impr3
Songster
I killed my first two chickens this weekend using manual cervical dislocation and found it extremely easy and relatively foolproof. As I was researching, something that I would have loved to read but couldn't find was input from people who are new to this method. The descriptions from folks that have been doing it for years were great, but still left me feeling anxious that this might require a level of skill that I don't yet have and can't really get from just reading/youtube... So, I wanted to share a little about the experience, as well as the resources I used for direction, as a reference for anyone else who is considering this method and feeling a little daunted (like I was a few days ago).
First off, why cervical dislocation? Mostly because it's the method most veterinarians (including my mother) recommend as most humane. Given Mum used to chair the UK government's advisory committee on farm animal welfare, I figure it's a topic I should listen to her on... For another vet's perspective, see this article: https://the-chicken-chick.com/how-to-humanely-euthanize-chicken-by-dr/. It also *feels* more humane to me. Rather than fiddling with a kill cone or broomstick, I can put out a tray of their favorite food for distraction and have them picked up and dead before they realize their beaks aren't buried in fermented grain anymore. I know a lot of people on here like the broomstick method, but it terrifies me as I'm not sure how I'd know that I've applied the right amount of pressure and pull. With my hands, I can feel it. Your mileage may vary, this just feels right to me.
Ok, so what about the method? I found the best description was actually in the article by Mike the chicken vet which I linked to above. The part that most helped me to understand the process is where he clarifies that you are not breaking the neck, you are separating it. Having the head bent back at a 90 degree angle makes the separation easier, but it is the actual pulling which breaks the spinal cord. I used the hold where the chicken's head was between my pointer and middle fingers, leaving the thumb and ring finger free to tilt the head back by pulling up under the beak. This also helped limit my reflex to grasp tightly around the neck as I might have if it was between my thumb and pointer finger (the goal is not to strangle the bird).
In the end, both birds died quickly and calmly without the other chickens even looking up from their dinner. I did have a little issue with not pulling hard enough on the first bird but realised immediately and pulled again after which I felt a very clear pop of separation. Even with that false start, the whole process from catch to kill probably took less that 5 seconds. Afterwards, I immediately felt the neck to confirm separation (there's a clear gap between the head and the spine) and then hung them up by a slip knot around the feet and cut the head off for them to bleed out. As with any method of killing a chicken, they did flap around a fair bit after death, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Overall, I found manual cervical dislocation to be a very humane and simple approach to killing chickens which requires very little skill. My earlier fear about messing it up definitely feels unwarranted. For reference, they were both 3.5 month old cockerels. The separation required surprisingly little force so even if an older bird requires a slightly stronger pull, I don't expect it would be an issue.
What have y'all's experiences been with manual cervical dislocation? Any good resources that you can share with folks just starting out?
First off, why cervical dislocation? Mostly because it's the method most veterinarians (including my mother) recommend as most humane. Given Mum used to chair the UK government's advisory committee on farm animal welfare, I figure it's a topic I should listen to her on... For another vet's perspective, see this article: https://the-chicken-chick.com/how-to-humanely-euthanize-chicken-by-dr/. It also *feels* more humane to me. Rather than fiddling with a kill cone or broomstick, I can put out a tray of their favorite food for distraction and have them picked up and dead before they realize their beaks aren't buried in fermented grain anymore. I know a lot of people on here like the broomstick method, but it terrifies me as I'm not sure how I'd know that I've applied the right amount of pressure and pull. With my hands, I can feel it. Your mileage may vary, this just feels right to me.
Ok, so what about the method? I found the best description was actually in the article by Mike the chicken vet which I linked to above. The part that most helped me to understand the process is where he clarifies that you are not breaking the neck, you are separating it. Having the head bent back at a 90 degree angle makes the separation easier, but it is the actual pulling which breaks the spinal cord. I used the hold where the chicken's head was between my pointer and middle fingers, leaving the thumb and ring finger free to tilt the head back by pulling up under the beak. This also helped limit my reflex to grasp tightly around the neck as I might have if it was between my thumb and pointer finger (the goal is not to strangle the bird).
In the end, both birds died quickly and calmly without the other chickens even looking up from their dinner. I did have a little issue with not pulling hard enough on the first bird but realised immediately and pulled again after which I felt a very clear pop of separation. Even with that false start, the whole process from catch to kill probably took less that 5 seconds. Afterwards, I immediately felt the neck to confirm separation (there's a clear gap between the head and the spine) and then hung them up by a slip knot around the feet and cut the head off for them to bleed out. As with any method of killing a chicken, they did flap around a fair bit after death, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Overall, I found manual cervical dislocation to be a very humane and simple approach to killing chickens which requires very little skill. My earlier fear about messing it up definitely feels unwarranted. For reference, they were both 3.5 month old cockerels. The separation required surprisingly little force so even if an older bird requires a slightly stronger pull, I don't expect it would be an issue.
What have y'all's experiences been with manual cervical dislocation? Any good resources that you can share with folks just starting out?
