I chickened out!?

[enola]

Snow, Cornish X chickens are bred to grow very quickly. They are butchered at 6-7 weeks old, so you can buy them as a fryer at your local grocery store.

Some of us have kept them for breeding, but, their diet MUST be modified to be very different from the average laying hens diet. Meaning they cannot eat all they want.

I have never kept one past the age of 2.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm a big girl now. I culled my first bird last night with a broomstick. Had hubby standing by with the axe, just in case the broom stick was not successful. But, it worked very well, and I was pleased with the outcome. Much less traumatic for me to be involved with than the axe/blood spattering everywhere method. When it comes time to process the roosters, I'm confident that I can now accomplish the whole task all by myself.

 

[steve102]

Difficult topic...

You have to harden your mind first. I personally don't like the task, but I feel better knowing there lives and deaths were nothing like a factory farm raised and slaughtered.

 

[CrazyChickLady7]

Yeah. Would you rather eat a bird that lived a short happy life in a nice place with clean water or a bird who was miserable, overcrowded, and killed too early

 

[MichaelZ13]

I'm a big girl now. I culled my first bird last night with a broomstick. Had hubby standing by with the axe, just in case the broom stick was not successful. But, it worked very well, and I was pleased with the outcome. Much less traumatic for me to be involved with than the axe/blood spattering everywhere method. When it comes time to process the roosters, I'm confident that I can now accomplish the whole task all by myself.

Let us know how the meat is. I used the clubbing method one year and the meat seemed tougher and not the same quality. So I went back to the blood & gore technique.

 

[CrazyChickLady7]

I couldn't participate, i cried though. I let my dad and brothers do it instead. I can't stand to see things slaughtered. I dont know what ill do when i start raising my sheep....the less pretty ones that dont go to the fair

 

[arkwelded]

If you did not feel anything from the thought of ending a life, I would say you should get some indepth counseling. Having an experienced person to be with you your first few times may be very helpful. My wife still has a hard time with the actual dispatch, and has yet to be able to do it.
I was raised on a farm and been a hunter all my life. From a very young age I have been involved in the harvest and butchering process of several different types of animals, and have a great understanding of how to do it fast and efficiently. The one thing I never do is take it lightly. I am ending the life of one of God’s creatures that I have stewardship over, so respect for the animal is always the most important part of the process. The animal is counting on me to be focused to make it fast and clean.
For any domestic animal I have developed a very structured procedure that I follow to make sure everything goes smoothly. For chickens I use a sharp filet knife. I have helped butcher where a hatchet was used and do not think it is very respectful. I very skilled with firearms and using them for hunting and slaughtering larger domestic animals, but can think of several things could go horribly wrong with any type of gun used on poultry, even a pellet rifle. I can also honestly say that there is no way i could possibly beat any animal to death.
Remember, the process you are doing is part of raising these animals. Approach it with the same attitude as cleaning their coop, checking for mites, or dealing with poopy butt. They depend on you to respect them and help them thru this transition.

 

[kelsnod]

Oh! I completely forgot that I posted this! Sorry guys, I'm new to this forum.

I decided to wait until this week to allow myself to regain confidence. I actually surprised myself because I'm not really the squeamish type. I'm going to try again on Thursday of this week. Luckily I have all hens and they are not showing any signs of heart failure or leg problems. I'm still going to use the same technique as before, but as many of you suggested, I will do it without looking at the bird. I think my problem on the first go was that I waited to long and I was looking the bird in the eye.

I really appreciate all of your answers and suggestions!

 

[SuperLuke]

You dont have to kill the bird, if you keep it on a diet it wont die.

 

[21hens-incharge]

You dont have to kill the bird, if you keep it on a diet it wont die.

I sincerely doubt that this is true. All things die in time. Some sooner than others. The Cornish X chicken breed is deliberately bred to grow very large very fast. Long life was never in the plan so rarely happens.
I think I personally would feel more regret having raised meat birds and not doing the deed at the right time. Watching it get to the point it cannot walk or move around without pain.
One thing I learned growing up on the ranch is that if an animal dies of unknown cause you should not consume that animal for risk of it having been ill. If one of my laying hens for example drops over dead there is no certain way I can know the meat is safe. If on the other hand I get the bird processed while she or he still shows all signs of being fully healthy the meat is likely to be safer.