to-humanely-euthanize-chicken-by-dr.html

xcalibor67 said:
...With the bird in the cone, would a nice sharp set of the "pictured" large wire cutters work to decapitate the bird? Some may feel that the racing heart muscles trying to pump blood, when its just not there doesn't register to the bird, or inflict pain, but somewhere in my mind i think the beheading would be a quicker death? Any insight to methods, and reasons for the method would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

I have been doing the cervical dislocation described in the article I linked before I cut the head off (I hold the legs to scald them), but I have been pondering the notion of decapitating the bird with large loppers similar to what you posted. According to the vet, a clean decapitation takes about 15-20 seconds to kill the bird versus about 40 seconds using cervical dislocation. Forty seconds is, IMO, way too long, but if the bird is unconscious, does the difference between 15 and 40 seconds matter? I'm exploring the lopper method because it seems more controllable than winding up a grand swing with a machete and possibly missing the mark in that last fraction of a second.
 
AllynTal said:
I explored a few different ways to kill a chicken. I wanted death to be swift and as painless as possible and to be the least traumatic for me as possible. I found what I feel is the best advice from a poultry vet and if it's allowed, I'm posting a link to the article because a picture is worth a thousand words.
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2017/02/how-to-humanely-euthanize-chicken-by-dr.html



I have been doing the cervical dislocation described in the article I linked before I cut the head off (I hold the legs to scald them), but I have been pondering the notion of decapitating the bird with large loppers similar to what you posted. According to the vet, a clean decapitation takes about 15-20 seconds to kill the bird versus about 40 seconds using cervical dislocation. Forty seconds is, IMO, way too long, but if the bird is unconscious, does the difference between 15 and 40 seconds matter? I'm exploring the lopper method because it seems more controllable than winding up a grand swing with a machete and possibly missing the mark in that last fraction of a second.
Click to expand...


I feel that instant decapitation the way I do it in the video provides the least pain. It is the brain that feels pain; so the instant the spine is disconnected, the head no longer feels any pain from the body and the shock most likely causes instant unconsciousness. I just don't see how it could get any more humane then that, but that is just me.

I agree that you should not try to to swing a machete or knife to wack the head off. As you can see in the video, I do not swing. I place the blade against the neck and firmly slice the head off in one quick motion. There is no danger of hitting yourself this way. But I think tree loppers is a great idea as well. Having spent 20 years exploring jungles, I am a master with a machete, and feel very comfortable with, but I realize other people that have no experience with it may not feel that way.
 
AllynTal said:
I explored a few different ways to kill a chicken. I wanted death to be swift and as painless as possible and to be the least traumatic for me as possible. I found what I feel is the best advice from a poultry vet and if it's allowed, I'm posting a link to the article because a picture is worth a thousand words.
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2017/02/how-to-humanely-euthanize-chicken-by-dr.html

I have been doing the cervical dislocation described in the article I linked before I cut the head off (I hold the legs to scald them), but I have been pondering the notion of decapitating the bird with large loppers similar to what you posted. According to the vet, a clean decapitation takes about 15-20 seconds to kill the bird versus about 40 seconds using cervical dislocation. Forty seconds is, IMO, way too long, but if the bird is unconscious, does the difference between 15 and 40 seconds matter? I'm exploring the lopper method because it seems more controllable than winding up a grand swing with a machete and possibly missing the mark in that last fraction of a second.
Click to expand...

I used to do the jugular cutting, but wasn't happy with it because I felt it took too long, and that it was a little too dependent on my skill in getting it right (and getting it wrong and having to cut several times is... memorable and upsetting). Now I decapitate using a pair of Husky flexible tube cutters, on the advice of another BYCer. It works SO quickly, and is very easy to control (versus loppers with long arms, I imagined - at least for me). I just culled and processed a bunch this weekend - I put them in a cone, secure the legs with one of those gear ties, and quickly decapitate. Over very fast for the chicken, though there's a lot of thrashing of the body. Interestingly, I discovered that holding their legs afterward reduces the violence/vigor of the thrashing in the cone - I don't know why, but it does.

I got it at Home Depot for $15. HIGHLY recommended.

HuskyTubeCutter.jpg
HuskyTubeCutterOpen.jpg


- Ant Farm
 
you could try getting a traffic cone.You put the chicken upside down in a traffic cone and cut the head off on the other end.I feel that this is the human way to kill a chicken
 
Actually you can get the bird on its back it goes into a trance and will calm down and lay there I place the bird on a special cutting board put them in a trance then as they relax you ease the neck out I don't use an ax but a sharp machete one solid swift chop it's the most humane way that I know
 

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