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

[jajeanpierre]

Your welcome.

You do know about putting two nails in the chopping surface to kinda hold the head while you hold the body?

I saw a board set up where there was a nail for the feet. The head was between two nails and tension was gently applied by the feet tied to a string and pulled back to the third nail. They also put a sock over their head, so they relaxed, much like a hood relaxes a falcon.

I've seen so many screw ups with an ax on videos I've watched that I really found it kind of risky to use. The neck is really little, but the feathers make it appear really big. It isn't all that hard to miss. The person also recommended cutting feathers on the neck or plucking them so you can actually see it.

 

[Kassaundra]

My hatchet experience was a mercy cull, she wasn't moving at all, mortally wounded in shock and I couldn't / didn't hit the neck on the first or second try, HORRIBLE experience I will NEVER do again!

 

[jajeanpierre]

From what I've seen, I feel the best way to kill them is chop off the heads. Anyone have opinions on that?
Wringing the neck doesn't always cause them to die instantly I've heard and is probably scary. My husband was deployed with the Army and I had some birds get sick and need to be culled. I built a killing cone and slit her throat, but it was HORRIBLE!!!!!! She was my pet, she took forever to bleed out, and it was a good 3 minutes she sat there looking at me until she was finally dead. Worst. Day. Ever. I sobbed hysterically the whole time I buried her and banned my family from eating any meat. (Then a month into our soy based vegan food I became enlightened to all soy being GMO and how much worse that is for my kids, so now we're back here attempting to raise our own)

Anyway, any tips appreciated!!!

I think wringing necks is probably quite unkind. You might have a live paralyzed chicken that you then butcher. It happens in the Mexican slaughter houses with horses, where they just stab the spinal cord behind the head. It's pretty awful.

Other than shooting them, I think bleeding them out is the kindest. I think the trick is to have a really sharp knife and not be tentative about it. I think you didn't cut quite deep enough when you killed your chicken. I don't think bleeding out slowly versus quickly is necessarily more painful or stressful.

I can understand that it was your worst day ever. I'm just new to this, too.

 

[dutchbunny83]

Kassaundra & JaJean--

Thank you both for all the great info!
I still have a few weeks to go, but trying to get it all planned out.
I am hoping it goes smoother than I envision it in my mind!
I probably didn't cut as deep as I could of on my culling, I was so scared.
The sock is a great tip too!

I just keep telling myself in their short little lives my birds had a wonderful life. They ate fresh green grass and caught live bugs. They scratched the earth beneath their toes and sprawled out beneath the sun. And they will give their lives for the nourishment of my children who loved them & played with them & fed them treats. As horrible as it is to have to let them go, at least I know we aren't supporting another factory farm chicken that's being tortured, living in filth, never once seeing daylight.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
That depends on how it is done. Breaking that spinal cord at the base of the skull is the key and it takes them no longer to die than bleeding out...usually much quicker and with much less physical trauma of flapping and jerking.

Wringing is the wrong technique, particularly on a full grown bird. Snapping the neck is more effective but still falls under the "wringing" category. It is done much like shaking out a rug or a towel...quick snap upwards and a quick snap down, one or two times, while keeping a firm grip on the head. You can feel the separation of the vertebrae in your hands.

 

[off-grid hen]

Kassaundra & JaJean--

Thank you both for all the great info!
I still have a few weeks to go, but trying to get it all planned out.
I am hoping it goes smoother than I envision it in my mind!
I probably didn't cut as deep as I could of on my culling, I was so scared.
The sock is a great tip too!

I just keep telling myself in their short little lives my birds had a wonderful life.  They ate fresh green grass and caught live bugs.  They scratched the earth beneath their toes and sprawled out beneath the sun.  And they will give their lives for the nourishment of my children who loved them & played with them & fed them treats.  As horrible as it is to have to let them go, at least I know we aren't supporting another factory farm chicken that's being tortured, living in filth, never once seeing daylight.

I remember feeling the same way you do about the actual killing. When I took a poultry processing class, the instructor talked about all the methods people have listed here. He stated that we would be using cones and cutting carotids on both sides of the neck. I had my proverbial eureka moment when he said, "have you ever cut yourself really badly with something very sharp, and didn't even notice until the blood had spread until you could see it?" That is the goal when you are slicing the sides of the neck. If the knife is sharp enough the chicken barely feels it. If you cut BOTH sides, the bleed will occur fairly quickly and the bird will lose consciousness pretty fast. If the bird is unconscious, it doesn't feel the pain when dying.

The throes will happen after death occurs, no matter which method you use. Some methods yield less thrashing, but it occurs after death, so it doesn't mean the bird is suffering.

My husband had to dispatch our first very aggressive rooster. He tried wringing the neck. It was gruesome. With that same bird after the neck wring didn't work, he had to use the hatchet. THAT wasn't as quick as he wanted either.

