Culling Gone Very Wrong

This thread is helping me. I culled my first rooster today, by myself (was supposed to do 2) and it went horribly wrong. I had a brand new set of knives that were sharp, and they just wouldn't cut through his neck in the cone. I don't know if it was me or the knives - i tried to only cut the sides and not the trachea, but ended up cutting a bunch of places and still missed the artery. I started panicking because he was in so much distress and switched the broomstick method - but for some reason, even after his neck broke, he kept breathing. I stood on the broomstick for what felt like forever and cried because he just didn't deserve any of that. I don't think I can do this again for a long time, if ever.
 
I don't know if it was me or the knives - i tried to only cut the sides and not the trachea, but ended up cutting a bunch of places and still missed the artery.
This blog shows exactly where to cut....it's a meat bird so feathering is thin.
With layer breeds you've got to get that knife between as many feathers as possible.
 
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
I know how you feel, my jumbo Cornish Cross backed out of my killing cone when I wasn't watching and bruised himself when he hit the ground. After that, I hung a leg cord above my killing cone, so now there is no way for them to escape. They hang by their legs in the killing cone.

I started tilting their heads and applying more pressure with my knife before slicing. and my trash bucket with plastic bag is up close, so the blood doesn't splash out. I pull their heads off after they stop wiggling. My one to two chicken plucker from Hatch Time doesn't tumble with their heads on. But the water proof design, easy cleaning and light weight motor has its advantages.

I take the neck off during the gutting stage. I sit the chicken up and pull the neck back and cut around the meat where i want to detach it. Then I snap and twist the neck off. It is easy with a hand towel.
 
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So sorry this happened to you :hugs its never easy to take a life no matter how small so when you run into complications such as this it is traumatizing. We use the broomstick method because I'm squimish and not confident I could simply remove the head...although that has happened. My third time the head came clean off when I pulled up and in my shock I let go. Poor thing proceeded to bounce around my yard as I chased helplessly after it. It shot up in the air 4 feet and sprayed me with blood. My head was messed up for the rest of the day. Even though I showered it felt like I couldnt get the blood off me. I now do not let go of the bird until the heart stops. Don't let your mistakes discourage you but let them make you wiser. :thumbsup
 
I use a fillet knife- a fishing knife with a slightly curved 7" blade. I sharpen it to the point it can shave the hair off your arm. I put the chicken in the cone with the feet facing me, then gently but firmly pull the bird's neck straight and tight by grabbing the beak with my thumb pressed into the "V" at the base of the lower beak and my forefinger wrapped over the upper beak. This grip helps keep your fingers away from the blade as you work. If your grip isn't strong enough, use a piece of twine and a slipknot around the neck where the skull joins the neck, with the knot at the front of the throat. You have to get a good grip or she might pull away.

Using the full length of the blade against the tight skin, draw the blade across the neck while applying gentle pressure to the stroke toward the spine. The sharpness of the blade, the tightness of the skin and the long stroke of the blade will part the neck down to the spine.

Since I use my thumb and forefinger to hold the head, I can gently rotate the bird's head so I can start and finish the cut behind the ears. When the cut is complete, the spine and the strip of flesh over the dorsal side of the spine are all that hold the head to the body.

The keys are the sharp blade, firm grip, tight skin and a confident stroke. If the blade isn't razor sharp, it will drag the skin and won't cut cleanly. If the skin isn't tight, it will drag under the blade and won't cut cleanly. If the stroke isn't a full, confident stroke, you risk making partial cuts or not going deeply enough- if your blade is perfect and the rest of the process is done with confidence, the worst thing that can happen is the head comes off completely.

Speaking to your bad experience, be comforted that your single misstep with this one chicken was a learning experience, and is covered by the grace of knowing that YOUR chickens have never had the misery of being in a factory food production mill. They'll never experience the horrors of a slaughterhouse line. They have grown up and been raised by a person who cares for their health and comfort.

You're one of the tiny percentage of people who have taken ownership of the processes that put food on your table, and your concern for the chickens experience is a huge indicator of how seriously you feel about it.

The duty to give your chickens their best life, and to process them quickly and humanely is a sacred thing.

I always pray before drawing the knife and thank God for the connection to our food He has given my family. Too many people have been divorced from how the meat on their plate gets there, and it's a shame. Once I turned a live chicken into an entree, I didn't look at leftovers the same way.

You've got a good heart and you're on the right path.
 

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