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

[Arielle]

Quote: x2 I'm glad I'm not the only one that cant keep track of what is in my frig. I need to see everything in my frig to keep on top of things. ANd a supersize frig is NOT helpful. lol ADD has its drawbacks.

Quote: I rarely share my hard won rewards-- butchered meat-- . I worked too hard to get the meat to give it away. Happy Chooks has a gentle solution as always-- inviting a friend for dinner is the perfect answer.

 

[Bazy]

Quote:
I think that is an EXCELLENT idea!!!

 

[jajeanpierre]

Advice please.

I have a nasty rooster who needs to go. I have one cockerel grown up enough to replace him and three more just starting to crow. He has to go!

This bird is such a jerk, I am quite happy to try something new.

I might want to try the broom handle method. Some of you use it, can you walk me through it?

I'm going to read about it (again) in a couple of my chicken-keeping books, but how-to books or videos don't get into the finer points of getting it right or what can go wrong and how to make the mistake right.

If I do the dislocation right, does the bird immediately go into death throes? How do you cut the arteries on a bird that is flailing? This is one tough bird. I don't think he will not make this easy. I'm sure he'll manage to hurt me in his death throes.

He is an almost two-year old cock bird who free ranges. He's so good with the hens; I wish I could keep him, but he is dangerous to me. He's long over due for the soup pot.

My hands are a mess, so I won't be able to cull until next weekend. I'll have a week to psych myself up and get comfortable with whatever new method I use.

I want to bleed him out. How hard is that to do after dislocating.

My other option would be to try to shoot him with a pellet gun that I bought specifically for that purpose.

Thanks for your help.

 

[katbriar]

I cannot advise you one the broomstick method, but it will be fine to wait until he has stopped thrashing to bleed him out. Just hang him upside down and let gravity do what the heart can't at that point.

If you think he's going to be so active that he might injure you, I'd wait until he's settled on the roost and then put him in a pillow case or feed sack with a corner cut out for his head to fit through. Gather (or tape) the excess around his legs so that you can still hold his feet for the broomstick.

Best of luck- it sounds like you'll feel a lot of relief when he's gone!

 

[jajeanpierre]

I cannot advise you one the broomstick method, but it will be fine to wait until he has stopped thrashing to bleed him out. Just hang him upside down and let gravity do what the heart can't at that point.

If you think he's going to be so active that he might injure you, I'd wait until he's settled on the roost and then put him in a pillow case or feed sack with a corner cut out for his head to fit through. Gather (or tape) the excess around his legs so that you can still hold his feet for the broomstick.

Best of luck- it sounds like you'll feel a lot of relief when he's gone!

I think he'll be so strong and difficult because he's such an ornery, nasty b******, he'll try to hurt me in his death. He and I have a very bad relationship. I try to keep out of his way and carry something to keep him away. I will be so glad when he is gone. I've wanted to cull him for a long time but needed a rooster for the free range flock. He's EXCELLENT with the hens and watching out for danger. He's just such a jerk with me. He's getting a lot sneakier in his attacks. He just has to go.

 

[ronott1]

Advice please.

I have a nasty rooster who needs to go. I have one cockerel grown up enough to replace him and three more just starting to crow. He has to go!

This bird is such a jerk, I am quite happy to try something new.

I might want to try the broom handle method. Some of you use it, can you walk me through it?

I'm going to read about it (again) in a couple of my chicken-keeping books, but how-to books or videos don't get into the finer points of getting it right or what can go wrong and how to make the mistake right.

If I do the dislocation right, does the bird immediately go into death throes? How do you cut the arteries on a bird that is flailing? This is one tough bird. I don't think he will not make this easy. I'm sure he'll manage to hurt me in his death throes.

He is an almost two-year old cock bird who free ranges. He's so good with the hens; I wish I could keep him, but he is dangerous to me. He's long over due for the soup pot.

My hands are a mess, so I won't be able to cull until next weekend. I'll have a week to psych myself up and get comfortable with whatever new method I use.