You are going to make a mistake the first time. It's ok. Expect it, embrace it, and learn from it. Even if you competely botch the first few kills, either way the bird has had a better life and death. I also feel that if I am eating an animal and it has died to feed me, the LEAST I can do is subject myself to a little bit of discomfort to show respect and thanks.

I personally feel that the cone and cutting the carotids are the best way for me. The bird is restrained and unconscious before it really knows what's going on. Good luck, and please report back.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Kassaundra & JaJean--

Thank you both for all the great info!
I still have a few weeks to go, but trying to get it all planned out.
I am hoping it goes smoother than I envision it in my mind!
I probably didn't cut as deep as I could of on my culling, I was so scared.
The sock is a great tip too!

I just keep telling myself in their short little lives my birds had a wonderful life. They ate fresh green grass and caught live bugs. They scratched the earth beneath their toes and sprawled out beneath the sun. And they will give their lives for the nourishment of my children who loved them & played with them & fed them treats. As horrible as it is to have to let them go, at least I know we aren't supporting another factory farm chicken that's being tortured, living in filth, never once seeing daylight.

I obsessed--and continue to do so!--over slaughtering my chickens. I read, watched videos and researched. My research included a lot of reading of academic papers by people like Temple Grandin and such. Killing these chickens is not something I am taking lightly. Heck, even though I am phobic of them, I catch spiders in the house and let them go outside. Well, not the brown recluse spiders; I squish those guilt free.

You are absolutely right. Your chickens are having a great life and at the end, they will have one bad day. As an animal lover, my job is to make their last day as easy as possible.

There is a picture a few pages back of someone holding the knife up to the neck of the chicken that is to be slaughtered. It shows the knife placement.

I think the next time I slaughter a chicken I'll cut/pluck the neck feathers. (I've got a few Silkies to do once I regrow the backbone I found in my emergency situation the other day.)

I did cook my little Silkie last night and it disturbing. The meat was an unusual color but has some black pigment on it, too. I cooked it in a curry so I wouldn't recognize it, but the sauce didn't hide that black pigment. It looked like dark-skinned mushrooms cooking in the pan. I forced myself to eat a few bites.

 

[Chambertin]

So sorry to hear you are still having trouble.
I really wish there was someone in your area to help you through the process. Sometimes a helping hand can do So much for us when we first get to that point in our chicken raising lives.
You arent by chance in Michigan are you? (doubt we're that lucky)

Just remember we are all there with you in spirit.
Also you are doing what is natural for food and in a much more caring and honest way than any other time you ever ate a chicken sandwich or practically any other meat in the supermarket.
Unfortunately no amount of reading can help you be ready for the up front aspect of processing. Just try to remember we have all been there and if you let yourself you can get over it and enjoy the food.
No one ever enjoys the act of processing, but you can take pride in your work and be assured you did everything for your chickens and your family by dispatching them softly and cooking with care.

Wish I could be there to help.
My #1 tip is a sharp knife with a steady hand

 

[jajeanpierre]

So sorry to hear you are still having trouble.
I really wish there was someone in your area to help you through the process. Sometimes a helping hand can do So much for us when we first get to that point in our chicken raising lives.
You arent by chance in Michigan are you? (doubt we're that lucky)

Just remember we are all there with you in spirit.
Also you are doing what is natural for food and in a much more caring and honest way than any other time you ever ate a chicken sandwich or practically any other meat in the supermarket.
Unfortunately no amount of reading can help you be ready for the up front aspect of processing. Just try to remember we have all been there and if you let yourself you can get over it and enjoy the food.
No one ever enjoys the act of processing, but you can take pride in your work and be assured you did everything for your chickens and your family by dispatching them softly and cooking with care.

Wish I could be there to help.
My #1 tip is a sharp knife with a steady hand

Thanks. I wish there was someone near me too. I've recently moved to the San Antonio area, so don't have any friends yet.

I did make a broth from the bones and am surprised that the smell of it cooking bothered me. Normally I love the smell of a broth being made. I wonder how much is my being upset about the whole thing.

Yes, it is a good thing. It is a kind thing. I will be able to do this. It just isn't easy. In retrospect, I wish I had slaughtered all the hurt chickens at the time, but I didn't. Oh well.

Today I'm off to buy a better knife.

 

[ronott1]

Thanks. I wish there was someone near me too. I've recently moved to the San Antonio area, so don't have any friends yet.

I did make a broth from the bones and am surprised that the smell of it cooking bothered me. Normally I love the smell of a broth being made. I wonder how much is my being upset about the whole thing.

Yes, it is a good thing. It is a kind thing. I will be able to do this. It just isn't easy. In retrospect, I wish I had slaughtered all the hurt chickens at the time, but I didn't. Oh well.

Today I'm off to buy a better knife.

It really does get easier.

Often it helps to wait longer before cooking them. They usually become more like the chicken from the store. The mind is funny that way. I would send them to Freezer camp for at least two weeks.

Best!