I gotta ask...killing, bleeding out

[Giddyup]

We're planning on having to cull whatever turns out to be a roo. I'd like to sell, but home chicken is very enticing. Just the "how to" part is BRAND new to us, and therefore scary.

I think we can handle a broom handle kill, but can you do that and still have it bleed out properly? How much time in between?

Hubby is convinced, and I am, that bleeding out deaths are painful?? Does the heart need to beat for a proper bleed out?

Part of why I don't want to do it at home is that we don't have a large acreage so I don't know "where" we'd do it. Also, I want no risk of attracting predators with blood on the ground, and don't know how we'd dispose of it - toilet goes to septic?

It would be australorps for now and if we can do this meat birds in the future.

Also:: how many birds do you plan on for 2 people?

Thanks!

 

[mwdh1]

This is the best step by step tutorial I have found

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=109583

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I do my processing as far away from the coops as I can, and have the birds bleed into a lined garbage can, which also holds all the feathers & entrails & extra parts. There isn't much mess left behind to attract predators any more than usual.

 

[BarmyBantams]

TBH I wouldn't bleed a chook. Seems mighty cruel to me. I am from the old school of taking its head of clean so it isn't suffering.

 

[jaku]

Couple of things- I knock mine out before I kill them. A small piece of wood tapping on the head does a great job. Then you cut, and IF they have time to wake up, they just look around for a few seconds and then go out. With the instant drop in blood pressure, they go unconscious quite fast. A beating heat helps in bleed out, but you probably get almost as much blood from the chop method. As for the broom method, if that's the one I'm thinking of, (breaking the neck,) you probably won't get quite as much blood out, but if that's not the end of the world either.