I want to bleed him out. How hard is that to do after dislocating.

My other option would be to try to shoot him with a pellet gun that I bought specifically for that purpose.

Thanks for your help.

I posted a picture of how the stick method works back several pages. They go into convulsions fairly fast but not too fast. I keep the stick pushed down until they stop and then hang them up, cut the neck arteries and let them bleed. There is plenty of time to get them up and allow them to bleed.

The heart does not have to pump for the blood to drain. If he is a big jerk, can you process him on a week night? I have done that with a jerk. I was not going to wait with him attacking me each time I opened the door to give him food and water.

I used the stick method with a 1.5 year old rooster. It went very well.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I posted a picture of how the stick method works back several pages. They go into convulsions fairly fast but not too fast. I keep the stick pushed down until they stop and then hang them up, cut the neck arteries and let them bleed. There is plenty of time to get them up and allow them to bleed.

The heart does not have to pump for the blood to drain. If he is a big jerk, can you process him on a week night? I have done that with a jerk. I was not going to wait with him attacking me each time I opened the door to give him food and water.

I used the stick method with a 1.5 year old rooster. It went very well.

Thanks Ronott1. I went back three weeks and couldn't find anything you posted on the stick method. Did I go back far enough?

Can you go into details about what to expect? What can go wrong?

How do you know you did it right?

I've simply hung the few birds I've processed by their feet and cut their necks, I don't have a cone (I freaked at all the rattling and banging in a Joel Salatin slaughter video.), but I can see the value of one if I use a broomstick and then immediately cut the neck. I sure don't want to be looking closely at a neck while it is flapping in death throes.

I'm just not comfortable doing it, worrying that I'll have a living, sentient being that is paralyzed but aware. Disclosure: I'm not comfortable with killing, period, regardless of the method. My avian vet who started his veterinary education wanting to be a chicken pathologist but decided he liked chickens too much to deal with only dead commercial birds, prefers dislocation when he has been involved in slaughtering. I think it would be his preferred method to euthanize any bird except he can't in a vet practice.

Yes, this is such a jerk I might be able to do him any time, including just grabbing him up and dislocating his neck with my bare hands. (Two different avian vets demonstrated the movements of how to do it. You know about playing an "air" guitar? Well the vets did an "air" dislocation for me.) My hands are a mess with cracks at the ends of my fingers. I've been working hard to heal them up, but when I process. I wash my hands constantly. The last bird I did, I thought I had cut myself, but it was only my hands falling apart and bleeding during the processing. I had wrist surgery (carpal tunnel release) on both hands in September. They are weak and still hurt. I'm leery of trying to do anything that requires strength or dexterity. I did manage to process that cockerel a month or so ago.

I still might try using a pellet gun. Brain destruction seems to me to be the quickest and most humane. I did buy a pellet gun specifically for slaughter but have never tried it, fearing I would botch it or shoot myself. Maybe now is the time to try. I think it is easier for me to try something new on a bird I detest rather than a bird who is being culled simply because he's male. Although I want this bird to die free of stress and pain, I'm not emotionally distraught about killing him. In fact, I might rejoice, he's such a jerk with me. He's the bird to try something new, and hopefully better, on.

 

[ronott1]

Thanks Ronott1. I went back three weeks and couldn't find anything you posted on the stick method. Did I go back far enough?

Can you go into details about what to expect? What can go wrong?

How do you know you did it right?

I've simply hung the few birds I've processed by their feet and cut their necks, I don't have a cone (I freaked at all the rattling and banging in a Joel Salatin slaughter video.), but I can see the value of one if I use a broomstick and then immediately cut the neck. I sure don't want to be looking closely at a neck while it is flapping in death throes.

I'm just not comfortable doing it, worrying that I'll have a living, sentient being that is paralyzed but aware. Disclosure: I'm not comfortable with killing, period, regardless of the method. My avian vet who started his veterinary education wanting to be a chicken pathologist but decided he liked chickens too much to deal with only dead commercial birds, prefers dislocation when he has been involved in slaughtering. I think it would be his preferred method to euthanize any bird except he can't in a vet practice.

