Culling Gone Very Wrong

[Mychickshavepowers]

Today was my third time culling. I didn't do anything different. But this time went terribly wrong. One chicken got out of the killing cone after I had halfway cut its head off and it ran back to the coop. It was traumatizing to watch, to be the cause of, and that poor chicken suffered. It wasn't the only mistake I made. I do the vein cutting method, but I kept missing the vein this time. I don't know what to do. I don't know if I can do this ever again. Any advice is appreciated. Please be nice. I did this to raise and kill my chickens humanely, so this is making me sick. I've cried all morning. I've watched probably a hundred videos before ever attempting to kill, and like I said, it went well the first two times

 

[sourland]

sorry you are dealing with this. This is why I have always used decapitation or cervical dislocation.

 

[Isadora]

Try to be kind to yourself. We make mistakes sometimes, and we learn from them. My only suggestion is that you take your time when trying to find and cut the vein. Sometimes we can get in a hurry to just get it over with, and that can lead to mistakes. Or perhaps consider a different method of culling, like chopping off the head.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

As you are discovering, sharp is not SHARP! enough, and ShaRp is even worse. I began vein method, but could not consistently cut both veins, some of my birds are quite large (I also do pekin ducks). I now do decapitation with a SHARP! knife - knife sharpening is part of my set-up prep, every time.

I find i can feel along the neck, find the spot between two vertebrae, set the heaviest part of my chef's knife there, and draw right thru. Quick, clean decapitation. If the bird tries to pull its head back, it actually increases the gap between bones in the front. Twisting is more problematic, good knife placement remains key. I don't use a cone.

I also pick the bird up after I've removed the head and hold it to drain over the fire pit, meaning I am often splattered with fresh blood, because I don't have a way to hang the bird there and my wife doesn't want me doing the deed in the old location (with the hook, the scale, and everything else). Will be building a better fire pit to accommodate.

In your case, I'm going to suggest offset loppers. Less error prone, more complete removal.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

As much as I wish it weren't true, I agree with other posters that most people have had a dispatching not go as planned. It's traumatic for both human and bird, but serves as a tough - and important - learning opportunity.

I choose what can be a nearly mistake-proof method: removal of the head, with a focus on severing the spine first. The tried-and-true chopping block works, but I use a killing cone made from cut-down traffic cones and a dedicated set of loppers. The loppers can cut through a branch that's several inches in diameter, so it makes quick work of the job.

Kudos for wanting to provide your birds with a quick end - I hope that the next time you process birds, it goes more smoothly. "Practice makes perfect" isn't just a trite saying.

 

[littlechickenmama17]

@Mychickshavepowers , I feel your pain! We now do vein cutting for culling and butchering, but we used to do decapitation (just know this story is a little scary).... We had just started butchering our meat chickens and were laying them down to decapitate them (I know, I still am sad every time we butcher). Well, I raised the butcher knife and cut right through - but I must have went down differently because the chicken was still alive! It scared me and I let go, as it flopped on the ground and started tripping and having spasms. I swear, I stood there screaming for a while, even after it finally died. It took me a few months to get back into meat chickens, but you have to know that when you go down this path, there is gonna be challenges and problems to make you think why you started raising chickens. Well, it's because we choose not to go for mass produced food and fake food. We are going against the tide of people who don't care what they eat, simply because it is easier to "buy at the store". Know that we all are behind you, and don't think it is your fault.

 

[Mychickshavepowers]

@Mychickshavepowers , I feel your pain! We now do vein cutting for culling and butchering, but we used to do decapitation (just know this story is a little scary).... We had just started butchering our meat chickens and were laying them down to decapitate them (I know, I still am sad every time we butcher). Well, I raised the butcher knife and cut right through - but I must have went down differently because the chicken was still alive! It scared me and I let go, as it flopped on the ground and started tripping and having spasms. I swear, I stood there screaming for a while, even after it finally died. It took me a few months to get back into meat chickens, but you have to know that when you go down this path, there is gonna be challenges and problems to make you think why you started raising chickens. Well, it's because we choose not to go for mass produced food and fake food. We are going against the tide of people who don't care what they eat, simply because it is easier to "buy at the store". Know that we all are behind you, and don't think it is your fault.

Wow thank you so much. That happened today. It ran away after I'd decapitated it half-way. It made me cry for hours. And I did do this to stop buying from these horrible companies and give my food a better life. My husband along with this community has convinced me to continue. I will study up on why I was missing the vein. I think I was cutting to high up and I used to go just under the jaw. I'm scared to try again. But I'm going to anyway and hope my research improves my next experience

 

[RoosterML]

Looper as in gardening loppers?? That works?

Yes they do, I just did 18 birds this weekend without any issue and will now be my go to method. They bleed out plenty. One person job and very tough to mess up. These are extremely sharp off the shelf and can easily be touched up if needed.

 

[ladybrasa]

I also recommend loppers. They are even curved and kind of go around the neck. BUT as others have said, make sure they are sharp sharp sharp! Also i think someone mentioned, feathers really dull your blade of whatever you are using fast.

 

[aart]

I use a very sharp, dedicated to only butchering, by-pass pruner to severe head.
After slicing carotid/jugular to kill and bleed out.

This is the best info I found on where to slice neck.

It takes practice.

Wondering if your cone is deep enough.