Slit Throats or Decapitation? What should I do??

[honeydoll]

My husband and I use a small traffic cone for our killing cone. Works like a charm. If we have a large bird we use a larger cone. We put them in it even after we decapitate too and they thrash without briusing themselves. It's worked very well for us.

 

[erinm]

I find slitting easier and I have tried chop as well. I found it too traumatic for the bird AND myself.....

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Jay, I think the best thing is for you to research all the methods, and experiment with a few in order to draw your own conclusions. I've tried chopping, pithing, yanking, & slitting before deciding that the throat slit was the best method...for ME. I wish you success, let us know what you try & what you decide.

 

[woodmort]

My uncle used to kill birds using an ice pick up through the roof of the mouth into the brain. Death was instantaneous then he'd bleed them out but they also plucked easily--apparently this kept relaxed the feather sockets somehow. He's long gone and I never learned the technique--sigh.

 

[mstricer]

Quote:
That is not instantaneous its not good, is all I can say.

 

[Winsor Woods]

Quote:
Try this thread out.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=244807
It has a video link where a processor from Polyface makes the slits. Very instructive and informative.

Dan

 

[Henning Farm]

I know this is old, but several studies show how conscious animals and humans remain after decapitation—usually several minutes, in fact. A sharp slit to a vein (not trachea) would be much less painful and the only thing they’d feel after the cut is a drop in blood pressure, rather than watching their own body flap around from the ground for minutes AND being in pain.

Even better, gas them with an inert gas like helium (NOT CO2) and then bleed them out after they drift into painless, unaware “sleep”.