One Cull Cockerel

[3KillerBs]

I've held onto Yellow a week or two longer than I should have been feeding him between bad weather, lack of convenient setup (as of Saturday we have some scrap metal to make killing cones), and a final nibble on the Craigslist ad (I said, "Yes, I have one left" but there was no response to that message).

I know how to do broomstick successfully, but have been increasingly concerned that my deteriorating wrists might cause me to have trouble doing the deed correctly so I'm thinking about hanging him from a cord around his feet and decapitating him instead.

Very sharp knife, grasp the beak to extend the neck, part the feathers, and strike with firm confidence, right?

How much blood is involved and how much does it spray around? Will I need to reserve butchering clothes because I will inevitably get spattered?

 

[Sally PB]

Following.

When I had to cull a couple of cockerels, I was considering making a cone. DH will not help me at all with this, so I'm on my own. I'd read that a SHARP pair of loppers was a good alternative to a knife, but I ended up using a .22 at point blank range to the back of the head instead.

@U_Stormcrow, do you have some suggestions?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Very sharp knife, grasp the beak to extend the neck, part the feathers, and strike with firm confidence, right?

How much blood is involved and how much does it spray around? Will I need to reserve butchering clothes because I will inevitably get spattered?

I don't strike, I draw. Standard Chef's knife.

Quite a LOT actually. I prefer to do it either shirtless in a pair of swim trunks/soccer shorts, or where weather is too cold to permit, I'll wear an all nylon pair of long shirt (the "wicking" fabric) and a pair of running pants. It washes out quite easily from nylons and stretch plastics.

You may be better off, same position, making the carotid cuts and bleeding out, then decapitating. Also humane, less need to position the knife just right, still plenty of blood, but it all goes more or less straight down.

Carotid. Is that how that's spelled??? I need mor coffee.

 

[Shadrach]

Cervical dislocation is considered the most humane and least messy. It takes skill rather than strength but if your wrists are knackered then it may not be for you. There are UTube videos that will show you how to do this.
You may find the cone method with a sharp pair of branch loppers easier. Hang a cone over a bucket. Get a pair of sharp tree branch loppers. Place the chicken in the cone with it's head and neck protruding. Rest one arm of the tree loppers just above your hip and hold the other end of the loppers in your one of your hands. With your free hand locate the lopper blades around the chickens neck and then pull the lopper handle in your hand against your hip while holding the chickens head and pulling down slightly with your other hand.
It takes a bit of setting up. The cone needs to be hung at the right height and be stable and above the bucket.
A bit of practice with objects to get the coordination right is worthwhile.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I slice the jugular and snap the neck and hold the neck out ward to bleed out so they cant kick out of the cone.

 

[Geena]

When I just have one bird to do I use my PVC cutters and a 5 gallon bucket. I carry the chicken to a grassy area, kneel on the ground, tuck and hold the bird between my knees. That way I have both hands free to use the pvc cutters, then quickly put it head down into the bucket. It's very quick, calm and clean.

 

[Sally PB]

Rest one arm of the tree loppers just above your hip and hold the other end of the loppers in your one of your hands.

When I've had a tough branch to cut off with loppers, I've put the handles between my thighs and used my thigh muscles to do the job. Those are some of the strongest muscles in the body.

 

[Mosey2003]

You're going to have a blood sprinkler with the bird hanging like that. I would recommend having a 5 gallon bucket ready underneath and quickly lifting it to contain the bird, OR if you have a pulley handy, using a pulley with your rope and lowering the bird into a trash can. He's gonna flap and fling around whether you simply slice the arteries or decapitate him. If you have a friend that could man the bucket, even better.

And yes, @U_Stormcrow , it's carotid

 

[Molpet]

When I just have one bird to do I use my PVC cutters and a 5 gallon bucket. I carry the chicken to a grassy area, kneel on the ground, tuck and hold the bird between my knees. That way I have both hands free to use the pvc cutters, then quickly put it head down into the bucket. It's very quick, calm and clean.

I use the PVC cutter

and a cut up kitty litter jug as a cone.
I tape the legs with cheap electric tape. They keep the head in the jug until I pull it out. Bird below has head tucked in jug.

 

[Mosey2003]

I use the PVC cutter

I've been wanting to try this too, which way do you orient the blade? Do you put the metal blade over the back of the neck and cut downward, or align it sideways?