Kindest yet easiest way for the human to cull?

[rguerra75]

I have a hen who may need to be culled shortly. Any suggests for what to do if I need to.

I am having a hard time with this.... any suggestions or ideas welcomed but please be kind.

 

[MikeBarnes]

This is always a tough time, but a vital part of flock management.
Now to the details!
I prefer to bleed out the hen. Take the hen and swaddle her in a towel so that just her head is poking out. I then sit down and calm the bird for a few minutes away from the other birds. Taking a sharp knife I then gently pull the head away from the body and make a cut just below the jaw/ear area. Once the blood starts to flow it takes about 2 minutes for the bird to bleed out and the nerves to stop reacting. If I'm going to clean the bird for the pot I then take off the head. This depersonalizes the bird and makes it easier to get on with the job of plucking and cleaning. I always try to console myself that these birds get a better life than factory or farm produced birds, and we don't think twice about eating them since we've 'paid off the executioner'.
You can get some great books on chicken management that cover this topic. 'Youtube' is also good for quick info but be ready to quickly edit out the more crude and amateur clips!
I hope this helps.

 

[heaven1]

We are very attached to our hens and have an average of 24 girls of various ages. I have done a lot of reading to find out what method could work for me. It is never easy.
I wrap her in a towel and love her, telling her how much we appreciate her eggs. Then I bend her neck forward toward her chest and hold it tightly until she stops breathing and no longer move. This can take as much as 30 minutes and is not pleasant, but at least she goes with our gratitude.
I hope this gives you some idea of what may work for you.

 

[Nuggetirl]

My preference is a quick axe to the neck. It removes the head instantly. Their bodies will flail as their nerves start randomly firing, but they are already dead so they never felt anything. Hold them upside down to bleed them out after the head is removed.

Any death isn't pretty, and we all have to figure out what works for us, but for me I want to know they died instantly.

Another option (though much more expensive, but I think it bears a mention) is to have them euthanized at a vet's office. However, after that you should have them cremated. Burying animals (though probably not as bad for a small bird as opposed to a large horse) that have been put down by barbituates is bad for the environment.

 

[happyhens1972]

We are very attached to our hens and have an average of 24 girls of various ages. I have done a lot of reading to find out what method could work for me. It is never easy.
I wrap her in a towel and love her, telling her how much we appreciate her eggs. Then I bend her neck forward toward her chest and hold it tightly until she stops breathing and no longer move. This can take as much as 30 minutes and is not pleasant, but at least she goes with our gratitude.
I hope this gives you some idea of what may work for you.

Please, please find a kinder method. Anything that involves an animal slowly suffocating to death over a 30 minute period is unnecessarily cruel, no matter how much you cuddle her and thank her for her eggs. If you take on the responsibility of culling your own birds, for whatever reason, you are equally responsible for making it as quick and humane as possible. I really do not mean to offend and I never usually criticise but this truly saddened me....you obviously care for your birds or you wouldn't 'love' them and thank them for their eggs but you really should for their sakes, find a quicker of doing things that still works for you but has their ultimate welfare at heart xxx