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

[Morrigan]

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.

This is exactly what we do. Have the cone, right next to the stump and make sure you have a firm grip on the legs when you bring the axe down.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

This is exactly what we do. Have the cone, right next to the stump and make sure you have a firm grip on the legs when you bring the axe down.

Thanks! I'm thinking this will be the way to go for us because I do want to keep the blood for my compost.

 

[Ridgerunner]

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?

I don't collect the blood. I drive two large nails in a stump on one side to form a Vee, about 3/4" apart at the bottom going to about 1-1/2" apart higher up. I hold the bird by both legs and gently lower its neck in that Vee. Gently, take your time. Then gently stretch out the neck, it does not have to be tight. The nails hold it in place while you swing the axe or hatchet. After the head is off I just turn loose of the legs and let it flop around.

One trick to the hatchet method and why you use a stump. You want to cut into the grain of the wood so the blade sinks into the wood a bit. You get a cleaner cut that way. If you cut across the grain (say you try to use a 2x12) the blade can bounce back instead of going on through. You might get a clean kill but the head often doesn't come off.

I've never tried to put the bird in any kind of cone after removing the head, with the flapping wings I don't know how that would work. Might be a problem unless you wrap the wings so they can't flap. If you want to collect the blood you might want to look into the killing cone and removing the head with a knife, pipe cutters, or a pruning loppers (the scissors type, not the anvil type).







+6

 

[Morrigan]

I've never tried to put the bird in any kind of cone after removing the head, with the flapping wings I don't know how that would work. Might be a problem unless you wrap the wings so they can't flap.

We don't wrap the wings. If you move fast, the flapping really isn't a problem. It's axe down, lift immediately and drop into the cone. My husband, who usually does this part, has gotten so fast it's all in one motion, and it's in the cone before it even starts flapping. However, if you stand around for a few seconds holding the legs, like I did the first time, the flapping gets pretty intense, and it's hard to get them into the cone.

To be honest, I don't find there is a ton of blood to collect, but I do like that fact that the cone keeps the the chicken from flopping around on the ground.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I don't collect the blood. I drive two large nails in a stump on one side to form a Vee, about 3/4" apart at the bottom going to about 1-1/2" apart higher up. I hold the bird by both legs and gently lower its neck in that Vee. Gently, take your time. Then gently stretch out the neck, it does not have to be tight. The nails hold it in place while you swing the axe or hatchet. After the head is off I just turn loose of the legs and let it flop around.

One trick to the hatchet method and why you use a stump. You want to cut into the grain of the wood so the blade sinks into the wood a bit. You get a cleaner cut that way. If you cut across the grain (say you try to use a 2x12) the blade can bounce back instead of going on through. You might get a clean kill but the head often doesn't come off.

I've never tried to put the bird in any kind of cone after removing the head, with the flapping wings I don't know how that would work. Might be a problem unless you wrap the wings so they can't flap. If you want to collect the blood you might want to look into the killing cone and removing the head with a knife, pipe cutters, or a pruning loppers (the scissors type, not the anvil type).







+6

We don't wrap the wings. If you move fast, the flapping really isn't a problem. It's axe down, lift immediately and drop into the cone. My husband, who usually does this part, has gotten so fast it's all in one motion, and it's in the cone before it even starts flapping. However, if you stand around for a few seconds holding the legs, like I did the first time, the flapping gets pretty intense, and it's hard to get them into the cone.

To be honest, I don't find there is a ton of blood to collect, but I do like that fact that the cone keeps the the chicken from flopping around on the ground.

Thanks for your input! I appreciate hearing all the firsthand experience. Because I want to collect the blood, I think I will just try to act really quickly and get it into the cone. We will have just 6-7 birds total, so maybe we can split it into 2 days and learn from whatever mistakes we make the first day.

 

[NatJ]

Because I want to collect the blood, I think I will just try to act really quickly and get it into the cone.

It sounds like you are expecting more blood than you will actually get. But after the first time, you will know how much there really is (or isn't.)

I usually hold the shanks and the wingtip feathers in one hand while I chop the head off with a hatchet in the other hand. After that, I deal with the flapping headless chicken in a variety of ways.

If I want the blood in a particular place I just point the headless chicken in the right direction while continuing to hold on tight. (Chopping block right next to the compost pile would work fine.)

