Dealing with emotions of a botched kill

[Coffetym]

Here’s a video that has another option to dispatch a chicken.

 

[Morrigan]

If you decide to use the hatchet method again definitely sharpen it.

Very good point. A large, sharp hatchet makes the job much easier.

 

[free_ranger]

OK thank you all, I am convinced I should knock my chickens out before I kill them from now on. So what is the best way?

Also is there any way to just inject some sort of humane and painless chicken euthanasia in a hen or rooster that you can't/won't eat, because they're dying of some illness, or you just don't eat your birds? Like when you go to the vet to "put down" your cat or dog?

 

[AGeese]

Congrats to the OP. They did good, it's easy to get attached. I personally will use a hatchet when it comes time. Back in the day they used to twist the heads off.

*as to the idea (or law) of knocking a chicken out first sounds incredibly unnecessary, and cause for potential mistakes making the whole thing counter intuitive, creating more stress/trouble than it's worth.

With an axe, hatchet, or cleaver you decapitate quick, and besides the nerve endings producing a reaction immediately after, it's over.

The chicken should go into shock and die.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We definitely prefer the broomstick method, and having accidentally decapitated a couple (my husband is both tall and strong) I have to say that if the bird is flapping afterward, do not panic or feel bad, it probably is really dead, because even the ones we decapitated did that. I also want to tell the OP that IMO, she should use whatever method she is most comfortable with, regardless of how anyone else feels about it. What works for someone else is right for them, but not necessarily for you. I have to cull a 5-week old chick tomorrow and I guess I will be using a set of pruning shears.

 

[free_ranger]

Well the bolt stunner guns are around $1800! So that isn't even an option.

I did find my answer about how you can euthanize a bird without it feeling like it's suffocating, using ether which is found in starter fluid. Vehicle starting fluid, not charcoal starter. It is in a post here on BYC titled "The Chicken World's Worst Chore, culling the injured and sick babies."

 

[free_ranger]

I just figured out how to add the link

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...re-culling-the-injured-and-sick-babies.72140/

I hope it helps someone!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We definitely prefer the broomstick method, and having accidentally decapitated a couple (my husband is both tall and strong) I have to say that if the bird is flapping afterward, do not panic or feel bad, it probably is really dead, because even the ones we decapitated did that. I also want to tell the OP that IMO, she should use whatever method she is most comfortable with, regardless of how anyone else feels about it. What works for someone else is right for them, but not necessarily for you. I have to cull a 5-week old chick tomorrow and I guess I will be using a set of pruning shears.

Good news. I did NOT have to cull that chick, it's made a recovery and today will go back out into gen. pop. Yay!

 

[Chubbicthe2nd]

Today we processed our Rainbow Rangers. Typically my husband chops the heads off with an axe and we both process. He does it because he's stronger and also has accuracy from splitting wood since he was a kid. However, I mentioned to him that I feel I should also participate in the kill part so I have that skill. I wasn't confident in my accuracy or strength with an axe so I brought up the broomstick method and was even discussing it on BYC this week. I watched videos and mentally prepared myself.

When it came down to it, I went to get a shovel for the broomstick method, and my husband said he thought that was really inhumane. He said he thought I could do the axe just fine because I am strong and exercise. I'm a pushover and agreed, and I took a couple light practice swings before getting the bird. Then, when the bird was down, I took a hard swing and... it was too low on the neck! I screamed. I never scream. I quickly took another swing and most of the head came off. I had to take a third until it was fully beheaded. I got the chicken into the bucket as quickly as I could. I was absolutely mortified and breathing heavy after the experience. My heart's beating quicker just typing this.

I feel absolutely horrible. The whole reason I raise my own chickens is because of how inhumane the slaughterhouses and large scale chicken farms can be, yet I botched a kill and possibly made the chicken suffer! I guess it's hard to know for sure if he suffered because I think the first swing did break his neck (I saw it while eviscerating) and he didn't react in any way I could tell, but I really have no way of knowing. I feel awful if he suffered.

Have any of you ever botched a kill like this? Were you able to forgive yourself? What can I do next time to better prepare myself to participate in this part of the harvesting process?

My guess is it was very quick, and is just playing out in slow motion in your head because it was a bit traumatic for you. Honestly, I don't think us women were biologically designed to kill, it is more traumatic for us because it goes against our biology.

This only gets worse with pregnancy hormones. I thought I had a relatively cool head, when are friends butchered all their rabbits, I was in charge of disemboweling them and sorting out the organs and pulling off the skin. But I couldn't get myself to actually pull the neck in the hook. It felt like trying to breathe in water while in a swimming pool, my entire body was telling me not to do it.

(By the way, I was just trying to do side breathing with the breaststroke in swim class, but my body thought I was trying to breathe water and it refused to cooperate.)

I'm hoping these things get easier every time we do them, but I assume the first few times will evoke a trauma response that is significantly stronger than the experience for biological males, probably for hormonal reasons in the brain chemistry.

My guess is you're having a trauma response just because of the biological resistance in your brain, probably hardwired from thousands of years of evolution. So then you're going to find a reason to be hard on yourself.

From what you said about the swings with the ax, the difference was only probably the chicken died in 15 seconds rather than 3 seconds. And when it's a matter of seconds it may have not even felt it, because sometimes the body goes into shock. I remember reading soldiers memoirs from d-day, your hand would get blown off and they won't even feel it from 30 seconds or so, cuz their body was in shock. So the chicken probably was too, and you gave it a good clean death.

Sorry if this is not comforting or too rambling. I'm just trying to prepare myself for this experience in a couple weeks o_0

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

My guess is it was very quick, and is just playing out in slow motion in your head because it was a bit traumatic for you. Honestly, I don't think us women were biologically designed to kill, it is more traumatic for us because it goes against our biology.

This only gets worse with pregnancy hormones. I thought I had a relatively cool head, when are friends butchered all their rabbits, I was in charge of disemboweling them and sorting out the organs and pulling off the skin. But I couldn't get myself to actually pull the neck in the hook. It felt like trying to breathe in water while in a swimming pool, my entire body was telling me not to do it.

(By the way, I was just trying to do side breathing with the breaststroke in swim class, but my body thought I was trying to breathe water and it refused to cooperate.)

I'm hoping these things get easier every time we do them, but I assume the first few times will evoke a trauma response that is significantly stronger than the experience for biological males, probably for hormonal reasons in the brain chemistry.

My guess is you're having a trauma response just because of the biological resistance in your brain, probably hardwired from thousands of years of evolution. So then you're going to find a reason to be hard on yourself.

From what you said about the swings with the ax, the difference was only probably the chicken died in 15 seconds rather than 3 seconds. And when it's a matter of seconds it may have not even felt it, because sometimes the body goes into shock. I remember reading soldiers memoirs from d-day, your hand would get blown off and they won't even feel it from 30 seconds or so, cuz their body was in shock. So the chicken probably was too, and you gave it a good clean death.

Sorry if this is not comforting or too rambling. I'm just trying to prepare myself for this experience in a couple weeks o_0

What you said makes a lot of sense and I appreciate the kind words! I wish you luck on your next processing day. Our next one is coming up in about a month.

I actually did have to put a hen out of her misery since I originally posted this because she was suffering and my husband wasn't home. I still had to take two whacks to fully separate the head from the neck, but this time I was fully confident that the first blow broke the neck and she was unconscious. I felt better about that. Who knows, maybe that happened with the first bird too and I was too panicked to realize it. But either way, I do think I gained a little confidence. Hopefully that steadies my hand moving forward.