Humane Slaughter questions

[bmanty]

Hello all, I have a question about slaughtering. I have some birds I do not think lay anymore and I know are between 2.5 to 5 years old or more. I have put some out of their misery when nature took its course, (My house came with a coop and some original birds I have no idea how old they were) but I have not slaughtered any just for the purpose of eating or because they stopped laying.


My wife sees them as pets and I kind of do too, especially the ones I raised myself. Question is, was it hard for some of you to slaughter the first time? Does it get easier if and when the time comes? What is the best method?

I would like to keep them all for their entire lifespan but I also do not want to pay to feed, risk overcrowding, etc and everything else with no eggs in return.

 

[lomine]

I find it hard every time I do it. I haven’t done an old laying hen yet but I have done meat birds, young cockerels, drakes, and quail. I try to make it as fast and painless as possible. I prefer using a killing cone and full decapitation. I tried the bleeding out method and it just didn’t work for me. For the quail I use regular kitchen shears but for the rest I use a large tree lopper.

 

[Jadesun6]

I have only had chickens for less then a year. The first ones we bought were straight run. Only 11 out of 34 were pullets. So, I made a bachelor pad for them. I knew I wanted more hens so they had to go. I had never killed anything before. Ok, maybe bugs and spiders. Nothing with a cute face. My husband said he couldn't do it so it was up to me.

The hardest part was the first one. I chose to do the killing cone method after watching hours of videos. I had a hard time cutting the throat while it was alive. I then tried the broomstick method and was able to do that. I then put it in the kill cone to slit the neck to bleed out. I then skinned them because we don't eat the skin anyway. I think that is easier then plucking, but can't say for sure since I haven't done it.

So yes it was hard at first. If you are able to slit the neck then that would be the easiest with less steps. Some people just cut the necks off with kitchen shears instead of sliting the throat. There is always hatchet and two nails to hold the head method too. Many options to choose. Hanging them upside down in the kill cone really calms them.

I hope this helped. I know it was hard. I had to look at it as I knew they had lived a good life up to that point. They were much better tasting then store bought. Plus I knew what they were feed and how they were housed. I thanked each of them before the deed. I honered their lives by using almost everything. The feathers, the meat, the bones for broth and even the feet for dog treats. Good luck in whichever direction you go.

 

[aart]

Question is, was it hard for some of you to slaughter the first time?
Does it get easier if and when the time comes?

Absolutely! One of the hardest things I've ever done.

Easier? Yes and No.
The actual set up and processing gets easier....the killing, no, not really.

 

[Mosey2003]

The first time was pretty difficult. The process gets easier when you've practiced a few times, but I don't think killing things truly gets "easy" for most people, it's just a part of life.

I have moved to the broomstick method for dispatching, ie cervical dislocation. CD is an AVMA approved method of euthanasia, as is beheading. I'm no good with an axe and not terribly fond of cutting the head off while hanging either, so I dislocate and then cut it off and hang.

If you do process them, make sure to let them rest in the fridge or a cooler of ice water for up to three days, whenever their legs get wiggly again, as they'll go stiff with rigor and you want to wait for that to pass. And you want to cook old birds at a low temperature and slowly.

 

[BantyChooks]

x2 all of the rest. If it ever gets 'easy' it's probably best to check into a psych ward.

I really prefer cervical dislocation when at all possible, but for roosters I'll remove the head with non-ratcheting pipe cutters. The reason for that is the neck muscles on the males are a lot tougher and I am not confident that I have enough strength to do it one of my giant males. I have done CD on a bantam cockerel before and wow, was that hard! Felt like a 3y/o LF laying hen, not like a little 10 month old bird. It was enough to convince me that I'd be a fool to try it on a 8 lb cock.

Thought about the throat slit... nope. Not for me.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I always find it hard to kill. Anything. I like to hunt, but the killing makes me sad and I always thank the animal for its sacrifice.
DH is willing to decapitate for me, I have been doing the killing cone and slit the throats, but I think I am going to try to decapitate the next batch, then plop in the cone. The cone is handy because the bird will thrash about after it is dead and the cone holds the carcass, a bucket underneath catches the blood for easy cleanup and I can walk away while they go through the death throes.

 

[aart]

If you do process them, make sure to let them rest in the fridge or a cooler of ice water for up to three days, whenever their legs get wiggly again, as they'll go stiff with rigor and you want to wait for that to pass. ....

Ditto Dat^^^

 

[bobbi-j]

I prefer decapitation to bleeding out. Fortunately, I have a DH that is willing to do that for me. If I had to do it myself, I'd get a cone and figure out how to decapitate with the chicken in it. (DH uses a hatchet and stump - I'm not confident enough to do that myself.) I have read that the broomstick method is good, but I am also not confident enough in myself to try that. In my opinion, whatever way you choose needs to be quick and decisive, and there should be no chance that the chicken will suffer.

Does it get easier? I'm not sure "easier" is the right word. Maybe more "used to it" would be more accurate for me. The hardest part is turning a live chicken into a dead one. Once the head is off, and it's dead, it doesn't bother me. Time to get down to business. I always get a little sad on butchering day, but it is a necessary part of my flock management. I only have so much room, so if I want to keep adding I also need to subtract.

If you do slaughter your old laying hens, keep in mind that they don't fry up like the chicken you buy in the grocery store. Your best friends will either be a crock pot or pressure cooker. If you or your wife are into canning, try a pressure canning them. I love having canned chicken on hand! It can be used for so many things.

 

[bmanty]

Thanks everyone, I guess easier was not the best choice of words but getting used to it maybe. I do hunt and fish but those arent animals I have picked up and carried around and raised...anyway, I may try it here soon enough and see. I am unsure of the broomstick method, I do not want to do it wrong. I may just go to decap I think would be best.

Would a large buck knife be ok or shears?