If I don't want to stand and hold it, turning it loose is one option. This was the first method I learned, and I don't remember seeing any bruising, but I got tired of picking chickens out of mud puddles (because they always seemed to go downhill, and of course downhill is where the mud puddle forms.) So I don't do this anymore.

On a few occasions, I butchered chickens while there was knee-deep snow. I could stomp a hole in the snow, cut off the chicken's head, and stick the chicken into the snow. Very tidy, but butchering in cold weather makes for some pretty cold fingers!

Sometimes I put the chicken under an upside-down bucket: chop the head, put the chicken under the bucket, and put a foot on the bucket to make sure it stays put.

I've never noticed bruising from any of these methods.

The one method I will not repeat: hanging the chicken from a tree by its feet. That let the headless chicken flap around up in the air spraying blood, and it made a much bigger mess than any other method I've tried (yes, more mess than turning it loose.)

I know cones work well for some people, but because I learned other methods first, I never bothered trying a cone. So I cannot say how my methods compare with a cone.

 

[Morrigan]

One other thing I would add, is that having a very good and sharp axe, makes a big difference. The wider and flatter the blade, the better, as long as you can comfortably wield it.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

It sounds like you are expecting more blood than you will actually get. But after the first time, you will know how much there really is (or isn't.)

I usually hold the shanks and the wingtip feathers in one hand while I chop the head off with a hatchet in the other hand. After that, I deal with the flapping headless chicken in a variety of ways.

If I want the blood in a particular place I just point the headless chicken in the right direction while continuing to hold on tight. (Chopping block right next to the compost pile would work fine.)

If I don't want to stand and hold it, turning it loose is one option. This was the first method I learned, and I don't remember seeing any bruising, but I got tired of picking chickens out of mud puddles (because they always seemed to go downhill, and of course downhill is where the mud puddle forms.) So I don't do this anymore.

On a few occasions, I butchered chickens while there was knee-deep snow. I could stomp a hole in the snow, cut off the chicken's head, and stick the chicken into the snow. Very tidy, but butchering in cold weather makes for some pretty cold fingers!

Sometimes I put the chicken under an upside-down bucket: chop the head, put the chicken under the bucket, and put a foot on the bucket to make sure it stays put.

I've never noticed bruising from any of these methods.

The one method I will not repeat: hanging the chicken from a tree by its feet. That let the headless chicken flap around up in the air spraying blood, and it made a much bigger mess than any other method I've tried (yes, more mess than turning it loose.)

I know cones work well for some people, but because I learned other methods first, I never bothered trying a cone. So I cannot say how my methods compare with a cone.

Good to know you've never experienced bruising with just letting the bird flap. I wondered if the books/websites I was reading exaggerated about this, because it seems humans have been doing that method for generations. So good to know it's not as common as they make it seem.

Yeah, I know chickens don't drain out a ton of blood each, but I will have several and I don't want any part of the chicken to go to waste. I have a large garden that could use the fertilizer, and a dog who will really enjoy some chicken feet. Plus I just think it's the most respectful thing to do in my case. I may be more emotional about this since this is my first time, so I think making good use of everything will help me feel okay about the whole thing.

 

[NatJ]

Yeah, I know chickens don't drain out a ton of blood each, but I will have several and I don't want any part of the chicken to go to waste. I have a large garden that could use the fertilizer, and a dog who will really enjoy some chicken feet. Plus I just think it's the most respectful thing to do in my case. I may be more emotional about this since this is my first time, so I think making good use of everything will help me feel okay about the whole thing.

I've always done butchering over a grassy lawn. This means the blood automatically ends up on the grass.

My main motivation has been ease of cleanup (the blood disappears in a few days or less, depending on how many chickens I butchered, how much rain falls, and how fast the grass grows.) But it does mean the blood can benefit the grass instead of being "wasted."

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I've always done butchering over a grassy lawn. This means the blood automatically ends up on the grass.

My main motivation has been ease of cleanup (the blood disappears in a few days or less, depending on how many chickens I butchered, how much rain falls, and how fast the grass grows.) But it does mean the blood can benefit the grass instead of being "wasted."

Maybe one day, but unfortunately right now where I live, butchering must be done in a garage or other enclosed space. I live in the city.