- Oct 13, 2008
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I've been slaughtering our chickens for a couple of years now. As for the actually killing (which seems to be what concerns people most), I'm a big fan of cutting the head off. As somebody once said "head off, chicken dies." It's humane, quick, simple, easy, cheap, effective, and time-tested. At first I killed them using the axe and chopping block method--I put a pair of nails in one side of the block to hold the chicken's head, held the legs with one hand, and swung the axe with the other. It's definitely quick, but there's a chance of missing or partially missing, especially if your hands are shaking because your new to it, and this bothered me. So now I do what a couple other people mentioned, which is hang the chicken upside down, and grasping the head, sever the neck with a knife (the knife must be razor sharp though!), and then step back and let the reflexive flapping and thrashing drain most of the blood, while offering a silent thanks to the spirit of the chicken. This method meets all of my criteria for slaughtering a chicken, which is (1) that it be as quick and therefore painless as possible, (2) that it be inexpensive and as simple as possible, (3) that it be impossible or nearly impossible to botch, and (4) that it incorporates somehow a way to effectively bleed the carcass. (All that flapping may be alarming, but as most of you know, you can rest assured that the chicken is in fact completely dead, and that it's only a bizarre reflex action.)
No offense, anyone, but I would discard the whole gassing idea outright. For one, frankly, it just creeps me out. And I'm not at ALL sure that that would be more humane than beheading. And it would certainly be more costly, and a huge hassle. There is a reason more people DON'T do this. The inclination to distance yourself from the killing is natural and understandable, but I don't think it is necessary or fair to the chickens.
It's my opinion, by the way, that there's nothing wrong with feeling uncomfortable about slaughtering chickens. I feel uncomfortable every time I do it. I think it shows that you are human and compassionate. Only a sociopath or someone extremely callous or jaded isn't slightly unnerved, at least a tiny bit, by the idea of taking a living, breathing creature in your hands and ending its life.
But on the other hand, you should avoid thinking of the chicken's point of view in human terms--chickens may be like us in some ways, but in most their entire experience of the world is very, very different. I've noticed my chickens seem to have no clue what is going on during the process, up to the point where their head comes off. So yes, they don't want to die, but they just can't make the connections about what's happening until it's already over--unlike us, they don't ponder about the connections between things and make deductions, the way humans do, like "if that other chicken got caught by that same man the other day and went over there, and didn't come back, then it must likely be dead, and so if I get taken over there, then maybe I will die too!" They aren't stupid, they just have a very different kind of intelligence than we do.
Or then again, maybe that's all wrong, how can I know?
All I know is that in order for me to eat, something else has to die, whether it's a chicken, or a head of lettuce. It's really not a big deal, it's just life. As far as I know, the head of lettuce wants to live just as much as the chicken, in its own way. So all I can do is respect their souls and see that both have a good life, and a good death. And honor them with my gratitude as I eat consciously.
Thanks everyone for a lot of great posts on this. It's an uncomfortable topic for a lot of people, and it's heart-warming to see so much support and sincere, thoughtful advice!
No offense, anyone, but I would discard the whole gassing idea outright. For one, frankly, it just creeps me out. And I'm not at ALL sure that that would be more humane than beheading. And it would certainly be more costly, and a huge hassle. There is a reason more people DON'T do this. The inclination to distance yourself from the killing is natural and understandable, but I don't think it is necessary or fair to the chickens.
It's my opinion, by the way, that there's nothing wrong with feeling uncomfortable about slaughtering chickens. I feel uncomfortable every time I do it. I think it shows that you are human and compassionate. Only a sociopath or someone extremely callous or jaded isn't slightly unnerved, at least a tiny bit, by the idea of taking a living, breathing creature in your hands and ending its life.
But on the other hand, you should avoid thinking of the chicken's point of view in human terms--chickens may be like us in some ways, but in most their entire experience of the world is very, very different. I've noticed my chickens seem to have no clue what is going on during the process, up to the point where their head comes off. So yes, they don't want to die, but they just can't make the connections about what's happening until it's already over--unlike us, they don't ponder about the connections between things and make deductions, the way humans do, like "if that other chicken got caught by that same man the other day and went over there, and didn't come back, then it must likely be dead, and so if I get taken over there, then maybe I will die too!" They aren't stupid, they just have a very different kind of intelligence than we do.
Or then again, maybe that's all wrong, how can I know?
All I know is that in order for me to eat, something else has to die, whether it's a chicken, or a head of lettuce. It's really not a big deal, it's just life. As far as I know, the head of lettuce wants to live just as much as the chicken, in its own way. So all I can do is respect their souls and see that both have a good life, and a good death. And honor them with my gratitude as I eat consciously.
Thanks everyone for a lot of great posts on this. It's an uncomfortable topic for a lot of people, and it's heart-warming to see so much support and sincere, thoughtful advice!
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