Best killing knife (or other implement)

[iwltfum]

Would a sharp kitchen knife work to quickly slit the neck? Sadly it is time to start culling birds here and we're trying to make it as painless as possible. Thx,

Yes. A pairing knife might be easier to handle than a chef's knife but either one would do the trick.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Would a sharp kitchen knife work to quickly slit the neck? Sadly it is time to start culling birds here and we're trying to make it as painless as possible. Thx,

VERY sharp, yes. Someone hold the chicken upside down or on its back so the breast is facing upwards. An adult to help you, so they don't let go at the wrong moment and can hold on tight when you cut. You fold your free hand around the head gently but firmly, stretch the neck out, and cut SWIFTLY and FIRMLY downwards and away from you and your helper, so that you're cutting from the underside of the jawline through the back of the neck, just below the jaw. Don't hesitate, don't start then stop. Take a deep breath, ready yourself, and DO it.

I've tried laying the bird on a board, stretching it out, and cutting or chopping through the neck into the board. Doesn't work. It's a messy inefficient process and likely painful to the bird. If you DO use a surface to lay the bird on, be sure it's easily cut into - like the butt end of a post or soft log (cutting INTO the grain instead of across it). SHARP hatchet, axe, meat cleaver, machete, etc..... And don't be wimpy about it - use some force and do it fast.

Before I got my PVC cutters and killing cone ( <----- THIS by FAR the BEST method I've found!!!), I also used a pair of kitchen tongs with open bent wire ends to grip the bird's head firmly, so I could chop down without fear of cutting my helper's hand off. I've also done it on a board with a couple of crossed nails, or a tree-branch with a tight "V" wedged into the end of the board - and wedge the bird's head in there while I stretch the body and neck out with the other. Still not foolproof. At the last moment, the bird is likely to panic and you'll strike air, feathers, a beak, a wing, half the head, or miss the jugular and spinal cord ..... never mind.

Great. Now I'll be ruminating on these mental images all day.

 

[raingarden]

I use poultry shears.