a recent discussion I had with a coworker( we agreed to disagree about who's method was more humane) made me wonder how most people kill their birds... don't want to get into whether one method is "better", or more humane than another, saw how quickly that one can get out of hand, just wondering what methods other people favor... I cut off the head... just how I was taught to do it...
i've read where people pound two nails into a stump wide enough for the chicken neck, but not the head. it holds the neck stretched out enough to cut it off when you pull the feet behind them a little. i've never killed a chicken, but i want to learn. i'm debating between this method and the cone. wish i had someone walk me through it for the first few times. there are old timers at church i could ask, but i get the impression 'humane' wasn't high on the list when they learned as kids. i'm just going to make sure i'm as prepared as i can be.
a couple of farmers I know use a "strap"... usually a length of rope stapled to their chopping block then laid over the bird's neck and either held down with their foot on the other side, or in one case, the guy passed it through a loop of rope on the other side and tied it off... personaly, we have never used any method to hold the bird's head in place... but it might be a helpful thing if the birds were less docile than ours...
I haven't killed one yet but I'm going to have to sooner or later. I've been reading and watching as much as I can on the subject. It looks like the cone method might be easiest because the bird is contained and I read somewhere on here that a feed bag can be used as a cone. My biggest questions are about the processing. I really don't want to screw that up.
I've only processed Muscovy ducks but after trying the hatchet once, I now slit the jugular. Will try this with my meaties once they're ready.
Slit the throat - I don't have a cone so I just use a loop on a rope to hang them upside down, and then cut. Here's my member page, with pictures - easier to show in pics than describe https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-process-a-chicken-at-home
I've used the axe method before, but I'm very interested to try the cone/bleed out method to see if it's any less stressful for the birds. I might end up using it later this year on some meat birds I have, so we'll see.
i learned and still use this method is you get your ax or clever, pull the wings and feet back and hold it all in one hand, rest them on a stump, take a deep breath and chop their head off with one quick and fast wack. my first time wasn't good and I had to hit him 6 or 7 times before the head came off. i was 11 years old then. Now its much easier. Also, after the head is off, stuff in a snowbank and run, because the blood really sprays and in all directions. If you aren't butchering in winter then let them go and run. Also their dead in less than 3 seconds usually, its just the nerves that are working but i'd imagine you all know that.
