Hi all,
Unfortunately today I had to cull one of my hens as she wasn't doing well (I suspected EYP or a tumor due to a mass that had slowly formed and wasn't in a place where I was able to justify spending a ton of money on a single chicken) and used the broomstick method. I did find that I was unsure if she had passed right away (maybe 5 seconds) and so I resorted to pulling harder to the point of decapitation. It ended up being messier than I had hoped because of this, however I could deal with the mess (I've worked around farm animals for a while so I've seen a considerable amount of death, though this was my first cull) as opposed to not being sure she had passed and having her be in pain.
While I'm not too squeamish I would, ideally, like to have a little neater of a method that is more foolproof so I don't have to worry about them suffering longer than is necessary. From what I have gathered, a kill cone and sharp loppers is a pretty quick method that decapitates them without having them run all over the place/cause a mess. Personally, I keep dual purpose breeds such as Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks. I do not eat them, as they are pets, so this culling method would exclusively be for the euthanasia of very sick or mortally wounded birds.
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.
Unfortunately today I had to cull one of my hens as she wasn't doing well (I suspected EYP or a tumor due to a mass that had slowly formed and wasn't in a place where I was able to justify spending a ton of money on a single chicken) and used the broomstick method. I did find that I was unsure if she had passed right away (maybe 5 seconds) and so I resorted to pulling harder to the point of decapitation. It ended up being messier than I had hoped because of this, however I could deal with the mess (I've worked around farm animals for a while so I've seen a considerable amount of death, though this was my first cull) as opposed to not being sure she had passed and having her be in pain.
While I'm not too squeamish I would, ideally, like to have a little neater of a method that is more foolproof so I don't have to worry about them suffering longer than is necessary. From what I have gathered, a kill cone and sharp loppers is a pretty quick method that decapitates them without having them run all over the place/cause a mess. Personally, I keep dual purpose breeds such as Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks. I do not eat them, as they are pets, so this culling method would exclusively be for the euthanasia of very sick or mortally wounded birds.
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.