Best way to catch the birds you want to process?

[Shanda]

I processed 3 roosters for the first time this past Saturday. The processing went very well...thinking back on the experience, the catching of the roosters was not so smooth

. The roosters I wanted to process were not tame like my hens. My husband had a snake hook and I was chasing them around with that. That did help to tire them out (and me) and I was able to grab them by the tail and eventually by the feet. However, I didn't like this. It was stressful for them and the rest of my chickens. My chickens, who are normally very friendly, seemed afraid of me for a day after that. Any ideas on a better way to catch the chickens I want to process next time?

 

[NancyP]

I catch the ones to be processed the night before and put them in a smaller pen for the night. The next morning they are easy to catch in the confined space.
Nancy

 

[Shanda]

So you grab them off the roost? That would make more sense, they are calmer at that time

.

 

[stormylady]

Quote:
I did the same thing last year! and felt terrible, They say chickens have a short attention span, Well Im here to tell ya they remembered that for a long while. LOL So now when I got a chicken that has to go I alway take them out of the coop the at night after they bed down for the night and stick them in the cage that way there isn't a fight and all that squakng going on, not to mention my girls stopped laying for about a week to boot. good luck to ya!

 

[Dogfish]

Night before catch them off the roost, no fuss, no muss. I used tractors for CX, so any birds would go in there, but you could drop them in a brooder. Give them water, no feed.

 

[BoomChickaRocka]

grab em by the foot!

 

[Illia]

Grab them off the roost at night.



The best way though is to raise them to not be skittish.

Or if the roosters normally are friendly, try to do it at night, it raises less suspicion. The one time I took 10 hens during the day, . . . The remaining girls were on edge and lacking in production for a week. I promised them I'd never do such to them though.

 

[al6517]

I find my long handled fishing net even's the odd's and doesn't cause all that unessesary running around like a retard trying to catch chickens like in the Rocky movie LOL. If you chase these meaties around because you lack the skills to catch them, you could end up with one keeling over on the spot from heart trouble, not to mention freaking out your other birds. #1 advice, allways have a good plan, failure to plan is a plan that will fail.

AL

 

[Bossroo]

The best way to catch a chicken, duck, etc.( to treat a sick or injured or to butcher one or two) out in the yard or pen that I have found ... make yourself a "shepherd's hook" out of a heavy wire ( 10 gauge or larger , stiffer the better) about 6 feet or slightly longer, double over one end by 6 inches into a "V" shape ( take the end of the short portion of the "V" and bend over outwards the end by 1/2" to make a blunt end and then form a space of about 2" at the top end of the "V") to latch over the chickens leg and double over the other long end of the wire by about 6 inches to make a handle. Calmly walk up to within 6 ft to a chicken , reach in, and hook one leg into the "V" hook and pull the bird toward you upwards swiftly then go hand over hand over the wire to pull the bird in and then grab the bird by its legs. The rest of the birds may scatter but will not panic.

Good luck !

 

[DenverBird]

My plan is to just close the coop up the night before processing day and then just take them out a few at a time as we're butchering.

-DB