Culled some chickens - left with some questions

[llnmaw]

We had 3 hens that needed to go for various reasons. My husband is a hunter and 'okay' with doing the deed, but quite frankly has limited experience killing things with his hands rather than a gun.

So, we read up on the topic and used the method where you lie the chicken on the ground with it's head under a broom handle then give a sharp tug on the feet. The 1st one? He pulled too hard I guess and the head came of. Chicken flapped for quite a bit while we held her over a bucket to bleed her out. Very little blood. 2nd and 3rd ones the head did not come of and he made cuts on the neck to bleed them out. They also flapped for a bit. Very little blood again.

I know there is that saying "running around like a chicken with it's head cut off:, but I want to be sure what we did was humane.

The flapping was 'normal' and the chicken was dead?? Right?? Reflex?

None of the chickens bled much. Normal too??

We dissected the one older hen (6yrs) and I have to say the whole experience was really interesting! My kids and I really learned quite a bit! We measured the intestine - 6 feet long!

Thanks!
~L.

 

[redsoxs]

I've heard of that method but it's not the method most folks use. Many will slit the juglar with a sharp knife - it bleeds out quickly without much flopping. Others will chop off the head with an axe or hatchet - death is instantaneous but the nerves are also severed and a lot of flopping takes place. That's why the first one you attempted did this. The blood was likely pooling inside.

 

[AKchicken1]

We place them in an upside road cone so their head sticks out through the narrow head of the cone. I hold the head and with a freshly sharpened filet knife remove the head with one fast slice across and through the neck. Death is insinstantaneous and the cone eliminates all flopping. A road cone is cheap, you can buy expensive stainless steel killing cones too. I prefer to remove the head as opposed to bleeding them.

 

[llnmaw]

I am aware of the various killing methods, was wondering if we did not do it right (humanely) since there was so much flapping after what I thought would have been a dead bird.

We do not raise meat birds and, other than illness, do not plan on killing batches of birds again anytime soon. 2 of the birds were ours and 1 was a favor for a friend.

Mostly looking for reassurance that we did it right despite the flapping.

Where would the blood have been pooling since the birds were hanging by their feet from the moment their necks were snapped?

 

[AKchicken1]

If you got instant flapping once the dislocation occurred, that means you had indeed severed the spinal cord and you did dispatch your birds humanely, instantly. The flapping is a nervous system response because, essentially, the body has lost contact with the brain - death.

The blood can pool in the pocket of skin that houses the crop sometimes. I guess you may have just been expecting more blood than chickens have. The one with the removed head should have bled out fully, so you should expect that much from the others.

 

[NanaHess]

We are looking at this soon with our 5-6 roosters. Good to know a road cone works as I was unsure where to get a cone and that method sounds much cleaner than my experiences growing up with the hatchet. Plan to use a hefty bag tacked up underneath as well to hopefully prevent our dogs from fixating on the location when we are done.

 

[llnmaw]

If you got instant flapping once the dislocation occurred, that means you had indeed severed the spinal cord and you did dispatch your birds humanely, instantly. The flapping is a nervous system response because, essentially, the body has lost contact with the brain - death.

The blood can pool in the pocket of skin that houses the crop sometimes. I guess you may have just been expecting more blood than chickens have. The one with the removed head should have bled out fully, so you should expect that much from the others.

Thanks for the reassurance! I guess I was expecting more blood than there was and when it was mentioned that the blood may have been pooling I was curious.
Glad to know we did right by our birds..