Pellet gun to stun/kill does seem to work with meat ducks.

[mominoz]

I have had to cull a couple ducks, and the hands on for a grandma who is squeamish...and the ax method for one person is awkward and took more than one strike. I was looking for a way to stun first and not have squawk or fear; just so sudden that they are knocked out. I searched forum for shooting first as it is less hands on (it is still hard to cut head off, but if it is dead or knocked out , it's not the same....

so reading and searching pros and cons... I wanted to start small first. We got a pump pellet gun, that you can pump up 10 or so times .....Duck had been injured somehow in pasture and seemed unable to stand or walk, I isolated and checked it and fed it 24/7 and after a couple weeks it still couldn't walk or stand...decided it may have a spine injury (it was in a pasture with African geese who usually leave them alone) or maybe another drake etc. So I finally did the deed.
I had a stick handy and ax in case it failed.... I restrained him in a feed bag with hole cut out and he was calm and sitting. I did miss the first shot, (not close enough), I then put it point blank on the back of his skull, and fired once. (over 10 pumps .22 pellet)I could tell by the change in it's eyes, like a light went out, no squawk or convulsion, just limp, and blood then came pouring out of the hole. I quickly pulled out of bag and 'tried ' to use my heavy duty 2 -3 1/2" loppers, maybe t it was the angle, but 3 attempts didn't cut it all off, so I then resorted to my ax...2 strikes... (even after sharping...it is old)....
It may have actually killed the duck, but at least it was stunned and was much less heart rending than the just chop while conscious . I have a couple others I have to dispatch too and think I will use this method, it is quiet, cheap, and not likely to hurt anything else.

 

[rainbowrooster]

I quick and solid blow to the neck just below the head will do and not create a bloody mess.

 

[mominoz]

Wasn't a bloody mess. tiny hole, that seeped...from shot. (removing the head with loppers in a bucket was awkward ..., having to use a ax that I thought I'd sharpened took 2 blows to remove head.As a female and almost senior, I wanted to make it easy and less tramatic for all concerned. I have done the blow in the past to an injured bird, and the squawk and needing several blows to be sure is not something I wanted to repeat. Just mentioning it as an alternative.....for the reasons stated.

 

[nj2wv]

I am not very strong either and this is how I process a chicken. I put a hole in the bottom of a walmart bag and put the chickens head through. I pull the bag down so it covers the body. I wrap the plastic bag covered body with duct tape so it holds the wings from flapping but won't stick to the feathers. I tie the legs together with twine. On the butchering table I put a screw on each end but not drilled all the way in. I put twine around the neck. I tie the neck twine to the top screw and tie the feet twine to the bottom screw. Also with a screw on each side of the body you can put twine across the body to hold it in place. Once it is secure you can whack the head off. It won't move. Then hang it to bleed out. It's wrapped like a burrito so no flapping. It's a lot of work but it's the easiest for me.