easy homemade killing cone (and it's recyclable too! :))

[patandchickens]

Posting about processing my meaties this morning reminded me, I had a lightbulb moment that might be useful to someone else.

I really do *mean* to make an actual, proper killing cone, but, haven't yet. Waiting for the right free materials to, uh, materialize.

But this morning I had an epiphany. Took a pizza box (you could use any other cardboard), bent it back and forth a bit to make the cardboard flexible, wrapped it into a cone shape with appropriate-sized neck opening, and held it together with a couple turns of duct tape. Presto! Hung from handy tree-branch with some old wire poked thru the top of the cardboard, it worked most excellently.

And, with the duct tape removed afterwards, you can compost or recycle it

Pat

 

[Cyberous]

Great idea!,... and your pizza box is not cardboard, its corrugated (Card board is what your cereal box is made of.)

I'm an accountant for a large fiber box plant and if I want to get a rise out of the production folks I tell them their "cardboard" is...

Now where to get some,... LOL (joke)

Don

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

great idea!
I made acouple out of some old flexible roll up type snow sleds. No need to buy cones with a bit of red neck ingenunity.

 

[rainbowgardens]

I'm so glad you posted this.
I had seen somewhere that someone fashioned one out of hardware cloth, but the cardboard, (or whatever it's called,) with duct tape looks so much easier. No sharp pokey wires sticking out.

 

[skrasienko]

does anyone just remove the heads anymore like old timers used to in the movies with the axe or is that old school.

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

Quote:
My Amish lady did that for me just yesterday.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I did that last year (stump w/2 nails, and a hatchet).

This time I thought I'd try another way, in a general attempt to eventually arrive at which method is 'best' for me.

So this time I broke their necks (bent/stretched, totally separating the spine) and then immediately popped them into a cone and slit the throat or cut off the head and left them to finish flapping.

I'd guess it's about a wash from the bird's perspective; but I liked this method better because it requires less coordination and accuracy, two things which I am not oversupplied with

I think I'd still use the axe on older birds, though, as with some of the larger cockerels I had trouble breaking their necks even at this age (just 7 wks).


Pat

 

[mxpres]

I used the axe last spring processing several black broilers,this year I used a machete when processing my cornishX,I found that the machete does a quicker and neater job and its much easier to swing than an axe,I plan on using some type of killing cone when I process several RIR roosters later this summer,I had several cornish to break a wing during expiring,don,t hurt anything but it don,t look very good,,I haven,t gotten around to the neck cutting yet but I am working up to it,I want the process to be as neat and humane as possible,I feel as if I owe it to my birds,after all ,I fed them from chicks to grown roosters,and a roaster looks much neater with both wings intact,

 

[Homesteading_Bound]

Thanks patandchickens

A brilliant idea that I will use this weekend!!!!!

 

[skeeter]

thats how i do it, one swing with the axe and its all over, no fiddleling around with cones and other nonsense