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

[LoneStarHen]

I have a very small flock of chickens. I am actually working on obtaining a third party farm certification called Animal Welfare Approved. My hope is that as I set up my chickens, I can get approved by AWA. One of the items that they require is a humane method of slaughter. I've also been reading various papers published on methods of slaughter. I'm a veterinary technician by license and degree, and I've been working in veterinary medicine for about 15 years. I currently work in the animal welfare field. Right now I am working on writing the operating procedures for slaughter on my own small farm.

Here is what I've learned: Using carbon dioxide gas alone is not humane. C02 is irritating, and using it alone can give the animal a sense of suffocation. However, according to some of the poultry specialists that I have spoken with, chickens do not have receptors for Argon gas, therefore they do not get the same feeling of panic and suffocation that they would with C02 alone. You can get tanks with mixtures of Argon and C02 and use those to gas down birds. Once they are unconscious, then you can decapitate or bleed. I've read some papers that speculate that birds have a few seconds of consciousness immediately after decapitation - but I do not know if that is something that you can prove or not. According to the poultry specialists that I have talked to, the gas does not affect the quality of the meat. You can make a chamber for gassing down chickens out of materials from home depot, and the argon/C02 mixture is available through welding suppliers. It is of course more expensive than an ax.

 

[Erebus]

Carbon monoxide works by bonding to hemoglobin in place of oxygen... it's another 'no gasp' method of suffocation and probably cheaper than argon.

I still have my money on a quick slice across the throat, it's less stressful than having to be put into some form of gassing apparatus.

 

[LoneStarHen]

I've done the slice method on chickens once, and I've seen it done on larger food animals as well. While no method of slaughtering food animals is aesthetic, I personally don't think that the throat slice method is very humane at all. I've been hypovolemic myself once, accompanied by low blood pressure. It was not pleasant, and it made me feel VERY panicked and anxious. That is basically what the animals are experiencing as they bleed out and their pressure drops. While that is a widely used and accepted means of slaughter, it seems slow and inhumane to me. I'd much rather decapitate meat birds quickly if I'm going to solely use a mechanical method. I know that some people say there is a meat difference, but I see no difference in the meat of birds who have their throats cut and bleed out and those who are decapitated quickly and hung up after decapitation.

I'm going to try this argon/CO2 method and do it either after the birds are sleeping, or early in the morning before they wake up. I'd rather spend the money on the gas and equipment. From what I understand, if you have your gas concentration right, they lose consciousness quickly with little stress. I don't think that you can eliminate ALL of the stress associated with slaughter, but I would like to reduce it as much as possible. I'll probably be working on this project in the spring when I have meat birds ready. I'll follow up then.

 

[Bossroo]

Anyone thinking that a gas will somehow make the killing more pain/ stress free... think again. Just ask anyone that puts down laboratory animals in a gas chamber as I have numerous times. I assure you, the animals are not at all amused by this method.

 

[hornman]

For what its worth, our poultry vet uses a method I have not seen here on the list. It involves injecting air into the main artery (one under each wing), which causes a major brain aneurysm and immediate death. One just needs to be able to find the vein, it's very quick and seemingly painless.

I have never done this myself, but will need to once I can locate a needle.. a raccoon family mortally wounded one of my chickens last night -- tore the comb off, etc., she is a trooper but dont think she will survive with her skull exposed as it is.

Next question.. crossbow or trap for the raccoon family?

 

[GBov]

Quote:
Live trap, .22 in the head and then your favorite 'coon recipe. Your vets way of dispatching chickens seems intresting.

 

[Barred Rocker]

I have yet to butcher my first chicken but it inevitable, in fact I'll have to do something soon. I have 3 cockerels that are ripe for plucking now. I'm really sqeamish about doing the deed but I'm sure after the first few I'll be more comfortable with it. I don't believe stunning or gassing is the answer. If you watch Joel Salatins videos on butchering you'll see that his method seems to be the most humane. As long as you have a very sharp knife and slit the throat on both sides the chicken will be flatline in 10 seconds. Mind you I have yet to do this but that's the method I'm going with. Sharp knife and a killing cone. Not at all looking forward to it but if we're going to raise meat birds we may as well get over it and do the deed.

 

[happyhens120]

I haven't read the whole thread, but wanted to add our first butchering experience...

We had birds that were given to use as chicks, and we kept them with the mindset that they would one day be our dinner. I did not play with them or name them, so I didn't get attached.
Finally they were of age (last Saturday) to be butchered, and really they weren't gaining like I would have liked them to, and an extra 20 chickens hanging around puts a dent in the wallet.

I watched lots of youtube videos and saw the killing cone and the throat slitting, and I thought those things would be good. My mother-in-law come over to help, and before I knew it she had one over a sawhorse and it's head was whacked off with a hatchet. Done. I thought I would get choked up and I thought I wouldn't be able to watch, but soon I was the one swinging the hatchet and it was much easier than I thought. After using this method, I don't think I could do another. The life is ended instantly... the chickens aren't suffering while bleeding out or being suffocated to death (I can't imagine myself dying this way either. Why would I want to end a life this way? I always thought a quick easy death would be much better). After the heads are gone there is no life, and yes they squirm and flop around in the yard but that is just their nerves kicking in. They were done in about a minute. Sometimes I think things that we consider "humane" are actually the opposite.

It's definitely not something that I would consider "fun", but I know that these birds had a better life, and end of life, than those that people buy in the grocery store. I plan on getting regular meat birds (Cornish X) next time, and I plan on getting a good number of them and getting my family together for butcher day. It's these traditions that (I think) bring us closer and give us a deeper appreciation for the food on our tables.

 

[triplepurpose]

Quote:
Buddy says it well. I'm so calm now when I slaughter, that the birds don't even know what's happening: one minute I'm holding them in my hands, the next, they are gone. It makes a big difference, for me, and for them. I move confidently, I move calmly, I move fast. It all happens right there in the yard, within sight and calling distance of their flockmates, where they have spent their whole lives in contentment. No weird equipment to frighten them, no stressful trips in a crate to some unfamiliar place with scary noises and strange people, nothing whatsoever bizarre or disturbing. I say a prayer and move on to the next step. NBD.

As far as skydiving goes, I have one thing to add: does everyone give this much thought and put this much energy into the act every time you pick a head of lettuce from the garden? Because that lettuce is dying to feed you too, ya know. Killing to eat is part of life--life feeds on life, and that's just how we and everything else in nature ARE. Seriously, this is basic circle of life stuff, guys. I'm not saying it's easy to kill something, because it certainly shouldn't be. I know it hurts me a little every time. But at certain point you have to stop agonizing and projecting your own feelings onto the chicken and just "man up" (no offense intended, ladies), take a deep breath, rejoice in life, and do what you must do. Making dinner doesn't have to be an existential crisis or an agonizing moral quandary--it should be a joy: raising and eating your own food is one of the most satisfying and rewarding things you can ever do. Stop trying to run from it, hide from it, or think your way out of it and just see and accept what is. It might be one of the greatest lessons you ever learn.

 

[bairo]

did not have time to read 36 pages of responses. I'll just make some people angry and be blunt. We all have thought about this at one time or another and with varying degrees of intensity. The original poster though is so stressed about the whole thing that I would quite frankly suggest they just start going back to the grocery store. Yes you can say they can not due to the statement of economics. Does not fly, sorry. Anyone care to let us know what you think your cost is per bird in the freezer? Is it worth it to know what you are eating? Of course it is. Is it worth the cost of prozac to get over killing the thing....probably not. You have to have at least a dab of realism to be in this for more than pets. If that is all you want, then of course there is nothing wrong with that. But if that is the type of person you are and you suddenly want to slaughter your pet for your freezer, your going to cause yourself a stroke worrying about it.

So now to answer the original question. I use the brain poke method when they are in a cone, then I slit the throat to bleed them out. This is an acquired skill though and you will miss the brain the first time or two you do it. You may even run your poker through the top of the birds head and out the other side the first time or two. This will be traumatic.....so those first few paid the price for you to learn so the next don't suffer. Are you cringing yet? If so; seriously re evaluate if you need to slaughter chickens for meat or not. Sorry but someone had to say it like it is