Slaughter: ladies, what's your favourite method/tool? I'm still figuring mine out, looking for ideas

[Phoenixxx]

I am also one that does the broomstick method and then slit the throat after they are done flapping around. I've had a few break wings with all the flapping, so right after I'm sure the spine is snapped, I grab hold of both wings and just hold them down to the ground for a minute or so. I also learned to not be TOO enthusiastic pulling the feet stepping on the stick as their heads are likely to pop off. Not very pleasant when that happens!

I have a rooster to dispatch this morning and I intend to save his hide because he's incredibly stunning! I think I'll be trying this method so I don't mess up his feathers as much. I have no idea how hard to yank, I'll see if I can find this on youtube.

Thanks, everyone!

 

[Phoenixxx]

Okay, just did broomstick on my boy, not sure if I like it. I felt the dislocation but he acted alive for quite a while. I gave a few more yanks just to be sure, but I only know I broke is neck - how do I know his spinal cord broke with it, especially on that first pull? I did like how clean it was so I will try it again on the cornish x, but for the well-built heritage boys, I think I'd best go shopping for the perfect blade.

 

[ChickNanny13]

When I started raising turkeys my cone wasn't big enough to hold them, so I worked with a friend and used a hatchet and a chopping block. The real downside to this in my mind is that the second that hatchet comes down the bird starts flapping. Even if the head is miraculously completely severed on the first chop, the body is thrashing and splashing blood all over the place. I've had turkeys and ducks with broken wings due to the power of that thrashing. Half the time it takes me more than one chop to sever the head, and even though I'm pretty sure I usually sever the spinal column on the first chop, trying to finish the job on a thrashing bird is, to me, horrifying. My goal is to be as humane as possible and I have to admit that sometimes I've botched it. The pros to this method is that when the head is laying over there and the thrashing body is several feet away, I can be assured that there is no actual suffering taking place. An aquaintance told me that when he butchers geese he has to keep a firm hold on the feet because once the head is chopped off, the geese will actually fly halfway across the lawn. So strange and disturbing!

I can "solve" the flapping wing issue....Had a huge tom turkey, a hunter friend was going to cull for me with my "help". I'm petite & couldn't get my arms aroung the bird, he was going to slit the jugular. So I got a empty feed bag (not the paper kind but the meshed one), cut a corner & fitted the bag over the turkey's head, wings folded to it's side. Worked great!

Have yet to figure out the "best" way to do a chicken, reading this thread thinking the broomstick maybe similar to how I did my rabbits. Think I can handle that but will need to look up a video...Thanks BYC members!

 

[Phoenixxx]

I can "solve" the flapping wing issue....Had a huge tom turkey, a hunter friend was going to cull for me with my "help".  I'm petite & couldn't get my arms aroung the bird, he was going to slit the jugular.  So I got a empty feed bag (not the paper kind but the meshed one), cut a corner & fitted the bag over the turkey's head, wings folded to it's side.  Worked great!  

Have yet to figure out the "best" way to do a chicken, reading this thread thinking the broomstick maybe similar to how I did my rabbits.  Think I can handle that but will need to look up a video...Thanks BYC members!

Type in "chicken broomstick" in youtube and two of the first four videos show it. One is 12 seconds long. In the other, the girl describes the whole process in detail, what to do/not to do and then shows you.

 

[Mosey2003]

The one where she pulls the head clean off with the broomstick method - does the bird still bleed out properly?

I tried to do my first with the vein slitting method with a boxcutter but the feathers were in the way and I couldn't get a good cut, so ended up using a hatchet, which I really dislike...

 

[Phoenixxx]

The one where she pulls the head clean off with the broomstick method - does the bird still bleed out properly?

I tried to do my first with the vein slitting method with a boxcutter but the feathers were in the way and I couldn't get a good cut, so ended up using a hatchet, which I really dislike...

Mine bled out fine. His head didn't come off but after the yanking business I hung onto him while he "kicked out" so all the blood went down to his head and then came out when I cut the head off.

 

[Mosey2003]

Mine bled out fine. His head didn't come off but after the yanking business I hung onto him while he "kicked out" so all the blood went down to his head and then came out when I cut the head off.

Good to know! Broomstick seems more humane than me trying to get a good aim on a hatchet swing..

 

[Mosey2003]

I assume it would, but do you guys know if the broomstick method works as well on ducks? Like, the big Pekins?

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

The one where she pulls the head clean off with the broomstick method - does the bird still bleed out properly?

I tried to do my first with the vein slitting method with a boxcutter but the feathers were in the way and I couldn't get a good cut, so ended up using a hatchet, which I really dislike...

In my experience the birds don't bleed out as thoroughly with the neck breaking (broomstick) and then slicing through the neck veins as they do with pithing (knife up through the top of the beak into the brain and then slicing through the neck veins. You can see the difference in the force of the stream of blood, you can see the difference in the amount of blood still in the carcass when you start butchering and I've actually captured the blood in both methods in a big dog dish to see if there is a difference in quantity. I do not know if there is any difference in the quality of the meat between the two methods, having not done any sort of side by side taste testing.

I have not been happy using either a boxcutter or an "Exacto knife" for the reason you describe above. However, I have had good results with a very sharp, long bladed boning knife or with a very sharp, long bladed hunting knife. With the chicken hanging in the cone I hold the head with my left hand, stretching the neck down and parting the neck feathers as best as I can with my left thumb. Holding the knife with my right hand, with the base of the blade I part the feathers even more and then with a long, firm swipe I pull the knife towards me. Sometimes if a rooster has more feathers I may have to make a sawing motion back and forward again to get a really deep cut, but the whole "1-2-3"motion takes less than two seconds.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I assume it would, but do you guys know if the broomstick method works as well on ducks? Like, the big Pekins?

I butchered three big Pekins this way a few weeks ago as well as a young turkey. I should have found a way to really secure the turkey's wings before I broke its neck thought because the wings beat so hard it actually bruised me trying to get it into the cone, but it worked pretty well with the ducks.