How much blood difference in killing methods?

[elizabethbinary]

We have a rooster here inteaded for Sunday Lunch with friends... he's going to the brine tonight. I asked my husband to kill it but I thought, well, it would be a nice treat to the boy if I had it done for him when he got home. Problem being - I kinda suck at it. Last time we killed I did my best but I missed the juggular and he had to finish them off for me. He showed me a better way to hold the neck to get the proper spots but I worry about doing it again.

I want to cut the whole head off so I don't risk a long death for the little guy. If I'm brining the meat anyway does this make a significant difference in bloodloss? I know with the head intact it drains better.... but again, more for kindness at my lack of expertise than anything. Would prefer not to hack away at the poor guy.

So, yeah - how much difference does head on/off make in bloodletting if I plan on brining anyway?

 

[Lesa]

It is my experience that there just isn't that much blood, period. The first time we butchered I was expecting a mess- can't be more than a cup, if that.... Do you use a kill cone? I highly recommend that. They move around so much, after death, that is hard to believe they are really dead. Next time we do it- I am going to cut the throat and walk away for 3 or 4 minutes...

 

[bigredfeather]

I doubt you will be able to tell any difference. Starting way back in the day, chopping off the head was the way they did the deed. The only issue may be some bruising in the meat from running into something post decapitation if you don't restrain it someway.

 

[elizabethbinary]

We don't have a kill cone. Last time we strung them up by their feet and slit their throats and they thrashed only a little. Would you believe kill cones are near impossible to find here??! And we don't have 'gallons' so I had to buy a giant bottle of orange juice (milk bottles are too small) to make my own cone for this time.... but I'll be using a 'milkjug' for this one, so it should be good.

Cool, I'll just do it this afternoon then - if the difference is that negligable. It'll be nice, hubby hates the smell of processing chickens.

Thank you so much!

 

[terri9630]

We always remove the head and have never had a problem with bloody meat. They drain just fine.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I just slit the sides of the necks of my birds, it's not that difficult to find the right spot. Look for the bare spot just behind the point of the jaw and be sure to use a good SHARP knife or blade. Blades like these work great http://www.amazon.com/Zinsser-Willi...ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1295574826&sr=1-5 wrap one end with duct tape and make sure you don't lose it in the grass. Some people just slice across the whole throat, I make one cut on each side.

You don't have to have a cone, you could just make a couple wraps of duct tape around the bird. The point is to hold the wings in place to keep the bird from flapping. The only problem with a flapping bird is that it sprays the blood all around & it might slip off the hook from which it's hanging. I use cones I made from traffic cones. I've made others from plastic nursery plant pots, cut off the bottom, slit the side, and twisted into a cone. Zip ties hold it in place.

I prefer slitting the throats because the heart continues to reflexively beat and that seems to move more of the blood out. I noticed a difference when butchering at a friend's place. He prefers to first twist the necks, then stuff them in a cone and cut off the heads to bleed. The birds he did like that left more blood on the cleaning table, and seemed pinker, than the birds I did my way.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
I find that an Orange highway warning cone works great, just cut the hole to fit most LF chickens. easy peezy.

AL

 

[elizabethbinary]

ORANGE HIGHWAY CONE!

Brilliant! I can totally get one of those for cheap! (free........ I mean, cheap!)

Yeah see Sunny that's what I did last time and I missed. I had to have the boy finish it off and I really don't like that feeling of 'oh crud I made him suffer'. It bugs me and all that.

If the cleaning is bloodier, that I can handle. I plan on brining it anyway so it should theoretically remove that blood anyway, right?

....I think.