method of slaughter

[malignstar]

I cut the heads off. I don't believe for one second the bird is still conscious/alive/aware or whatever after the head is totally gone from the body. The head and body may still move alittle but it's just nerves, it's not because the head is thinking "OMG where's my body?!"

 

[Beekissed]

This finding the carotid and jugular thingy and trying to miss the windpipe is kind of silly. I'm here to tell you, after butchering chickens for many, many years, that they do not aspirate blood UP into the bronchials from a severed trachea. Actually, the flow of blood down over their heads and into the mouth and nostrils does more to obstruct the intact airways than anything else.

The easiest, most efficient, most painless method of all is to slice quickly from left to right directly under the wattles~above the wattles on an upside down bird~but not slice into the spinal column. You can feel your knife edge grating against the bone and this tells you just how deep you are and need to be.

Use a sharp knife!

If in doubt of the verocity of this info, try it...then examine the trachea of your bird as you process. Any blood aspirated into the trachea and up into the bronchial tree? Nope? Just bloody right where you sliced? Yes? Listen to the bird after you perform this method....do you hear bubbling~or see a bloody spray~ at the severed trachea that would indicate that air is having trouble getting past the blood flow? No?

Then why complicate a very simple procedure by trying to locate tiny vessels in a small neck? Its hard enough to locate these if you are trained to recognize them.

 

[EricH]

thanks for all the info guys, definately helps out

 

[jaku]

I've killed chickens in just about every humane manner. (When you process big batches, it gives you time to experiment for the best method.). I think the best way to get the most blood out is to hang upside down and cut the throat on both sides. You'll still get a good amount of blood out if you try to bleed them after killing, but it definitely seems like less.