Culling in the freezing cold

[featherz]

I did it too. I did it myself, and I didn't do a very good job. I felt awful.

My poor chicken was still eating, but she was a skeleton. I'm planning to necropsy her later to see what happened. She was drinking so much water that her entire comb was black and frozen into an icicle this morning. None of my other chickens have any ice or frostbite problems, but she had poor circulation to begin with and comb was always wet.

She hasn't laid an egg in months and was just pooping egg every day and was standing around puffed up. Strangely enough she still ate well, and that was keeping me from culling her.. however she was so thin and miserable I just could not let her do it anymore.

I used the broomstick method - I pulled up, heard the crack and she was still alive! Eyes open and moving purposely. I had to do it again.

I was so worried about pulling her head off that I wasn't pulling hard enough I guess. I felt horrible.

ETA: Just did my necropsy. I feel a bit better now. Definite internal layer, oviduct was packed with that cooked egg stuff.

 

[Count Orloff]

I'm sorry to hear that you had to put your hen down

For those that are describing the procedure to break the neck, I have a question: Wouldn't a .22 bullet to the back of the head into the brain also cause instant death? To me it just seem easier than having to break her neck.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
If you heard that crack, you probably sent her Across The Road, the movement was probably residual reflexes. You can either pull really really hard (and risk pulling the head off) or pull until you hear that crack, and then twist the body around a few times. There's no way a chicken could remain alive after that.

You can tell the difference between intentional & reflexive flapping. The after-death flapping is more rapid, less natural. When I hear/see that, I am reassured that my bird is beyond pain & fear then.

 

[featherz]

Quote:
No gun here and my aim would suck anyways.

As for my poor hen, I heard the crack but she was most definitely still alive. No twitching or flapping. I don't know how, but she was. I pulled again and THEN I got the residual movement/twitching/eyes closed, etc. I just managed to probably paralyze her the first time.

 

[LilChickCoop]

Quote:
Wash your hands with the back of a stainless steel spoon- that will take away any odor.