Culling Gone Very Wrong

[aart]

Looper as in gardening loppers?? That works?

It can.
Here's some discussion about it:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-wrong-a-quick-question.1471779/post-24523389

 

[3KillerBs]

No advice to offer because I've only used the broomstick so far, but you have my sympathy and my encouragement.

We're not always perfect, but we learn from our errors.

 

[avidity]

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

Augh, I know exactly how you feel. I recently botched my first cull. Best advice I can give is don't beat yourself up. And well done for getting back into the saddle -- you've got this!

 

[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.

 

[turkey girl 0964]

I am so sorry that this happened. This is part of raising animals...life and death. Most of the time everything goes well but sometimes mistakes happen we all learn from them. We put our CX meat birds in a cone and slit the vein we pull the feathers from that area first so we don't hit any feathers. For our mean roosters we put them in a bag with a hole in the corner them chop off its head.

 

[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.

 

[Mychickshavepowers]

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.
View attachment 2698444
View attachment 2698443

Thank you!

 

[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.

 

[Mychickshavepowers]

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.

Think I'm gonna try loppers. I didn't try decapitation because I had a really bad experience and vein method went well twice. Then went wrong too. I think loppers will be easier than locating vertebrae or vein

 

[CaroleW]

I've only culled about 5 (by myself, over a few months time, dual-purpose birds so don't have to harvest all at once) and the last one was the first time I think I got the cut right. I knew because the blood gushed instead of dripped down and the roo was breathing way less than a minute. Before this I had to cut multiple times and it seemed like the poor birds kept breathing toooo long. I agree - sharp knife is KEY...sharpened before each harvest, sharp backup knife on hand.

It is definitely a learning process and you get better with practice - there's a time for watching and a time for doing. You can experiment on different recommended methods until you find one that you are best at.

Know your birds still had a better life than any factory meat animals and are healthier to eat for your family. And your family knows where meat comes from - all this is knowledge you cannot buy.