Is the broomstick method as foolproof as it seems?

[SweetieChicken234]

There shouldn't be this much difficulty with the broomstick method.
Part of the problem is that so many are doing it for the first time with a fully grown rooster, they are much tougher than a young bird or a hen, there is a lot more strength in their necks and more connective tissue overall. With a bird like that, you have to place it and then pull HARD, like you mean it.
Should be laying the bird down back-up on grass or dirt, not a hard-hard surface. Rest your stick over the back of the neck near the head, use one foot on one side lightly to hold it in place, rest other foot on other side and gently pull up, to get it seated right behind the skull. Then step firmly and pull FIRMLY straight UP. As long as you're fully standing on your stick and you pull up very hard, the bird is going to pop. If you're of decent strength, the head is gonna come clean off.
Not multiple sharp tugs. Not one long pull. One soft pull to seat the stick, step HARD pull HARD, done.

This is an excellent explanation. I can appreciate that it's the age of the bird that matters. So this should not be a problem for a 14 week old cockerel for a first time. No wonder people say it doesn't work well the first time...with a grown rooster of course. This is also a great description of movement. Thank you for putting this all in. My cockerels are crowing now at 7 weeks. They have another 5-7 weeks and them it's time. I better start getting ready to do this.

 

[Mosey2003]

This is an excellent explanation. I can appreciate that it's the age of the bird that matters. So this should not be a problem for a 14 week old cockerel for a first time. No wonder people say it doesn't work well the first time...with a grown rooster of course. This is also a great description of movement. Thank you for putting this all in. My cockerels are crowing now at 7 weeks. They have another 5-7 weeks and them it's time. I better start getting ready to do this.

14 weeks isn't too bad, no.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Don't overthink it. I've killed hundreds of birds. You'll learn a lot that first time.

 

[member 104844]

Being a smaller female I don't think this would go easily for me. I saw a video of a grown man doing this to a rooster and he said it was hard for him. He did it well and quickly but wasn't easy. I feel with my body size and strength I need to use the stick.

I think if I can do the stick and get the head off in 1 fast pull it will be good. The angle of head and stick and exactly how straight up I need to pull the legs is what I'm trying to get figured out.

I have hubby step on the stick so I can focus on the pull. I’ve done two turkeys so far, injured hen first and Thanksgiving one this year. The whole cutting or chopping would be out of my ability, but I keep the hatchet ready as backup. Hubby knows not to push down and choke them, but he keeps the stick steady. Angle is super important- you want the beak/head parallel to the ground while pulling the body and neck up, like an L. Steady pull vs quick, once you hear/feel the pop pull a bit more just in case. Worse case, head comes clean off, but I have not had this happen. The flapping takes a long time and is hard to watch, but you should see the neck disconnected, eyes closed and no breathing movements that means they’re gone.
You can do it, it’s a million times more respect and consideration a factory animal gets!

 

[16 and me]

There shouldn't be this much difficulty with the broomstick method.
Part of the problem is that so many are doing it for the first time with a fully grown rooster, they are much tougher than a young bird or a hen, there is a lot more strength in their necks and more connective tissue overall. With a bird like that, you have to place it and then pull HARD, like you mean it.
Should be laying the bird down back-up on grass or dirt, not a hard-hard surface. Rest your stick over the back of the neck near the head, use one foot on one side lightly to hold it in place, rest other foot on other side and gently pull up, to get it seated right behind the skull. Then step firmly and pull FIRMLY straight UP. As long as you're fully standing on your stick and you pull up very hard, the bird is going to pop. If you're of decent strength, the head is gonna come clean off.
Not multiple sharp tugs. Not one long pull. One soft pull to seat the stick, step HARD pull HARD, done.

I learned the hard way - I used the broomstick method on young cockerels & it was quick, easy and effective. When it came time to cull an aggressive adult rooster - I was not prepared for the extra strength in his neck. It did not go smoothly - through no fault of the broomstick method, but my lack of experience. I know now that a much harder purposeful pull is necessary for those bigger boys.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I might be trying this method on a few of our 10-week-old Rainbow Rangers on Sunday. We usually do axe/stump but my husband does that because we both want to make sure it's a hard, accurate swing, and I'm not sure I can provide that.

I'm feeling a bit nervous about the broomstick though. I wonder if there is pain during the pull when you stretch the legs. Or is it really quick enough? Also, I think I'd almost prefer the head to come off because if it doesn't, how will I bleed it out? I don't have loppers or something to cleanly decapitate (axe would be messy after broomstick method) after the dislocation.

Maybe I should just attempt the axe myself. I'm just so worried about either missing my mark or not hitting hard enough.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

I might be trying this method on a few of our 10-week-old Rainbow Rangers on Sunday. We usually do axe/stump but my husband does that because we both want to make sure it's a hard, accurate swing, and I'm not sure I can provide that.

I'm feeling a bit nervous about the broomstick though. I wonder if there is pain during the pull when you stretch the legs. Or is it really quick enough? Also, I think I'd almost prefer the head to come off because if it doesn't, how will I bleed it out? I don't have loppers or something to cleanly decapitate (axe would be messy after broomstick method) after the dislocation.

Maybe I should just attempt the axe myself. I'm just so worried about either missing my mark or not hitting hard enough.

