So...how does one cull?

[LarissaCluck]

Just wanting to know I guess in case an emergency came up. How does one kill one's chicken?

Perhaps this sounds naive (ok I KNOW its naive), and I don't have a problem with putting a chicken down if need be...but I don't know how to do it....an axe? Not sure if I even have one or how I would hold a chicken down.

So, how do you kill chickens? It's something I've been worrying about.

 

[WallTenters]

I hold them upside down for a minute so they're calm, I pet them on their head and close their eyes, lay them on their back on a log or other sturdy surface, and off with their head. They do flap as soon as you cut the head off, so make sure you have a good hold of their wings. Hope this helps

 

[Mrs. K]

I put a milk jug upside down on a tree with the bottom cut out, and the neck of the jug slightly enlarged, nail it up there well. Slip the bird in, pull back on the comb and use a sharp knife on the throat. It is quick, and easier for one person to do it. I think!

 

[cluckin_crazy]

I set them down in the sharp rocks on my side yard and step real hard on the spade shovel hovering over their neck. The blood drains in to the rocks and it is super fast. And I don't have to do anything with my hands until it is all over.

 

[LarissaCluck]

Thank you all SOOO much. THis was very helpful.

 

[ChickyLaura]

We put the neck under a broomstick. Hold broomstick with your feet, and pull up on the legs. It popped the head off when we did it. It was not the best experience. Make sure you run like heck, or hold onto the body because the wings do flap, etc. It's not fun, but it does put the poor thing out of it's misery.

 

[Judy]

Just so you know, cull does not mean kill, it means remove from the flock, or a chicken one wants to remove, as in a breeding program. You can cull an undesirable bird by selling it, or even taking it out of the breeding program and putting it in with the layers.

 

[gmendoza]

I just do the ole- fashoned ' Twist of the neck' Or I hold its head and snap it down in a whip-like fashon.Kills instantly. Get it done and done.No hassles,no fiddling around.

Or I use the trusty axe meathod.Set the bird down,chop its head off.

 

[imthedude]

my method is exactly the same as mrs. k's. takes maybe 15 seconds for the bleeding to stop. may or may not flap in the jug.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Quote:
Thanks for pointing this out. I don't disagree with putting a bird out of it's misery or using a bird to feed ones family. I'm surprised to recently learn that people will kill a perfectly good chicken because it doesn't meet their criteria for their specific breeding program. A life is a life, regardless of how easy it is to come by.