Why Do Chickens Run Around After Head is Cut Off?

[HLAC]

If you think birds have a long drawn out nerve response.... try butchering a turtle. Yikes!

 

[fla_native]

They do that cause they cant see where they are going!

 

[SnoozeRooster]

I was thinking about that whole head chopping thing and found this old thread. I was wondering if that flopping around is a continuation from their last controlled response? What I mean is, they are breathing fast, mouth open, staring at you with the axe; next thing they know, the axe is coming right at their head and they probably say RUN!...too late, the heads off but the body goes nuts. I was further wondering if somehow they couldn't see in that last moment, if the flopping would still happen or to the same degree? I may try it this year. The other question I had is: what is a 'killing cone'? I saw someone advertising some chicken equipment and among the listings was a killing cone. Maybe that is so the chicken doesn't see.....

 

[hillbillyfarmer]

A killing cone is used to restrain the chicken so it does not run around and damage the meat also to let it bleed out. You put the chicken in it upside down and cut its jugular vein in the neck and let it bleed out.

 

[silkiechicken]

I was thinking about that whole head chopping thing and found this old thread. I was wondering if that flopping around is a continuation from their last controlled response?

Rather than caused by continuation of signals, it is due to the lack of signals. The lack of signals from the CNS causes all the muscles to spasm. Take a fresh tissue with nerve attached, pinch the nerve, as long as the tissue still has ATP, the tissue will twitch. Place tissue in a ringers solution and you can electrically stimulate a nerve and the muscle will keep on contracting. Might google a bit about the frog leg experiment commonly done in classes.

 

[SnoozeRooster]

I'm not disagreeing, but to be clear on my thoughts; it seems that what you're saying is a live and perfectly calm chicken is really a chicken which would be flopping around all over the place if it's brain were not 'absorbing' and calming all these signals. That would be why once you cut it's head off, it doesn't remain still or even just twitch. It flops around all over the place. I wouldn't have thought that. That's interesting though. I would've thought all would be calm UNLESS the brain told it to react, conversely to controlling an abundance of reactions all the time. I didn't google the frog thing, it's somewhat curious the way things work either way.

 

[donrae]

I was thinking about that whole head chopping thing and found this old thread. I was wondering if that flopping around is a continuation from their last controlled response? What I mean is, they are breathing fast, mouth open, staring at you with the axe; next thing they know, the axe is coming right at their head and they probably say RUN!...too late, the heads off but the body goes nuts. I was further wondering if somehow they couldn't see in that last moment, if the flopping would still happen or to the same degree? I may try it this year. The other question I had is: what is a 'killing cone'? I saw someone advertising some chicken equipment and among the listings was a killing cone. Maybe that is so the chicken doesn't see.....

My butchering experience defies this, in that our birds don't see us coming at them. We place them in the kill cone so they're snugly confined and honey firmly grasps the head, covering the eyes. They're not stressed, struggling or breathing hard at this point. One hard cut and the head is cleanly off. One of the reasons we butcher ourselves is to NOT stress the bird and have an adrenaline flood going through the tissue at time of death.

A killing cone is similar to a construction or traffic cone, just a cone shaped object. You place the bird in head first, the head sticks out the smaller hole on the end. It contains the bird from the whole flopping/flapping thing and prevents them from breaking wings, bruising meat, etc. Our current one is actually made from heavy duty pond liner material!

 

[Athaid]

I know this is an old thread but I'm sure they feel nothing. If they're beheaded quickly then they wont even have a split second of pain. They twitch because the signals in the brain are still firing off. But they'll be unconsious the second their head comes off. I've never done it myself because I don't eat meat, but I've seen it and it made me feel gross.

 

[gillnpunky]

they probably don't feel it but should be pithed

 

[LaTalullah]

Here is the scientific explanation of why a chicken runs around after its head is chopped off.

http://sciencenordic.com/why-do-headless-chickens-run

I believe that they feel pain. I have nothing to support this but the anecdotes of phantom pain that amputees feel.

You can euthanize chickens with CO2. There's a great article how, but that's really for putting a pet to sleep.

Also, you can shoot them with a pellet gun.

I'm interested in this topic because I practiced veganism for a year but really miss meat and want to know if there is any way to butcher animals cruelty free.

I suspect not.