On killing cones and cutting throats

[AussieSharon]

This website was very helpful to DH and I when learning to butcher a chicken. DH made our killing cones and we followed the steps on the site. We have it down pretty good now, so well infact that we did a duck on the morning of our 17th Wedding anniversary. LOL

http://butcherachicken.blogspot.com/2007/09/step-1-getting-ready-to-butcher.html

 

[cjeanean]

We have had to cull 2 chickens, and we used a pretty simple method. I want to make sure my chickens are DEAD instantly, so we got an old fashioned garden rake and a machete. We placed the head between the tines of the rake, and with someone holding the body we chopped the head off. It's instantaneous, and only takes ONE cut to get it done. Then someone holds the body still to keep the blood from getting all over the place. I know there are supposed to be other reasons for why you just want to cut the artery instead of chop the head clean off, but I prefer it this way cause I don't want the birds to feel anything.

 

[kflaig]

I just butchered my first two chickens this week.

I was too cheap to buy a cone and couldn't find a small traffic cone so just made one out of a good quality gallon plastic milk jug.

I cut out the neck area of the jug enough to let the head of the chicken stick out. I then cut out three sides of the bottom to make a flap that I then turned up and screwed into a tree to hang.

It worked fine. The chickens were very quiet. No flapping, clucking, etc. even after I cut the carotids.

To cut the carotid arteries, I just positioned the head in my left hand so that my thumb was on the bottom of the beak with the back of the head towards my other fingers. I then stretched the neck out a little and turned the beak away from my body about 45 degrees.

I could feel the trachea with my thumb. I used a sharp box cutter to cut the tissue on the closed side of the neck down towards the base of the skull.

One quick slash and it was all over. The chickens just quietly hung there and bled out.

 

[Fredster]

Thanks for the replies, guys. Looks like the left side is the spot. I built myself a processing station earlier this week, which I'll be trying out Saturday morning.

When my wife gets home (I'm at work), I'll get her to take a picture of the station and I'll post it. Hopefully it'll make things easier.

 

[Fredster]

Here we go. This started out as just a cone-holder where I could bleed the chickens out. A couple of days after I built it, I started thinking about adding some hooks to hang the chickens for plucking, as well as a flat table-like surface for the big cutting board I use during the evisceration.

The original thing was too short to use as a table, so I set it in the wagon. That makes it a touch taller than I'd like, but workable, and now it's mobile.

 

[perfectly_polish]

Quote:
Looks great

Let us know how it works!

 

[carress]

Wow - you put some serious thought into that thing - looks good

Question - why did you cut the holes in the cones so big? Won't the chicken's whole body come through?? Is my perspective off??

Also, how will you hang the chickens?

I really like the fact that the thing i smobile- you can roll away from the house for plucking...

C

 

[TerrasCritters]

We butchered 10 chickens a couple weeks ago, Cornish X. We hung them upside down (no cone or anything fancy, just bailing twine and hung them up in the tree) let them sit there for a few it almost puts them to sleep, have a REALLY sharp knife and cut there heads right off, a little after shocks but that was it, they bleed out really fast, dunk them in the hot water for a few seconds and get to plucking, or skin if you want, wrap and freeze. You take the lungs out and everything anyway when you clean them out. Make sure to get that oil gland out too.

I might try the cone next time, keep from getting the blood on myself when the after shocks come.

I remembered doing the hatchet ax method when I was a kid, I didnt like that much.

Good luck!

 

[Fredster]

Quote:
I started out with smaller holes, but the chickens never made it in far enough for their heads to hang out. The cones are very narrow, and I ended up cutting off 6-8 inches to get a chicken to fit:

That picture is from when I was building the station and trying to get the cones cut right. The chicken is a full-sized Barred Rock.

Once bled and dead, I have cord to tie to the feet, and that will be looped over one of the hooks visible in one of the previous pictures up there. I've also got some really small bungie cords I may try.

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
Angie, what did you cost you to build the wizbang plucker?