Same concerns I had about the axe and stump. Afraid I would miss or not get a clean kill. Terrible thing to mess up. My Wyandottes are 15 weeks and getting about that time to cull. I'm getting more nervous. They are so friendly it's horrible. I really wish they were aggressive so it would be easier to cull. I feel like with the broomstick I'm going to just do a steady pull and then pull hard to be sure the head comes off clean.

I know people say it's easier to use the cone but I'm just not comfortable putting a bird upside down. That's very stressful for them and makes it hard to breathe. I just can't with that. Bleeding them by slicing the throat is also too much for me. Takes too long to bleed out and too many problems getting a clean cut.

Broomstick is the only way I can handle this culling business. It's hard because I care so much for the birds.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Same concerns I had about the axe and stump. Afraid I would miss or not get a clean kill. Terrible thing to mess up. My Wyandottes are 15 weeks and getting about that time to cull. I'm getting more nervous. They are so friendly it's horrible. I really wish they were aggressive so it would be easier to cull. I feel like with the broomstick I'm going to just do a steady pull and then pull hard to be sure the head comes off clean.

I know people say it's easier to use the cone but I'm just not comfortable putting a bird upside down. That's very stressful for them and makes it hard to breathe. I just can't with that. Bleeding them by slicing the throat is also too much for me. Takes too long to bleed out and too many problems getting a clean cut.

Broomstick is the only way I can handle this culling business. It's hard because I care so much for the birds.

I feel your pain. We hate processing day too, but we do it because overall these birds have SUCH better lives than the ones you buy at the grocery store. Don't forget that.

We do invert the birds for a second before putting them on the stump to behead them. We read this calms them somewhere, and we have found it to be true. Tbh I think the blood rushes to their head and they get a little fuzzy or something. I feel better doing the deed when they are calm like that. It's a better way to leave the earth.

Technically you're also inverting them when doing broomstick so I don't think you should be too concerned about that.

I find the kill cone a little concerning because of how long it takes. Although, I've heard stories of how people who had a major vein/artery cut (and survived) said they felt little pain and just kind of blacked out. And I can kind of relate because I actually had my neck slashed pretty bad close to where you would cut a chicken's (less than an inch from my jugular, luckily) and lost a lot of blood. It actually didn't hurt much at all because it severed the nerve. And I did just get all fuzzy and would have passed out if I didn't have people shaking me to keep me awake lol. So, I guess there's all that to consider about the kill cone method. However, I just don't know if I could cut the chicken's artery and look it in the eye for so long while it dies - even if it might be unconscious.

I guess we all just have to choose the method that makes us most comfortable based on our experiences and ethics.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

I feel your pain. We hate processing day too, but we do it because overall these birds have SUCH better lives than the ones you buy at the grocery store. Don't forget that.

We do invert the birds for a second before putting them on the stump to behead them. We read this calms them somewhere, and we have found it to be true. Tbh I think the blood rushes to their head and they get a little fuzzy or something. I feel better doing the deed when they are calm like that. It's a better way to leave the earth.

Technically you're also inverting them when doing broomstick so I don't think you should be too concerned about that.

I find the kill cone a little concerning because of how long it takes. Although, I've heard stories of how people who had a major vein/artery cut (and survived) said they felt little pain and just kind of blacked out. And I can kind of relate because I actually had my neck slashed pretty bad close to where you would cut a chicken's (less than an inch from my jugular, luckily) and lost a lot of blood. It actually didn't hurt much at all because it severed the nerve. And I did just get all fuzzy and would have passed out if I didn't have people shaking me to keep me awake lol. So, I guess there's all that to consider about the kill cone method. However, I just don't know if I could cut the chicken's artery and look it in the eye for so long while it dies - even if it might be unconscious.

I guess we all just have to choose the method that makes us most comfortable based on our experiences and ethics.

You're definitely right. It's so much better to live on grass and be hand fed and loved instead of how store birds are raised. That should be a crime. I'm so jealous of people that can easily process birds they raise. That's a hard switch for me to flip.

In a few weeks we will see how I do with the broomstick. If I somehow mess it up I may try another method. You're right though. We have to pick which is best for each of us based on what we believe is best for our birds and situation.

 

[member 104844]

I might be trying this method on a few of our 10-week-old Rainbow Rangers on Sunday. We usually do axe/stump but my husband does that because we both want to make sure it's a hard, accurate swing, and I'm not sure I can provide that.

I'm feeling a bit nervous about the broomstick though. I wonder if there is pain during the pull when you stretch the legs. Or is it really quick enough? Also, I think I'd almost prefer the head to come off because if it doesn't, how will I bleed it out? I don't have loppers or something to cleanly decapitate (axe would be messy after broomstick method) after the dislocation.

Maybe I should just attempt the axe myself. I'm just so worried about either missing my mark or not hitting hard enough.

I typed out a long response and it didn’t save…ugh! Here’s a quick response and I will retype later. I watched this video a lot, he’s very good and compassionate:

I’ve done it twice, on turkeys, but I now have ducks and geese as well so is a management question now. First was an injured 18 month old hen and latest was 5 month old tom for Thanksgiving. First time cooking a whole turkey and from our own ranch as well. It was very good and completely worth it! (Will post more later, but I added pics)