I don't know if I can do this...

[LaurenRitz]

We're proud of you too.

That first step is never easy. I don’t think it's supposed to be. Once I actually slit the throat and the bird stops staring at me reproachfully, it's just a piece of meat. My brain flips over into "meat" mode and the rest is relatively simple.

 

[Klutch]

You did an amazing job for you first time. I suggest getting a some cut resistant gloves. I use a knife for my butchering.

 

[littledog]

We slaughtered chickens for meat for the first time this past weekend, and it went OK enough that we don't feel too bad, but there's definitely a learning curve for us to do better with the last 4 roosters next weekend.
Our intention was to slaughter them last October at 3 months of age, using the processing unit for rent from our local county Agricultural Extension, but that fell through when we got the unit home and it was damaged. So we decided to do it the old-fashioned way, bought a giant 8-gallon pot, cut up feed bags to use instead of cones, and sharpened some knives.
The first rooster we did we felt bad - the cleaver we used was not sharp enough and it took a few chops to kill the poor guy. So for our second rooster, the idea was to grab my super sharp Green River kitchen knife, one of us hold it over his neck and the other slam it with a hammer. This worked great, the rooster was dispatched immediately and humanely. The feed bags worked as good as cones, we hung them using coat hangers until they bled out. In the meantime, the 8-gallon pot of water had got to 150 degrees, we dipped the roosters several times until the feathers were easy to remove, and the plucking turned out to be the easiest part of the whole process. The gutting was tricky, fitting our hands in while being careful to not perforate the intestinal tract while pulling it out, took some careful finesse, but we got it done and those two birds wrapped and put on ice.
The next rooster we decided to do like the second which went humanely, but this time, slamming the knife with a hammer dispatched the rooster quickly and humanely, but the knife broke, flipped around, and the broken end took a chunk out of my finger, which bled as much as the poor rooster. For the last rooster, I took the original cleaver, sharpened it as good as I could, and the hammer-slamming method was quick and humane.
To do more quickly and humanely next time, we ordered a sharp hatchet with more weight, so one chop can dispatch the rooster. Also, a better knife to do the gutting more neatly and avoid the intestinal tract.
Hopefully we've learned enough to be able to dispatch them as humanely as possible next time, as well as to butcher them so we end up with safe and healthy meat.

 

[FunClucks]

We slaughtered chickens for meat for the first time this past weekend, and it went OK enough that we don't feel too bad, but there's definitely a learning curve for us to do better with the last 4 roosters next weekend.
Our intention was to slaughter them last October at 3 months of age, using the processing unit for rent from our local county Agricultural Extension, but that fell through when we got the unit home and it was damaged. So we decided to do it the old-fashioned way, bought a giant 8-gallon pot, cut up feed bags to use instead of cones, and sharpened some knives.
The first rooster we did we felt bad - the cleaver we used was not sharp enough and it took a few chops to kill the poor guy. So for our second rooster, the idea was to grab my super sharp Green River kitchen knife, one of us hold it over his neck and the other slam it with a hammer. This worked great, the rooster was dispatched immediately and humanely. The feed bags worked as good as cones, we hung them using coat hangers until they bled out. In the meantime, the 8-gallon pot of water had got to 150 degrees, we dipped the roosters several times until the feathers were easy to remove, and the plucking turned out to be the easiest part of the whole process. The gutting was tricky, fitting our hands in while being careful to not perforate the intestinal tract while pulling it out, took some careful finesse, but we got it done and those two birds wrapped and put on ice.
The next rooster we decided to do like the second which went humanely, but this time, slamming the knife with a hammer dispatched the rooster quickly and humanely, but the knife broke, flipped around, and the broken end took a chunk out of my finger, which bled as much as the poor rooster. For the last rooster, I took the original cleaver, sharpened it as good as I could, and the hammer-slamming method was quick and humane.
To do more quickly and humanely next time, we ordered a sharp hatchet with more weight, so one chop can dispatch the rooster. Also, a better knife to do the gutting more neatly and avoid the intestinal tract.
Hopefully we've learned enough to be able to dispatch them as humanely as possible next time, as well as to butcher them so we end up with safe and healthy meat.

Sounds like you got the job done very well, all things considered! There is a learning curve, and next time will probably go a lot smoother. I always recommend cut proof gloves for at least your opposing hand, or those chain-mail gloves they have for keeping you safe in commercial kitchens when slicing meat. When you're getting a new hatchet/knife, get a few of those. And always have a back-up processing method prepared. Hope your hand heals well and quickly!!!

