question about the cone

[bj taylor]

i will be raising meat chickens for the first time this fall. i will be getting things together before long. i'm planning on using a cone & slitting their throat (gosh that sounds awful

). do most of you buy the cones on line, make your own or what? i've heard about some problems w/them getting out of the cone. i will be having a hard enough time w/o having to wrestle them back into the cone. thanks for any input.

 

[mnferalkitty]

I find it easier not to use a cone, I just put legs in a slip knot thats hanging from a pole do the deed and walk away. If you really want to use a cone just make your own from one of those safety cones that the road crews use. and test it out first to make sure the chickens fit you will have to cut the hole larger but not too large

 

[barnyard pimp]

I havent ever used one. Just hang it and cut. Either way you end up with the same results.

 

[WinklerFarms]

Cones are the best to keep the birds from breaking legs and bruising in the dying process. A cone can be made from hardware cloth and attached to a tree or pole.

 

[Life is Good!]

We made our own out of aluminum flashing (20") that we purchased at Menards - in their roofing section (near the special order department).

I got the pattern from this forum - search for 'kill cone' and it should come up....

As another first timer, I appreciated the cone holding the chicken in well. Ours was too tall for that reason, none climbed back out of it, although one particularly nasty roo dented it during his death throes.......aluminum bends back very easily.....

I made it as I couldn't justify spending that much $$ for a hunk of aluminum and rivets. I can make one for pennies - worked great. Spent the money saved on a great knife instead. That's better investment in my book.

 

[Buster52]

I got tired of Okie-rigging cones and kill stations and bought some professionally made ones from CCONLY and Featherman. The Featherman cones are a little better because they are a better fit for the advertised bird size... a broiler cone fits a broiler size bird, a large turkey will fit a large turkey, etc. They are slightly more expensive, but worth the extra money.

Worth it to me to take the guess work out of things. Makes things more efficient and less complicated, thus faster.

And no dented cones.

 

[dace316]

I used a small plastic garbage can with a hole cut in the bottom. It worked pretty well and cost me about $2. I screwed it into my workbench and put a bigger garbage can (with bag) under to catch the blood.

 

[bj taylor]

thanks alot for these posts. really good pointers and advice. i'm ending up with more roosters than is smart so i think i will soon be trying it out.