?? Do all dead birds flop and run around?

[Shaun Hagan]

Though I have never tried it on a chicken, I usually put wounded ruffed grouse out of their misery by whacking their skills against a tree and I have never had one flap (or live lone enough to require a second hit)

 

[red-hen]

(Edited 3 times now)


I read about a woman in France who runs an Inn or B&B who first knocks out the chicken with electricity. No pain. No flapping. The fast jolt is instant.

Then I saw that electricity as a knock out had its own topic here on BYC already. If you read past the first several negative comments, you'll find some very thoughtful remarks about the effectiveness and humane aspect of an electrical knock-out. The cutting off of the head occurs afterwards to allow bleed out.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=37895&p=1

 

[mommy9994]

no flopping here. We use a hatchet, then hold them until they are still. A few seconds of twitching, but that's all. Allowing them to flop bruises the meat, and breaks wings. Some people put them under a basket.

 

[silkiechicken]

Not much floping here either. I just cut heads off and hold for a minute or two so they don't move around and make a mess.

 

[McGoo]

There are a number of methods for processing chickens. There are some good sites on the web - here's a good site.
http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/2006/08/processing-chickens-with-my-son.html


Typically today, people put the chickens in a cone and they slit their artery. This starts the blood draining. they are already in a calmed way and this just continues to knock them out.

The next step can be - nothing, because they will die that way or you can puncture the roof of their mouths and they make a squawk and die instantly . You can also just remove their heads.

Most important is that the blood drain and that they be calm by using the cone.

All the best. It's an ugly thing to behold. We all like to keep ourselves 'clean' of the truth about eating meat.

 

[GwenFarms]

The reason they flop when this lady does it is because they are unrestrained. I've never seen a chicken killed that didn't make some movement. Even in a cone they move some, its just the cone helps restrain them. As an earlier poster mentioned, the chickens are already dead when this is happening and aren't feeling it.

I personally like bleeding, rather than chopping the whole head off. If you do chop the heads off, chop lower on the neck to be sure and get the whole brain stem off. When you hear stories of headless chickens walking around, this is why, the brain stem was left intack and if your inexperienced this can happen to anyone.

A few weeks back I was feeding at a neighbor's farm and one of his young pullets got her neck broke somehow while we were there. She flopped around and I picked her up by her feet. She quickly stopped when she was turned upside down. I butchered her and she ate just as well as the bled chickens. So, you may want to do it the old fashioned way of ringing necks?

 

[red-hen]

Just another thought .... even though I support those of you who can process your own chickens and other food animals, I know down deep I'm not meant to do it myself. For those who are like me, who just can not do it yourself, I really don't think there is any shame at all in sending your birds to someone who is expert in the process and paying them. I don't believe that everyone, even in the olden days, processed their own animals, nor did everyone milk their own cows etc. There have always been individuals who were good at one thing, but not another ... and to exchange skills there was and is trade between individuals. So if in the end anyone finds they can't do it themselves, there is simply no shame in hiring someone else. You support them. Someone else supports you. Hope this makes sense.

 

[zatsdeb]

my husband just holds them upside down by the legs, and steps on the neck and pulls the heads off, really fast, he is still holding on to the chicken and then he just sets them down. no flapping..running. I don't watch.
he said thats how his mother did it cause it was easier and faster for the chicken.

 

[kees]

I've heard of people swinging the chicken around back in the Depression Era and then the chicken would run around until it stopped moving.

I've seen someone use an axe to cut the heads off and the birds would fly into the woods and have to be gathered.

I didn't want to spend the money on a killing cone so I took my blender and cut the head off of the chicken and stuffed it upside down to stop it from moving and to let the blood drip out into the sink.

I saved money by not buying a cone but lost the rubber gasket that seals the blender bottom.

Suzy

 

[mmajw]

I read about a woman in France who runs an Inn or B&B who first knocks out the chicken with electricity. No pain. No flapping. The fast jolt is instant.

Then I saw that electricity as a knock out had its own topic here on BYC already. If you read past the first several negative comments, you'll find some very thoughtful remarks about the effectiveness and humane aspect of an electrical knock-out. The cutting off of the head occurs afterwards to allow bleed out.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/v … 95&p=1

Some pigs and cows are often slaughtered this way as well. First electricity then throat cutting to bleed out.​