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

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

I'll just be on the lookout for something to use for a big cone then.

I've heard one of those orange road safety cones works, just cut it to the size you need.

 

[xanxer82]

I was reading somewhere that using the cone and a very sharp and clean pair of heavy duty pruning shears is quick and efficient. Anyone else use that method?

Tommy,
It gets better after the first time you slaughter one of your birds. We bought chicks ( cornish-rock) for the express purpose of raising them for meat. We chose not to give them names unless it has something to do with food (after a while they all looked the same anyway). It is easier if you try to distance yourself emotionally from them and realize that you are raising this bird for food, that he is living a much better life than the one you would buy at the grocery store, and that YES, he will die a much more humane death at your hands than that grocery store bird.

I have children between the ages of 6 and 10 and they helped with the whole process. It was an educational experience for us all and while it could not really be called fun, they know where their food came from, cared well for it while it was growing and appreciated it greatly when it was on the table. They prefer our birds to what we now have to buy since we ran out of what we raised. Now we have to wait until it is cooler to raise some more.

We used the killing cone method and slit their throats. I think next time we will use the ax and just be done with it. I think that method is faster and probably more humane. What ever method you choose, you want to be sure to get the blood out of the meat quickly which makes for better quality meat. Get someone who is experienced at this or atleast willing to be there with you and give it a go. Choosing your orneriest rooster might make it easier.

 

[galanie]

The problem most people run into with slitting the throat is that the knife wasn't really sharp enough. It needs to be razor sharp. Another problem is cutting in just the right spot. The Jewish Kosher slaughter solves this by going ahead and cutting the windpipe along with the jugular veins on either side. But the knife still must be plenty sharp enough to shave with. Any way you do it, you might have the first few suffer a bit till you get the technique down. Even if they do suffer, remember that they're still dying a better death than they would in a commercial facility. Find

for where to cut. Don't worry about the ones wiggling, etc. They are generally dead before they start flailing in the cone. And if you spend more time with them, they'll be calmer than they are in this video.

 

[Beekissed]

The problem most people run into with slitting the throat is that the knife wasn't really sharp enough. It needs to be razor sharp. Another problem is cutting in just the right spot. The Jewish Kosher slaughter solves this by going ahead and cutting the windpipe along with the jugular veins on either side. But the knife still must be plenty sharp enough to shave with. Any way you do it, you might have the first few suffer a bit till you get the technique down. Even if they do suffer, remember that they're still dying a better death than they would in a commercial facility. Find

for where to cut. Don't worry about the ones wiggling, etc. They are generally dead before they start flailing in the cone. And if you spend more time with them, they'll be calmer than they are in this video.

I watched that video and I can honestly tell you that my birds do not flop and take as long to die as those birds...did you happen to see just how long some of those birds were still moving? By avoiding the trachea, or windpipe, they are making the birds live longer than they should, supposedly to more adequately drain the blood from the body. I've noticed no increase in blood retention and just as much bloodletting by just simply cutting left to right across the whole throat area.

I also cut a little higher toward the head then they did, in an area that has very few feathers that will block the progress of the knife through the tissue. Here is a pic of where I start my cut and how much tension I place on the head and thus on the skin of the neck.


I can't say my knives are razor sharp but they could shave hair if needed and they slice into a chicken's throat like one would slice a raw steak...easily and cleanly.

Salatin my process lots and lots of birds, but I don't agree with letting the birds live longer just to bleed out the meat more. From what I can tell, the amount of bleeding is the same but his methods seem to produce a slower death.

 

[Beekissed]

The problem most people run into with slitting the throat is that the knife wasn't really sharp enough. It needs to be razor sharp. Another problem is cutting in just the right spot. The Jewish Kosher slaughter solves this by going ahead and cutting the windpipe along with the jugular veins on either side. But the knife still must be plenty sharp enough to shave with. Any way you do it, you might have the first few suffer a bit till you get the technique down. Even if they do suffer, remember that they're still dying a better death than they would in a commercial facility. Find

for where to cut. Don't worry about the ones wiggling, etc. They are generally dead before they start flailing in the cone. And if you spend more time with them, they'll be calmer than they are in this video.

I watched the video and I can honestly say that his birds take much longer to die than mine do. I don't agree with not cutting the trachea to supposedly make the bird bleed out more. My birds bleed out just as much as do the ones in the video, just more rapidly, it seems. Did you see how long some of those birds were still flopping and twitching? Mine don't last that long.

I also don't cut as high into the neck as they do...my cut is closer to the head where there are even less feathers. My knives aren't razor sharp but I cut just as easily as the guy in the video. Quick slice like cutting into a raw steak. Here's a pic of where I start my cut:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/image/view/id/4520581/album/6131817

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Hey Bee, I edited out the image you posted since it was causing the whole post to be blank. It looks like you did a copy/paste of the image which is buggy.

Peeps need to follow the steps posted here: Inserting Pics in on the New BYC

Specific instructions for images already loaded to albums OR found on other websites:

1. Right click on the image you want to insert
2. Select "copy image URL" or whatever is similar in your browser
3. Go into the post you want to put the image into
4. Click the little icon at the top of the post a reply box
5. This window will pop up.
6. Click "Image URL" tab and then paste the URL of the picture into the "Import Url" box
7. Click Submit

I hope that helps!

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks, Rob! I'll try that method on the post and see if I can pull it off successfully.

 

[Beekissed]

Well....that didn't work real well. Is it supposed to come up a pic or just a link to the pic? That seems to the only options on my right click options~ to copy a link to the location of the pic or copy the image itself. Neither one seems to produce a pic in the post....

 

[DCasper]

I think I will stick with .22 pistol. The bird is dead before it hits the ground. I realize this might sound callous, but it is the most humane and fastest way I know of.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Bee, the problem is that you're using the wrong URL. You're using the URL of the page with the image and not the URL of the image. For example:

You used this:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/image/view/id/4520581/album/6131817

But should have used this:
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/5/5b/900x600px-LL-5b7eedb4_6459_meat_chickens_processing_041.jpeg

If you follow the steps outlined above, you'll get this: