DH culled a bird last year, but she was a Leghorn and had very little meat on her. DH put her in the crock pot anyway, so the kids knew what was going on - I don't think any of them ate any of the meat (it was lousy, stringy and no flavor at all, but she was more than 6 years old).
DH drove two long nails into a board, about 2 inches apart. Then we slipped her into an old stretched out tube sock that was missing the toe end. It fit her snug with her wings against her body, but not too tight,and her head stuck out the toe end. She was very calm, not upset at all. Then he put her neck between the nails (just to hold her neck still) and used a small hatchet to chop off her head - out in the side yard where our house has no windows. It only took one stroke of the hatchet to do the job (while our kids were wailing in the kitchen, we should NOT have told them what he was going to do with "Speckles"). Our neighbor who pheasant hunts a lot showed him how to skin her. The whole deal was messier than I'd thought. I don't know that we'll do any more - the meat on her wasn't worth the trauma to the kids.
I used to live in Corinne, UT (north of Brigham City) and infact was born and raised there for 9 years. I had a small flock of EE's, Sexlinks, and a Wyandotte Rooster - Really do miss it, and am glad my dad still owns the the ol'house in Corinne.
