Knife sticks are cleaner, less bruising from the extra flapping around, the bleeding cut is cleaner so they do bleed out faster and better. It even loosens the feathers for plucking. you can line them up in cones, working efficiently, and quickly.
I conceded already that you have to know what you are doing, and most need someone to show them. Otherwise, yes, you will get a few wrong before you get it right. An axe is certainly much simpler to master. Maybe the best for the first times, when the process is already a lot for a beginner. Then again, some would miss with an ax and make a mess to. I imagine theree are some of those stories around to.
My biggest concern with newbies and axes personally is regarding them hurting themselves or someone else, not the bird... I've seen some people swing the axe overhead while another person holds the chook! And some people would lack the physical ability to use something somewhat heavy like a hatchet or axe anyway, at least, in a reliable manner. It's not for everyone.
But people can hurt themselves and others with most methods anyway, it's always a possibility.
You would have to have experience with both to be able to criticize one method or another.
I disagree with that, but, each to their own.
There is always advantages and disadvantages. If the technique is mastered it would be easy to see how much better they bleed out, and how much cleaner the overall process is. Then you would be able to examine the arteries and see how one method has a tendency to crush and crimp, where some bleed out better than others.
I would assume that most people are intelligent enough to sharpen the axe. Most.
My intent was to offer the OP another option to consider. If you get where you have 25,50,100 birds to do . . .you start looking at getting better at it. I never saw birds flopping all over the place, or hung up flopping all over the place, slinging blood all over the place, as desirable.
It's a fair option you mentioned for sure, I just added some info and thoughts on it, but most methods if done right can be humane and I don't see why this would be any different. I'm not trying to discredit anyone here.
Not all axe kills flap all over the place either, most of mine didn't. At the end of the day, it's all down to personal choice and preference, which often requires some experimentation.
Best wishes.
