Axe/hatchet method of chicken dispatch - is it the most humane and cost-efficient method?

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

We will be processing our first meatbirds in the fall (6 Cornish X from Meyer Hatchery). My fiance grew up in Europe and remembers killing the meat chickens on his grandparents' farm by chopping off the heads, so originally we just planned to do that. But the more I research, the more I'm unsure about this method. It seems the most humane to me because they barely get a chance to feel pain, but it also seems like it could be messy or hold the risk of the meat getting bruised. Our main concerns are preventing suffering in the chicken, and preserving the quality of the meat. We also want to remain cost-efficient. We already have a good hatchet that could do the job, but no cone.

For any of you who use the axe method, are there ways to prevent the messiness and the risk of bruising? Do you feel it is the most humane? What are other advantages and disadvantages?

For those of you who use a different method, what is it, and why do you feel it is more humane? I've considered the kill cone, but it seems the chicken will suffer for a few minutes as it dies, and it requires me to buy a cone. Let me know why you think it's worth it anyway.

Thank you!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I hang them upside down from the scale, hold the head in my off hand, and take if off with a very SHARP! knife in my primary. There is no bruising. Its as humane as any other method, when done correctly. Its inexpensive, requiring only the time investment to sharpen the knife, and a way to hang the bird so it can't smash into anything in its death throws.

That's the positives.

Negatives. It takes a certain kind of person to hold the head in one hand and slice it clean off with the other. Most people aren't wired that way, which may be a good thing. You WILL get blood on you - wear a bathing suit. If you don't position the knife right, so it slides clean thru the vertebrae, it will likely require a second cut. Practice makes perfect, but if the bird does move when you position the knife, requiring a second cut, whatever you do, DO NOT hesitate. It is no kindness to you, and more important, it is no kindness to the bird.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I hang them upside down from the scale, hold the head in my off hand, and take if off with a very SHARP! knife in my primary. There is no bruising. Its as humane as any other method, when done correctly. Its inexpensive, requiring only the time investment to sharpen the knife, and a way to hang the bird so it can't smash into anything in its death throws.

That's the positives.

Negatives. It takes a certain kind of person to hold the head in one hand and slice it clean off with the other. Most people aren't wired that way, which may be a good thing. You WILL get blood on you - wear a bathing suit. If you don't position the knife right, so it slides clean thru the vertebrae, it will likely require a second cut. Practice makes perfect, but if the bird does move when you position the knife, requiring a second cut, whatever you do, DO NOT hesitate. It is no kindness to you, and more important, it is no kindness to the bird.

Wow, it sounds like that takes some precision! Thanks for sharing.

That makes me wonder, could I maybe tie the chicken's legs to a string while I have it on the table (before decapitation), so I can let it hang to bleed out afterwards? I'm imagining the string tied high above a bucket, maybe to a rafter in my garage, long enough that I can have the chicken on the table off to the side, and then move it over after decapitation so it hangs over the bucket. Does that seem like it would work?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Wow, it sounds like that takes some precision! Thanks for sharing.

That makes me wonder, could I maybe tie the chicken's legs to a string while I have it on the table (before decapitation), so I can let it hang to bleed out afterwards? I'm imagining the string tied high above a bucket, maybe to a rafter in my garage, long enough that I can have the chicken on the table off to the side, and then move it over after decapitation so it hangs over the bucket. Does that seem like it would work?

A String? No.

Small dia cord or rope (1/8"), probably.

I have a (likely silicone) not very stretchy rubber-band like thing I use to wrap the legs before hanging from the scale. Even a 14# Cx is no strain, even when it flaps around. String or twine? I'd not risk it.

Something like this:

Bungie loops may work too. I just like mine (came in a cheap package of assorted bungies) because is washable/bleachable.

Plenty of people do tie the legs. It just seems like extra effort to me to tie and untie knots.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I use the hatchet and stump method and consider it as humane as any other method. The bird will flop around but the head is gone. I don't see how it can be suffering. It is possible that it can bruise while flopping around but I hardly ever see that. I figure there is some risk no matter what you do.

To me the main thing no matter which method you use is that you can do it right. You don't want to flinch or close your eyes at the wrong time, you could only wound the bird or possibly injure yourself.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I use the hatchet and stump method and consider it as humane as any other method. The bird will flop around but the head is gone. I don't see how it can be suffering. It is possible that it can bruise while flopping around but I hardly ever see that. I figure there is some risk no matter what you do.

To me the main thing no matter which method you use is that you can do it right. You don't want to flinch or close your eyes at the wrong time, you could only wound the bird or possibly injure yourself.

Thanks! So when you do this, do you hold the chicken over a bucket or tub when it is bleeding out? How do you collect the blood?

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

A String? No.

Small dia cord or rope (1/8"), probably.

I have a (likely silicone) not very stretchy rubber-band like thing I use to wrap the legs before hanging from the scale. Even a 14# Cx is no strain, even when it flaps around. String or twine? I'd not risk it.

Something like this:
View attachment 3174879
Bungie loops may work too. I just like mine (came in a cheap package of assorted bungies) because is washable/bleachable.

Plenty of people do tie the legs. It just seems like extra effort to me to tie and untie knots.

Yes, I meant rope or cord, not string lol. Not sure why I used that word.

Bungies sound like a good idea!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

We use branch trimmers. It doesn't remove the head, which can make it seem alarming even if you've made a good cut. Ours don't remove the head, but they do break the neck the first round. If it bothers you (and it did us at first), you can then remove the head with scissors during the twitches.

It takes some practice though to get comfortable doing it, so in the beginning, an ax may be better. I use a cone for large/with birds and simply lay the smaller/calmer/weaker birds inside the jaws and then push the lever down.

 

[Molpet]

Cut up Kitty litter jug as kill cone.
Electrical tape around feet.

PVC cutter for decapitation

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Cut up Kitty litter jug as kill cone.
Electrical tape around feet.
View attachment 3174949

PVC cutter for decapitation

View attachment 3174951

Wow, that homemade cone is genius!

You guys are giving me so many ideas and I appreciate it! I'm not sure how confident I am with that pipe cutter, but I wonder if I could use an axe to decapitate, and then put the headless chicken in the homemade cone to bleed out into a bucket or bin of some sort.