The Omega Rocks: The Last & Ultimate Barred Plymouth Rock Flock

[Hillbilly Hen]

I sure hope you can get that cough taken care of and that both you and your husband will be feeling better soon

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you, so do I. I have been up since 2:30 a.m. because of it, which happens several times each week and it's 7:04 and I am already crashing.

 

[1muttsfan]

I use the pole across the back of the neck method when I put any older young birds or adults down. I think a kindergartner could do it without difficulty, once you have learned how to do it properly. It takes very little strength and is very quick.

Holding the birds upside down by the legs until they calm down, almost like they are tranquilized, makes it easier, usually less than a minute. Lower them until their head lays on the ground, place the broom handle or whatever across their neck just below the head, stand on the the pole on either side of their neck, and pull up on the legs until you dislocate the cervical vertebrae. It takes surprisingly little effort in young birds. You'll feel a little pop when it happens and they'll start flopping around.
Do it on a hard packed surface, not the soft ground.

 

[speckledhen]

I use the pole across the back of the neck method when I put any older young birds or adults down. I think a kindergartner could do it without difficulty, once you have learned how to do it properly. It takes very little strength and is very quick.

Holding the birds upside down by the legs until they calm down, almost like they are tranquilized, makes it easier, usually less than a minute. Lower them until their head lays on the ground, place the broom handle or whatever across their neck just below the head, stand on the the pole on either side of their neck, and pull up on the legs until you dislocate the cervical vertebrae. It takes surprisingly little effort in young birds. You'll feel a little pop when it happens and they'll start flopping around.
Do it on a hard packed surface, not the soft ground.

You know, it's funny you mention that, and thanks for describing it again, Mary. We did try it one time years ago and sadly, failed and not sure why. (Maybe we failed kindergarten, LOL, but likely we are just too soft-hearted) Maybe the ground was too soft, maybe the angle of her neck was wrong, the memory is a bit vague. However, when Lisa posted what she did a few posts back about it, I mentioned it to my husband and it dredged up a much older memory, how my granddaddy did something like it, but he didn't use a broom handle. He would lay the bird's head on the ground and just use his big old farm boot, step on the head to hold it and pull upward. My grandmother used an axe and we do remember the headless chicken running around for a moment, always a bizarre sight. I had completely forgotten about that until it popped into my head after Lisa's comment.
I may have to try it again with a couple of these irritating cockerels. It would solve an issue for us that has been a stumbling block for over 20 years. We are admittedly terrible at this part. A bird who is almost non-responsive is much easier, but a big, very strong-bodied, strong-willed cockerel is a different story. It should be a no-brainer for a bad-tempered one, though. We have not had to even think about it with a young bird since 2006 when we executed an increasingly aggressive Delaware cockerel. Since then, I have literally had no reason to consider killing a rooster for this cause, always the best tempered males and most all just die a natural, old age quiet death. We did euthanize Luna, Axel, Dane and Bodie when they came down with that weird neurological issue, but they were in bad shape already and there really was no choice.