Yes, this is such a jerk I might be able to do him any time, including just grabbing him up and dislocating his neck with my bare hands. (Two different avian vets demonstrated the movements of how to do it. You know about playing an "air" guitar? Well the vets did an "air" dislocation for me.) My hands are a mess with cracks at the ends of my fingers. I've been working hard to heal them up, but when I process. I wash my hands constantly. The last bird I did, I thought I had cut myself, but it was only my hands falling apart and bleeding during the processing. I had wrist surgery (carpal tunnel release) on both hands in September. They are weak and still hurt. I'm leery of trying to do anything that requires strength or dexterity. I did manage to process that cockerel a month or so ago.

I still might try using a pellet gun. Brain destruction seems to me to be the quickest and most humane. I did buy a pellet gun specifically for slaughter but have never tried it, fearing I would botch it or shoot myself. Maybe now is the time to try. I think it is easier for me to try something new on a bird I detest rather than a bird who is being culled simply because he's male. Although I want this bird to die free of stress and pain, I'm not emotionally distraught about killing him. In fact, I might rejoice, he's such a jerk with me. He's the bird to try something new, and hopefully better, on.

You will know it worked because you will feel the neck snap.

Use doubled up nitril gloves when you process. You should not feel the need to wash your hands so much then.

It the wither, I have to use a hand cream called cetaphil moisturizing cream for dry, sensitive skin. It takes about three days to heal up all the cracks and it makes your hands nice and soft feeling. I only put it on at night since it is very oily. I buy the cetaphil from costco and look for one of their sales.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

Advice please.

I have a nasty rooster who needs to go. I have one cockerel grown up enough to replace him and three more just starting to crow. He has to go!

This bird is such a jerk, I am quite happy to try something new.

I might want to try the broom handle method. Some of you use it, can you walk me through it?

I'm going to read about it (again) in a couple of my chicken-keeping books, but how-to books or videos don't get into the finer points of getting it right or what can go wrong and how to make the mistake right.

If I do the dislocation right, does the bird immediately go into death throes? How do you cut the arteries on a bird that is flailing? This is one tough bird. I don't think he will not make this easy. I'm sure he'll manage to hurt me in his death throes.

He is an almost two-year old cock bird who free ranges. He's so good with the hens; I wish I could keep him, but he is dangerous to me. He's long over due for the soup pot.

My hands are a mess, so I won't be able to cull until next weekend. I'll have a week to psych myself up and get comfortable with whatever new method I use.

I want to bleed him out. How hard is that to do after dislocating.

My other option would be to try to shoot him with a pellet gun that I bought specifically for that purpose.

Thanks for your help.

With a roo like that, I don't think I would use an unfamiliar method, he sounds willy! Do you have a cone you can use to control the flapping? We use an old road cone! If you wait until he has calmed in your arms, it will probably go much smoother. The cone helps calm since they are upside-down. I also cover their eyes which helps both of us. I think, with help, you could use the cone with the pellet gun. Good luck hopefully he goes quickly.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I haven't bled one out after the broomstick method, but I put one bird down with this method. You will definitely know it when it's done, the pop feeling (and sound) is unmistakable. In fact, I would have swore the head came off, but it was still attached. The death throws start right after, but they are not as intense as the hatchet and slicing the neck. I too was concerned with the immediate death, so I asked my step dad who used to hunt ducks. He would have to do cervical dislocation if a duck was still alive when his dog brought it back to him. He told me it is instantaneous, which made me feel better about it.

The picture Ron posted is how I did it, but step on the broom harder than you think. I did not step on it hard enough, and I had to try a 2nd time to get it right. You have to pull fairly hard, so I'm not sure if your hands can do that movement? Your rooster will probably fight like heck as you hang him upside down before getting the broom over his neck - you have to wait for them to relax. Is there anyone else that can do the deed for you this time?