Questionable harvest method

[Cristinapocalypse]

Hello fellow chicken lovers. I've got some roos we need to harvest and we're still new as we've only did this once before. My husband wasn't a fan of cutting the throat because the bird was looking at him the whole time which I agree makes it difficult when we're not used to this lifestyle yet. Anyway a buddy of his recommended just stomping/ crushing the head but I feel uneasy about that method. It just doesn't sit right with me and I wanted to get others opinions.is this a humane method that I'm over thinking? Or am I right that we should continue cutting the throat. Other method suggestions are welcome as well as how you catch mean roosters without getting hurt. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Catching a mean Rooster takes more than 1 person, you will have to corner the bird. Some people use a net with a long handle. Others just grab for the feet and hold them out to avoid the flapping wings. You can then place the bird in a cone, so only the head and neck stick out and with a VERY sharp knife cut the jugular. Your bird will bleed out very quickly.
There is a great article here, by one of the members. The process is a little different, but it takes you step by step through a humane method of culling birds in a loving way. Good luck in finding a method that works for you and your family.
IMHO. I would not crush a birds head with my foot. But that is me, I don't think I could do that to one of my chickens.
Unfortunately sometimes we have to cull an animal, I hope you find the article, I found it very helpful as far as my feelings about culling were concerned.
Hope I was of some small amount of help.

 

[LaFleche]

Other method suggestions are welcome as well as how you catch mean roosters without getting hurt.

Grab them from the roost at night and tuck them under one arm, head upfront. Then hit them on the back of their head with an iron or wooden club, so they will lose conciousness immediately. Then chop off the head with an axe or meat chopper and stick them neck first in a bucket to bleed out.

No chasing around, no anxiety and they will be done before they even wake up.

 

[Jory]

^ exactly

 

[HomesteadMom5]

I agree with the nighttime gathering - I had always heard chickens were easier to catch come closer to bedtime or after and they truly are. For the dispatching, would he be more comfortable looking at the back of the head since there’s no beady little eyes staring back at him?

 

[Molpet]

I put them in a cone and use a PVC pipe cutter to chop.

 

[Kennas_Kritters]

Personally I think crushing the head is a bad idea.... to many ways to make mistakes with that method. I slice the throat. I turn them away from me so they can't look at me and slice from behind right across the jugular vein. It's quick and humane in my opinion. Butchering isn't supposed to be easy. I still tear up sometimes when I butcher my chickens that I have raised. Butchering is not easy but it is a great thing to learn!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Crushing the head seems quick, & painless. Not much difference between it, & shooting with a .22. The brain is destroyed, & the bird is dead.


A couple other useful methods are:

Cervical dislocation

Head Chopping

 

[Xouie]

Finding the best balance of your comfort and the bird’s can be a trick at first.

If you don’t achieve instant death with the head crush, you may be dealing with a very difficult situation dispatching a gruesomely injured bird. To me, decapitation gives the guarantee the bird is always gone before he knows it.

 

[Isadora]

Hello fellow chicken lovers. I've got some roos we need to harvest and we're still new as we've only did this once before. My husband wasn't a fan of cutting the throat because the bird was looking at him the whole time which I agree makes it difficult when we're not used to this lifestyle yet. Anyway a buddy of his recommended just stomping/ crushing the head but I feel uneasy about that method. It just doesn't sit right with me and I wanted to get others opinions.is this a humane method that I'm over thinking? Or am I right that we should continue cutting the throat. Other method suggestions are welcome as well as how you catch mean roosters without getting hurt. Thanks for any advice.

I wouldn't say this method is inhumane if it is done properly, but it definitely has an ick factor. My husband does the killing of our meat birds by putting them in a cone and slitting their throats. The bird is nicely contained and the blood drains out. I wouldn't want to deal with having brains all over my shoes.