Best way to kill a meat bird

[wilkinsfarm2020]

Is there a recommended tool that will chop/turkey/chicken head off. After scolding feathers do I need to freeze for a few days?
I'm trying to make the best humane kill.
Give me the run down of how you do yours maybe?

 

[igorsMistress]

Hi there. We use a cone and a very sharp knife. My husband cuts the heads off but there are videos that you can watch to show you where to cut on the neck for a quick kill.

Once you scald and remove the feathers you'll need to remove the guts and cut off the feet. We then pack into a cooler full of ice for 24 to 48 hours before freezing. If we're going to eat it and not freeze I let it rest in my fridge for 2 or 3 days before cooking.
I recommend watching videos on youtube if you've never done it before.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is there a recommended tool that will chop/turkey/chicken head off.

We all have our preferred methods for killing and butchering a chicken or turkey. Some use the hatchet or ax and stump method, some use a killing cone with a variety of things to dispatch the bird, others use the broomstick method. The way they do it is best for them but that doesn't mean it's the best for everyone. Regardless of which method they use, some people can rationalize why their method is better than any other.

I use the hatchet and stump method. I don't recommend that for everyone. If you are not comfortable swinging a hatchet so you can hit the mark it's probably not for you. Having a stump helps too. My suggestion is to find a way you are confident you can do it without flinching or closing your eyes at a bad time. If it is quick and sure it is humane.

After scolding feathers do I need to freeze for a few days?

If you pluck the bird it needs to be scalded. I skin mine so can't give details on how to do that for the best result. Hopefully others will.

You don't have to freeze them before you eat them unless you want to preserve them. Freezing doesn't help the meat. If you cook it immediately after butchering you are OK, but rigor mortis soon sets up. Once rigor starts setting up you need to age the meat until rigor passes. Otherwise it will be really tough. Two basic methods of aging are either to keep it in the fridge or in a cold ice chest until you can easily move the joints. That's usually a couple of days but some may take a bit longer.

 

[RoosterML]

I do meat cleaver and stump. A lot of room for error with a meat cleaver. I really wish I had someone around to show me the proper way to slit both arteries.

 

[Punkybrewster]

I hang them from a hook on a post, upside down with their feet tied together. They become very calm, then slice their throat. After cleaning, i let them sit in the fridge a couple of days until their legs and wings loosen up from the rigor then package and freeze.

Mind you, i only do a few at a time. Too many and my fridge is overflowing