 

[Molpet]

We slaughtered chickens for meat for the first time this past weekend, and it went OK enough that we don't feel too bad, but there's definitely a learning curve for us to do better with the last 4 roosters next weekend.
Our intention was to slaughter them last October at 3 months of age, using the processing unit for rent from our local county Agricultural Extension, but that fell through when we got the unit home and it was damaged. So we decided to do it the old-fashioned way, bought a giant 8-gallon pot, cut up feed bags to use instead of cones, and sharpened some knives.
The first rooster we did we felt bad - the cleaver we used was not sharp enough and it took a few chops to kill the poor guy. So for our second rooster, the idea was to grab my super sharp Green River kitchen knife, one of us hold it over his neck and the other slam it with a hammer. This worked great, the rooster was dispatched immediately and humanely. The feed bags worked as good as cones, we hung them using coat hangers until they bled out. In the meantime, the 8-gallon pot of water had got to 150 degrees, we dipped the roosters several times until the feathers were easy to remove, and the plucking turned out to be the easiest part of the whole process. The gutting was tricky, fitting our hands in while being careful to not perforate the intestinal tract while pulling it out, took some careful finesse, but we got it done and those two birds wrapped and put on ice.
The next rooster we decided to do like the second which went humanely, but this time, slamming the knife with a hammer dispatched the rooster quickly and humanely, but the knife broke, flipped around, and the broken end took a chunk out of my finger, which bled as much as the poor rooster. For the last rooster, I took the original cleaver, sharpened it as good as I could, and the hammer-slamming method was quick and humane.
To do more quickly and humanely next time, we ordered a sharp hatchet with more weight, so one chop can dispatch the rooster. Also, a better knife to do the gutting more neatly and avoid the intestinal tract.
Hopefully we've learned enough to be able to dispatch them as humanely as possible next time, as well as to butcher them so we end up with safe and healthy meat.

I made a cone out of a cut up kitty litter jug

and use a PVC pipe cutter to dispatch birds under 2 yrs
Neck bones get harder as they age.

Also age determines cooking methods

Resting until rigor mortis has passed, at least a day. Until joints move freely. Older they are the longer it takes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

it took a few chops to kill the poor guy.

What was the neck resting on? You want the blade (whatever you use) to go into the grain of the wood, not across it. If you use a stump, the blade will sink into the wood a bit, going clean through the neck. If you use a 2x12 you are cutting across the grain and the blade can bounce back instead of going all the way through the neck. I learned this the hard way.

 

[littledog]

I always recommend cut proof gloves for at least your opposing hand, or those chain-mail gloves they have for keeping you safe in commercial kitchens when slicing meat.

Great idea! I'll bring mine home from work, temporarily.

 

[littledog]

If you use a 2x12 you are cutting across the grain and the blade can bounce back instead of going all the way through the neck.

Oh, good point! That's exactly what happened when I cut myself.

 

[Robinator]

So, we're raising 18 chickens for butcher this summer. They are about 10/12 weeks old now. Today when I put them to bed, my 4 year old daughter wanted to help me. She was out in the run herding them in while I opened the door for them when one of the roosters attacked her. This was one that I had noticed was a bit aggressive to the other chickens but this was the first time I've seen him attack a human. I went into Mamma Bear mode and flew at him, chasing him away and cursing him out. He fled into the coop and I took my daughter out of there. When I came in and told the rest of my family what happened, my older daughters told me that they had been attacked as well by this same chicken. My husband and I decided that he had to go early - that night in fact. I didn't feel like keeping him in a small crate (neither did I have any to spare) until butcher time, so we decided to butcher him tonight. I mean, I've watched lots of videos and I used to help my mom butcher chickens all the time. One chicken shouldn't be too bad, right?

Anywho, we put the kids to bed, I got my buckets and knife ready. My husband and I went out and brought him out of the coop. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my brand new filet knife I had bought for this purpose (we were planning on butchering all 18 chickens by ourselves so I had been acquiring the things we'd need), so I told my husband perhaps we could do the broomstick method. At this time, I didn't think I could go through with slicing his throat as my knife was not the sharpest, and I figured we could just pull his neck. So, I told my husband how to do it (he hadn't watched the videos), and he pulled ... halfheartedly. The chicken was not dead. He stared at us, quite calmly, and I'm like, "I don't think he's dead." So ... I decided I would hold the chicken while my husband cut off his head with the axe (which was the tool we were using). My husband wasn't too sure he could get a clean and accurate cut (I mean he's never done this before or used an axe much, and I didn't want him to chop off my hand). So, I decided, I would have to do it myself. I pulled too hard. The body came away from the head and I dropped it. It went all over the place - our kitties were as excited as we were appalled. Anywho, I eventually got it into a bucket, plucked it and gutted it, knowing if I didn't do it, nobody else would.

But having done our first chicken, I don't know if I can do this. If I had someone here with me who knew what they were doing, maybe I could, but I don't know if I can do this 17 more times. We're thinking of sending them to the butcher. This was recommended to us by a local farmer who raises his own meat chickens. I don't know a lot of people who do this themselves anymore - at least near us. Any words of wisdom would help. Thank you.

Sounds like me yesterday. I'm going to try the feet tied up on a limb and slice the throat next. Using an "almost" sharp enough axe was not good. 5 whacks if 4 too many. I also did a rake over the neck and pull for a favorite rooster who became paralyzed. I only have 3 or 4 roosters to go. I'm going to try skinning without plucking. Try again. Pace yourself and next time maybe do 10 chickens instead of 20 so it's not such a daunting task. Good luck.

 

[Robinator]

Considering your mutual lack of confidence with various blades, I would stick with the broomstick method.

This was from my singular attempt to slaughter this spring, lacking said confidence... resulting in a subsequent tendon repair surgery and months of PT, and I still can't open a jar on my own.

I am sooo sorry about your thumb. I am always recuperating from some farm related injury and it makes you not want to climb a tree to prune it. Just sayin'...