Myth or Truth?

[Whitehouse Quail]

Browsing the web, I discovered a myth about poultry processing; if you kill the bird, then chop off it's head with an axe, and hang it upside down with shackles/rope, it will bleed out. Is this true or not?

 

[cassie]

I don't understand. Why would you kill the bird and then cut off its head with an axe. If an axe is used, it is generally used to kill the bird. If you hang it up it will bleed but there are other and better ways to get it to bleed out. Like hang it up and cut the jugular.

 

[ChickenToes]

You can either chop the head off with an axe and hang it upside down to bleed it out, OR hang the bird upside down first, and then slit the jugular. Either way works well and the bird will bleed out.

 

[Salt and Light]

A heart beat is not necessary for chickens', arterial and venous blood to drain by gravity.

 

[Bossroo]

Quote:
This may be true only if the arteries and/or veins whent in one direction only. They make twists and turns. Therefore only a small amount will leak out due to gravity. The heart needs to be beating in order for the blood to be moved throughout the system in order to bleed out. Otherwise the blood will stop circuating and start to clot therefore a volume will remain in the blood vessels.

 

[pdpatch]

Blood does clot until it's exposed to air and/or some chemicals. (think about those packages of meat you buy in the store)
But as the blood exits the wound it will start to clot.
It is thought by some that the heart will push the blood past this clotting area faster.
Hanging anything that is alive up side down for more then a few minutes will cause the blood start to pool near the head in all cases.

Since the blood does not clot in veins and arteries it will move to the lowest point. So during the processing if the bird is upside down through scalding, plucking and most of the butcher. The blood will move to the head and neck area it may not all drain, since the exit may be clotted, but a quick rinse and scrub will start the flow again.

Tom

 

[Salt and Light]

I would THINK that the sudden loss of blood pressure from severing the carotid artery would result in the quick death of the heart muscle and thus no pumping. Also, I notice that blood POURS from the neck wound, it does not PUMP. To me, this indicates gravity is pulling out the blood rather than the heart pumping it out.

I wonder if there is any studies of how quickly the heart stops beating when the carotid artery is severed. I bet it's seconds.

 

[twentynine]

I don't chop the head off with an ax. I do remove the head entirely with a large sharp knife. Hang the bird upside down for a few seconds, remove the head in one swipe and it will bleed out.

 

[RickiHupp]

This thread is making me sick LOL

I have butchered my own chickens before but just reading this in depth account of what the blood, veins, and clotting do.....puke

 

[Bossroo]

I can tell you from first hand experience while working at a University Veterinary Teaching hospital for 5 years... yes the blood will clot in the blood vessels, the heart must beat in order to move the blood out of the blood vessels.
... yes, the heart will continue to beat even when cut out completely out of the body. When there is only a steady stream of blood when one cuts the throat, one only has severed the vein but not the artery.