Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[Amina]

I have some disposable medical grade scalpels, so I could try one of those next.

Or maybe I should try the broomstick method. I just fear that I wouldn't use enough force or something...

 

[ronott1]

I don't have a cone, but I'm tying their feet so they're hanging upside down from a tree, so it's pretty much the same thing, but with more flapping as they die.

I'm not sure I could decapitate them in one cut, so I'm kinda scared to give that a go. :/

Try the pruning shears.

Get close the the base of the spine with them.

 

[Amina]

So I think my knife is much less sharp than it was before I took it to be sharpened. Argh! I hope my knife is not ruined.

Then I got one of the scalpels out, but it's a smaller blade than I thought, so that may not be such a good idea.

Then I talked the pruning shears idea over with my husband, but neither one of us are sure we could get through the neck in one clean cut. I have a hard time using our pruning shears on branches, especially when you get to the thickness of, say, a Sharpie. So the remaining cockerels get to live, for now. I've got to figure something out though, fast.

 

[ronott1]

So I think my knife is much less sharp than it was before I took it to be sharpened. Argh! I hope my knife is not ruined.

Then I got one of the scalpels out, but it's a smaller blade than I thought, so that may not be such a good idea.

Then I talked the pruning shears idea over with my husband, but neither one of us are sure we could get through the neck in one clean cut. I have a hard time using our pruning shears on branches, especially when you get to the thickness of, say, a Sharpie. So the remaining cockerels get to live, for now. I've got to figure something out though, fast.

It is fine!

I have a knife sharpener that does a very good job of sharpening the knife. It helps to use at least a three inch blade to make a smooth clean cut.

 

[Amina]

What knife sharpener do you use?

 

[ronott1]

What knife sharpener do you use?

I have had a master grade knife sharpener for four years or so. I get the knives very sharp with it. I also have a steel to set the fine edge back between sharpening with the master grade.

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Grade-...&sr=8-1&keywords=master+grade+knife+sharpener

 

[Kassaundra]

The pruning shears aren't likely to acutally cut the head off, at least the ones I've used, but they will break the neck. The trick is conviction, once you have started go all in no holding back. If you had someone holding tension on the neck it might make it where you could decapitate.

I use a pellet gun point blank to the head, in the killing cone, most times the death is instant, there have been a few times the aim was slightly off hence the pruning shears. The aim on a chicken is a little trickier, the rabbits it is an absolute breeze.

 

[Amina]

Success! The rest of the boys are done, and they went peacefully, with no squawking.

I ended up borrowing a friend's knife sharpener, and we undid the damage that the professional knife sharpeners did, and got it cutting paper easily. So between that and giving the cockerels more time to calm down once they were upside down, they didn't react at all when I cut them. I'm really pleased with how these last guys went. We are done with processing for now, but I'm sure I'll hatch more cockerels and need to do this again eventually. So I feel much more confident with my ability to do this quickly and humanely. Yay!

 

[Kassaundra]

Success! The rest of the boys are done, and they went peacefully, with no squawking.

I ended up borrowing a friend's knife sharpener, and we undid the damage that the professional knife sharpeners did, and got it cutting paper easily. So between that and giving the cockerels more time to calm down once they were upside down, they didn't react at all when I cut them. I'm really pleased with how these last guys went. We are done with processing for now, but I'm sure I'll hatch more cockerels and need to do this again eventually. So I feel much more confident with my ability to do this quickly and humanely. Yay!

 

[ronott1]

Success! The rest of the boys are done, and they went peacefully, with no squawking.

I ended up borrowing a friend's knife sharpener, and we undid the damage that the professional knife sharpeners did, and got it cutting paper easily. So between that and giving the cockerels more time to calm down once they were upside down, they didn't react at all when I cut them. I'm really pleased with how these last guys went. We are done with processing for now, but I'm sure I'll hatch more cockerels and need to do this again eventually. So I feel much more confident with my ability to do this quickly and humanely. Yay!

I processed two this morning. I will process two more either later in the week or next weekend.

I used the broom stick and then hung them to bleed. It worked very well.