Drowning chickens?

[Mosey2003]

Drowning is not an approved method of euthanasia for any animal. Besides being cruel, it wouldn't lead to a good carcass.

If you want less blood, you can use cervical dislocation, ie "the broomstick method."

Or get yourself a killing cone so that the bird isn't running away.

My preference is cervical dislocation.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

If I were a chicken it would be terrifying to be put into a kill cone. I just don't have the heart to kill any animal.

Oh, no. I am going to haft to kill a raccoon of something like that when I get my chickens. Well, to bad. It's for the life of my chickens!

 

[Mosey2003]

The cones really don't bother them. They've been hanging upside for a little bit before, which rushes the blood to their head and puts them in a calmer state. And then the cone hugs their body, which is almost universally calming to animals.

 

[old biddy]

Drowning is not an approved method of euthanasia for any animal. Besides being cruel, it wouldn't lead to a good carcass.

If you want less blood, you can use cervical dislocation, ie "the broomstick method."

Or get yourself a killing cone so that the bird isn't running away.

My preference is cervical dislocation.

Alright, gotta ask. What is the "broomstick method"?

 

[old biddy]

Drowning is not an approved method of euthanasia for any animal. Besides being cruel, it wouldn't lead to a good carcass.

If you want less blood, you can use cervical dislocation, ie "the broomstick method."

Or get yourself a killing cone so that the bird isn't running away.

My preference is cervical dislocation.

Another question...why would drowning not lead to a good carcass?

 

[Mosey2003]

Alright, gotta ask. What is the "broomstick method"?

You get a stick, like a broomstick, and hold the bird head down by the legs. You lay their head on the ground, put the broomstick over their neck behind their head, then simultaneously step on the stick and pull up. You dislocate their head from their neck rapidly this way.

Another question...why would drowning not lead to a good carcass?

Because you wouldn't be bleeding the bird in a timely manner. Also, the stressful and prolonged nature of death may lead to excess adrenaline in the meat.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

Alternately, many people swear by the "humane chicken slaughter method" of putting them in your lap in a towel flipped onto their backs, gently petting and stretching their necks out while talking to them soothingly, and then quickly slashing their throats with a sharp knife. More personal and messy for the person, but the goal is to get them nice and relaxed before they go so they're not expecting it, and it kind of just feels less impersonal and cruel than a cone can sometimes.

My quail are too teeny, and also they hate me, so they would not enjoy this method.

 

[Mosey2003]

I hate that video of the woman showing the "super humane method" on a hen she just acquired not long before. Most of our chickens do not enjoy being held and petted and talked to upside down in our laps like that. The process was drawn out for ages. The whole thing just squicks me out. If I can't get it done in a minute from picking the bird up to it being brain dead, I'm not doing it.

 

[Acre4Me]

Alternately, many people swear by the "humane chicken slaughter method" of putting them in your lap in a towel flipped onto their backs, gently petting and stretching their necks out while talking to them soothingly, and then quickly slashing their throats with a sharp knife. More personal and messy for the person, but the goal is to get them nice and relaxed before they go so they're not expecting it, and it kind of just feels less impersonal and cruel than a cone can sometimes.

My quail are too teeny, and also they hate me, so they would not enjoy this method.

Sharp scissors to chop off the head quick and clean is how we processed quail.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

I hate that video of the woman showing the "super humane method" on a hen she just acquired not long before. Most of our chickens do not enjoy being held and petted and talked to upside down in our laps like that. The process was drawn out for ages. The whole thing just squicks me out. If I can't get it done in a minute from picking the bird up to it being brain dead, I'm not doing it.

I'm glad you chimed in because, not having chickens, this is something I have limited experience with and everyone has their own opinion about it. Like I said, my quail would hate it because they do not enjoy human contact whatsoever, but I can see how it would work really well for birds you have a standing relationship with who enjoy being picked up and held in general.

Sharp scissors to chop off the head quick and clean is how we processed quail.

That's pretty standard. Decapitation is definitely sort of the universally accepted method. I prefer to knock them out first but it's not always feasible or easy, they're so little!

I'm currently building a "quail nirvana" device with an extra large rat trap so they can go out happily starting to feast on mealworms, but it's obviously going to require lots of testing on non-living items before I can say with certainty it's humane enough. 0 adrenaline and stress in the meat would be the dream.