Found a butchering video- Method I am going to use

Found a good video on youtube full graphic version of butchering chickens. This is the method I am going to use if I can get up the guts to butcher myself. They knock the chicken out first. Seemed as humane as possible. Wanted to share it for the scardy cats like me! WARNING it is graphic so do not watch if you don't want to see it!

I don't think I could knock them out first. I've done the rest. They don't even react to the knife when you cut their jugular.

Just have to make sure you don't hit the trachea. Mine just faded away into a sleep (took between 10-30 seconds) and then convulsed when their heart stopped. It was very humane, and I think hitting them over the head first would leave room for error, but that's me. This guy did it very well. If I could ensure they were knocked out every single time, I'd consider it. I am just too bad of an aim. That is why I don't do the axe and block (among a few other reasons, but that is the main reason).

I was terrified my first time. I thought I'd cry and carry on. It is not nearly as bad as you think it's going to be. It's not fun, and it shouldn't be, but it's not as tragic as you imagine either.

I want to start raising my own to get away from whatever they may put into the meat and the butchering process of the store bought birds...I just have not gotten up the guts to do it. I did have to cull 2 hens and I used tree loppers....it was pretty tramatic for me. I would have probably used an axe instead, but I did not have one and it needed to be done right then. I may try it with trying to knock them out first and then just slitting the throat and see what works best for me. If I don't have good enough aim to knock it out first try I probably would not try it again. Feel kinda sorry for the couple of chickens I butcher first. I am sure there is a learning curve and the first couple don't get the benefit of experience that the others will get.

What happens if you hit the trachea?

Everyone goes through a learning curve. You can't beat yourself up over it. The first I did were mercy killings, by axe. I did not get the head off with one swoop, and it was terrifying. I mean.. I just about died.. I also tried breaking their necks (a chick that was stepped on and was slowly dying) and it also did not go quickly and I cried for a few days after that.

With these ones, I had 8 boys I needed to get processed. I know if I sent them away, that would only cause more stress on them. I was the one that hatched them. I was the one that raised them. I was the one that fed them, took care of them. I was going to be the one that did it. It was for THEM and not for me that I was the one who did the butchering. They lived wonderful free ranged lives up until the end, and were fed only the best, and were happy (I know it's a humanizing term, but they did seem genuinely happy!)

So what I did was wake up early and got my first rooster, who was terribly mean. I brought him out to the killing cone and I hit this first one's trachea. He bled through his eyes and nose and choked on his blood while dying. Not good. I was very upset after that one, but he died quicker than the axe and the neck breaking, but it was very hard to watch.

The second one.. I didn't quite get his jugular, but I did not hit his trachea. Within 5 second I realized he wasn't bleeding much at all, and finally got his jugular. (note that I tried with rooster in cone, head facing me centre, and cutting on the right side of his neck for the first two, and after that on the left side). So after the second one was finished, the third and all the rest after that were perfect. One even went into convulsions within 5 seconds. None of them seemed to be in any kind of pain. The worst part for them was being handled. We held them upside down, and this calmed them. I could have waken up earlier when they were still on the roost, but we had blew a fuse at the barn when we started to get our water ready for scalding.

So make sure everything is ready prior to the time you start. Try to do it as early or as late as possible when they are already in a daze from sleepiness.

I was highly against the killing cone and cutting the jugular before I saw how much room for error the axe and block was. Especially when you have terrible hand eye coordination.

i really like this guys method. chicken seemed relaxed the whole time

yes I agree....I guess if you can get them knocked out good....might not be as easy as it shows, as Aoxa pointed out though. I don't think the chicken is even aware.

camilleathome said:

i really like this guys method. chicken seemed relaxed the whole time

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Camille,

This is my favourite guy, though he does it much the same as the guy you posted. I just like his countryness.

This is exactly how my chickens reacted, though they were constrained by a killing cone, so they didn't flap around as much.

Thank You Camille...that is a VERY good video! Do they flap around or squack more than he showed? Alot of the videos, they make the cut and then phase out quickly and then on to after the chicken is dead. i guess to "spare" the viewer of seeing the chicken death. But I wanted to see the WHOLE thing to prepare myself so I was not shocked. I was shocked at how long my 2 hens that I had to cull flopped around and think I heard a few squacks...but kindof blocked out the memory a little, and I did not stay right there and watch them. So I am not sure EXATLY what happened. If I get any roosters in this batch of chicks coming in May I AM going to butcher them. Last time I gave them away to someone who butchered them. What a waste of money!

gg706 said:

Thank You Camille...that is a VERY good video! Do they flap around or squack more than he showed? Alot of the videos, they make the cut and then phase out quickly and then on to after the chicken is dead. i guess to "spare" the viewer of seeing the chicken death. But I wanted to see the WHOLE thing to prepare myself so I was not shocked. I was shocked at how long my 2 hens that I had to cull flopped around and think I heard a few squacks...but kindof blocked out the memory a little, and I did not stay right there and watch them. So I am not sure EXATLY what happened. If I get any roosters in this batch of chicks coming in May I AM going to butcher them. Last time I gave them away to someone who butchered them. What a waste of money!

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hes decently active on his youtube page. you can ask him and im sure he will awnser