DIY HUMANE way to Kill Slaughter Chicken (Stun-kill, Gas)

[Hooligans7]

My DW and I were tutored in how to dispatch a chicken early this morning. My neighbor had two young BR roos to be culled, so I asked him to call me when he was ready so I could learn how to do it.
First of all, he removed the roos from the coop after everyone had bedded down the night before. That way the birds were calm and the roos could be taken away from the others and put into a cage for the rest of the night. (Some people leave them in the cage for 14-24 hours with only water in order to make them easier to eviscerate.)
When the time came to kill the two roos, he picked one up and held it upside down by the feet, at which time the bird became calm. Then he put its head on ground, placed his foot on the neck, and gave the legs a sharp pull, which broke the neck. The head went limp, and the chicken bled out into the space created by the break. After a short time, he cut off the head cleanly, then began to skin it and separate the legs, wings, and breast with strong, sharp scissors (from Pampered Chef). The back section didn't have enough meat to keep, so the back, skin, head, and viscera were put in a trash bag. It was all done in about seven minutes.
I asked about what to do when he wanted to leave the skin on. It requires scalding and plucking, which he recalls doing as a boy on his grandfather's farm. He said he'd just as soon have skinless chicken for the way they like to prepare it, but he said it wasn't as good for frying. He dispatched the second roo the same way.
Although it seems violent, it's very fast and the chicken doesn't know what's happening.
So, next time it's my turn to do it.

 

[TammyTX]

I'm going to be faced with this in the fall. Having never butchered, I think I need to find someone in my area to show me.

Does anyone know if at butcher a scared chicken will taste different than a calm chicken? I watched one of those Alaska shows and they spoke about the taste of adrenaline in the meat.

I appreciate everyone sharing their stories.

 

[Beekissed]

I'm going to be faced with this in the fall. Having never butchered, I think I need to find someone in my area to show me.

Does anyone know if at butcher a scared chicken will taste different than a calm chicken? I watched one of those Alaska shows and they spoke about the taste of adrenaline in the meat.

I appreciate everyone sharing their stories.

It's always better if the animal hasn't been chased down right prior to the process. The extra adrenaline in the meat can taint any form of meat, so the less the better. Picking them off the roost the night before in a calm and quiet way and confining their movements, placing them in a quiet place is always a better option than a nervous and over excited bird that has been chased by a nervous and over excited human.

Better for both concerned. That way it's not like you are hunting, catching and killing said bird...you are merely carrying out a quiet and necessary job at that point. Sort of like doing the dishes or folding laundry...no drama, no pathos, no fear, no heart racing from over exertion and tension.

 

[galanie]

I never know what to expect when someone posts on this old thread. Glad the hysterical are not around lately.

 

[Hooligans7]

It's always better if the animal hasn't been chased down right prior to the process. The extra adrenaline in the meat can taint any form of meat, so the less the better. Picking them off the roost the night before in a calm and quiet way and confining their movements, placing them in a quiet place is always a better option than a nervous and over excited bird that has been chased by a nervous and over excited human.

Better for both concerned. That way it's not like you are hunting, catching and killing said bird...you are merely carrying out a quiet and necessary job at that point. Sort of like doing the dishes or folding laundry...no drama, no pathos, no fear, no heart racing from over exertion and tension.

I like the way you describe the process. That's exactly how my neighbor did it, which had no more drama than tying a shoe. The only nervous creature there was me, but I was much more settled after the first one was done.

 

[Hayduke27]

I'm going to be faced with this in the fall. Having never butchered, I think I need to find someone in my area to show me.

Does anyone know if at butcher a scared chicken will taste different than a calm chicken? I watched one of those Alaska shows and they spoke about the taste of adrenaline in the meat.

I appreciate everyone sharing their stories.

I can say from experience that adrenaline can almost ruin meat if there is enough of it. I eat a ton of wild game, and if an animal is wounded and able to run, scared, through the wild for any amount of time after the shot, the meat tastes different. It's tougher and has a bit more of a gamey flavor. I also ate some deer once that had been injured by a truck. My friend waited 30 minutes for the ranger to show up and cull the injured animal, and in that time a ton of adrenaline had built up. We ended up having to grind all of the meat into burger, as the steaks were like tire rubber.

