Processing chickens by throat cutting

[Bryce Thomas]

I am going to be processing some chickens in about a week, and last time decapitation was super gory for me, I want to try something new. I hear that slitting the throat horizontally just above the bottom beak while holding their heads down vertically in a cone works very well. I'm alright with seeing blood, but seeing the roosters head come off and the body violently spasming was just too much for me.

Also one other question, do I have to stick the knife into the throat with the blade facing towards the ground like seen in B? Or do I just grab the chickens head and with the knife facing towards the birds neck and just slice into it? Also, how do I know when the stop? I hear im supposed to cut the veins and jugular but not touch the vertebrae. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I haven't done this personally but if I ever get meat birds this is how I plan to cull simply because I had a friend who almost bled to death and she said it was very peaceful, like going to sleep and that was how she culled for that very reason. I don't have any advice otherwise. Hope that helps

 

[Silexian]

Make sure you knife is very sharp. I hold the head in my hand and pull the neck straight. Starting just under the ear where the skull meets the neck. Place the blade of the knife against the neck. With where the handle and the blade meet under the ear. With a slight down pressure, quickly draw the blade across the side of the neck from back to front. That will cut the veins and not remove the head. They will still have some convulsions, but not as bad as when the head is completely removed.

 

[aart]

Make sure you knife is very sharp. I hold the head in my hand and pull the neck straight. Starting just under the ear where the skull meets the neck. Place the blade of the knife against the neck. With where the handle and the blade meet under the ear. With a slight down pressure, quickly draw the blade across the side of the neck from back to front. That will cut the veins and not remove the head.

This^^^

Convulsions are part of dying, it's going to happen no matter how you kill them.

Get the knife between the feathers as much as possible before going for the kill cut.
This blog shows very clearly where to cut:
http://ramblingredneckmom.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-process-chickens-at-home.html

 

[Mrs. K]

Last year, I found putting a killed bird into a five gallon bucket helped. There were still the death throws, but not quite as violent, and the bird stays cleaner.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

This^^^

Convulsions are part of dying, it's going to happen no matter how you kill them.

Get the knife between the feathers as much as possible before going for the kill cut.
This blog shows very clearly where to cut:
http://ramblingredneckmom.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-process-chickens-at-home.html

^^^ this.

Nevertheless, I still prefer to decapitate. To each their own.

 

[aart]

^^^ this.

Nevertheless, I still prefer to decapitate. To each their own.

I slit both sides of neck then hold head until they mostly stop twitching then take head off with pruner instead of wrecking my knife on bone.

 

[638858]

Make a cheap cone set up.. I have a stainless steel table with a hole in it, you can use a tree or fence post, to secure cone.. keep a bucket underneath it to catch blood (I make my own catfish bait) and the process is pretty much non eventful.. as with anything experience helps.. so it will only get easier.. good luck..

 

[Bryce Thomas]

Make sure you knife is very sharp. I hold the head in my hand and pull the neck straight. Starting just under the ear where the skull meets the neck. Place the blade of the knife against the neck. With where the handle and the blade meet under the ear. With a slight down pressure, quickly draw the blade across the side of the neck from back to front. That will cut the veins and not remove the head. They will still have some convulsions, but not as bad as when the head is completely removed.

I understand, but about the down pressure, what do you mean? Push slightly down and in? Please explain, thanks

 

[whatmomwants]

What do you do with the bucket of blood after processing?