 

[galanie]

I can say from experience that adrenaline can almost ruin meat if there is enough of it. I eat a ton of wild game, and if an animal is wounded and able to run, scared, through the wild for any amount of time after the shot, the meat tastes different. It's tougher and has a bit more of a gamey flavor. I also ate some deer once that had been injured by a truck. My friend waited 30 minutes for the ranger to show up and cull the injured animal, and in that time a ton of adrenaline had built up. We ended up having to grind all of the meat into burger, as the steaks were like tire rubber.

That is so true. And on the flip side, I ate one that my husband had shot exactly through the heart and dropped it instantly. Very tender, tasty meat.

 

[Beekissed]

That's why proper bow kills are so nice...the deer often runs no far distance(30-100 yds) and then lies down to bleed out slowly. Only when silly people immediately go after the kill do they jump the deer again to cause it to run further. The deer dies as it is lying there, is bled out well by the time it is found and the meat is sweet and tender.

 

[grhouser]

Hi, I'm glad I happened upon your post. I am also interested in humanely killing chickens for home consumption, did some research and have a plan to build a small box to humanely dispatch them. It turns out that you can humanely gas them with a gas mixture used to for certain types of welding called C20 or C25 (80% argon, 20% carbon dioxide or 75% argon, 25% carbon dioxide respectively) which is used in welding as a shielding gas (gets rid of oxygen while welding). Here is an article that discusses it: http://www.upc-online.org/nr/33005co2.htm. This mixture is heavier than air and the CO2 is a low enough concentration so that they do not get breathless and feel like they are suffocating, the oxygen in their lungs gets displaced by the mixture and they pass out due to what is known as hypoxia/anoxia (interchangeable terms for losing consciousness due to lack of oxygen). In order to minimize distress I'm thinking of making a small foam box by cutting up a piece of corning foam -- http://www.homedepot.com/s/corning%20foam?NCNI-5, ($18). I will make it big enough to put a small chicken cage into and will make it airtight by taping and caulking the inside seams and put a coupler in the side for hooking up a gas line to the welding bottle gas. I will put the chicken in the cage and allow it some time to come to a restful state, move the cage into the box, close the lid and turn on the gas. Since the mixture is heavier than air it seems it would be better to put a coupler attached to a piece of hose through the side of the box (coupler outside, hose inside) in the bottom of one side of the box and a small tube in the top of the opposite side. This would allow the gas to fill from the bottom to the top and force out the air. When a match will no longer stay lit in front of the nozzle where the air exits then all of the oxygen is depleted from the box and you could cap the vent and turn off the gas feed. Give it a minute or two and the chicken should be unconscious or dead. I don't have any chickens yet myself or I would post how this works out. I may have chickens next year. If anyone gives this a go or something better I'd like to hear about it. Nice to see others care about the welfare of the animals we share the planet with.

 

[grhouser]

Hi, I'm glad I happened upon your post. I am also interested in humanely killing chickens for home consumption, did some research and have a plan to build a small box to humanely dispatch them. It turns out that you can humanely gas them with a gas mixture used to for certain types of welding called C20 or C25 (80% argon, 20% carbon dioxide or 75% argon, 25% carbon dioxide respectively) which is used in welding as a shielding gas (gets rid of oxygen while welding). Here is an article that discusses it: http://www.upc-online.org/nr/33005co2.htm. This mixture is heavier than air and the CO2 is a low enough concentration so that they do not get breathless and feel like they are suffocating, the oxygen in their lungs gets displaced by the mixture and they pass out due to what is known as hypoxia/anoxia (interchangeable terms for losing consciousness due to lack of oxygen). In order to minimize distress I'm thinking of making a small foam box by cutting up a piece of corning foam -- http://www.homedepot.com/s/corning%20foam?NCNI-5, ($18). I will make it big enough to put a small chicken cage into and will make it airtight by taping and caulking the inside seams and put a coupler in the side for hooking up a gas line to the welding bottle gas. I will put the chicken in the cage and allow it some time to come to a restful state, move the cage into the box, close the lid and turn on the gas. Since the mixture is heavier than air it seems it would be better to put a coupler attached to a piece of hose through the side of the box (coupler outside, hose inside) in the bottom of one side of the box and a small tube in the top of the opposite side. This would allow the gas to fill from the bottom to the top and force out the air. When a match will no longer stay lit in front of the nozzle where the air exits then all of the oxygen is depleted from the box and you could cap the vent and turn off the gas feed. Give it a minute or two and the chicken should be unconscious or dead. I don't have any chickens yet myself or I would post how this works out. I may have chickens next year. If anyone gives this a go or something better I'd like to hear about it. Nice to see others care about the welfare of the animals we share the planet with.