What I’m I doing wrong when processing my meat birds?

[cassie]

I have no idea what you did wrong. I will tell you how I killed mine and they died in a very short period of time. I tied their legs together with baling twine and hung them at a convenient height. I used a box cutter to sever the jugular veins on both sides of the neck. They flopped a bit but it was all over in a minute or two and they bled out very well. When I killed my first chicken, I hung him up as described but I used a big sharp pair of heavy duty pruning shears. They were regular limb loppers. I whacked that chicken's head off before either he or I knew what was happening. If nothing else you might try that method.

 

[Kiki]

Hi everyone! Lease forgive me if I am being to graphic in this post!

So I decided to experiment in growing my own chickens for the table. I am using Cornish cross breed, which are easy to get around here as chicks. Raising them no problem, processing them humanly, big problem.

I grab the chicken, tie their legs and hang them upside down in a tall bucket. Then with a very sharp knife I feel around their neck just before the head and grab the loose skin around there and slice, right? Just as if they where in a cone but in a bucket.

I must be slicing wrong because they are not dying fast enough. Today, a big rooster took half an hour to die. For me that is not humane. It’s cruel. I kept slicing but it would not die.

I’ve tried the butcher block method but they flap all over without a head spattering blood which is not good for me and I can’t swing an ax that well anymore.

My hands are not strong enough to twist their necks like I remember my father and mother do decades ago.

The question is how do I know I am cutting the blood vein so they bleed fast and die fast?

A neighbor that raises the same kind of bird and is certified to process and sell to the public, showed me this system. She had the cone a sharp slit in the neck and the bird dies peacefully. No messes, no spattering, no flapping around!

Help! . I need to be able to humanly kill my birds or no meat bird for me.. Thank you ahead for your advise and help.

You are just cutting some skin in the neck area and not cutting the whole head off? Is this correct?

 

[cassie]

Tree loopers? Never of them. I’ll look it up. But, I read that it’s important for the animal to bleed out? Thank you.

Just go to the hardware store and look at pruning shears. If you use this method you want the big heavy duty ones. You ought to be able to recognize them when you see them. I don't think they are called tree loppers or limb loppers but that is what I and a lot of people call them. They can lop off a pretty good sized chunk of wood. You want the ones with two handles that take two hands to operate them. You don't want the little wimpy ones you hold in one hand. I used the limb loppers and then I changed over to a box cutter that uses razor blades. These are very sharp. I used them to sever the jugulars on both sides of the neck and the chicken bled out thoroughly and very quickly.

 

[M-H-Fielding]

This should not be happening in a proper carotid artery cut. The bird should die - as in no reactive movement - within 2-5 minutes. The the op, your cut is either not in the right location or not deep enough to accomplish the task properly. I have a feeling location is the issue since you tried so many times.

I agree with tree hugger that a razor sharp knife can make a huge difference. I used a scalpel with replaceable blades for a while until I learned how to get a good carbon steel knife really really sharp and now I just stromberg's killing knives and keep a diamond sharpening stone (and some good degreaser) close at hand.

Sorry, I don't think you understand what I said. I'm sorry if it sounded like something else, didn't mean to sound inhumane.
I helped someone who has been processing birds for about thirty years, and they were the ones to tell me that. The birds were obviously dead, he told me, it was just nerves causing them to kick.
I didn't mean to offend anyone, sorry if what I said sounded wrong. I probably should have chosen my words more carefully.

I guess I learned something new today!

 

[natyvidal]

Just go to the hardware store and look at pruning shears. If you use this method you want the big heavy duty ones. You ought to be able to recognize them when you see them. I don't think they are called tree loppers or limb loppers but that is what I and a lot of people call them. They can lop off a pretty good sized chunk of wood. You want the ones with two handles that take two hands to operate them. You don't want the little wimpy ones you hold in one hand. I used the limb loppers and then I changed over to a box cutter that uses razor blades. These are very sharp. I used them to sever the jugulars on both sides of the neck and the chicken bled out thoroughly and very quickly.

I am starting to lean toward box cutters. As you said blades are super sharp and dispatch them fast and I can use a brand new one every time I process them. I think that no matter how much I sharpened my kitchen knives; they are not sharp enough.

 

[natyvidal]

You are just cutting some skin in the neck area and not cutting the whole head off? Is this correct?

Yes, that is how I was shown to do. Put the bird in a cone let the relax for a few minutes and then cut the area close to the head to get the vein. But I must be doing this wrong.

 

[natyvidal]

I have no idea what you did wrong. I will tell you how I killed mine and they died in a very short period of time. I tied their legs together with baling twine and hung them at a convenient height. I used a box cutter to sever the jugular veins on both sides of the neck. They flopped a bit but it was all over in a minute or two and they bled out very well. When I killed my first chicken, I hung him up as described but I used a big sharp pair of heavy duty pruning shears. They were regular limb loppers. I whacked that chicken's head off before either he or I knew what was happening. If nothing else you might try that method.

No...I have the feeling that, now that i know what a tree looper is, I would never be able to use it to trim I tree without remembering that I cut a chicken head off with it! Brr... I am continuing to lean to buy my self Good box cutter with replacement blades. And next time make sure I cut both sides on the neck. From what I have read here there are two veins. One on each side of the neck.

 

[natyvidal]

This should not be happening in a proper carotid artery cut. The bird should die - as in no reactive movement - within 2-5 minutes. The the op, your cut is either not in the right location or not deep enough to accomplish the task properly. I have a feeling location is the issue since you tried so many times.

I agree with tree hugger that a razor sharp knife can make a huge difference. I used a scalpel with replaceable blades for a while until I learned how to get a good carbon steel knife really really sharp and now I just stromberg's killing knives and keep a diamond sharpening stone (and some good degreaser) close at hand.

Question. Is Stromberg a brand name? For a type of knife?

 

[De Bauer]

Take a 2 or 3 gal bucket, based on size of chickens, cut a hole in the bottom just big enough you can get most of your hand in it.. Basically find a bucket that will hold the chicken body putting at least some pressure on the wings/body of the bird.

You could also roll up a piece of plastic sheet or thin sheetmetal into a cone shape of the top and bottom hole diameters of the average cone.. Then wrap it in duct tape well to secure it.. Its a temp hack but will work for a time.

Hang the bucket and put a large plastic bin under it from walmart to catch the blood.

Turn chicken upside down holding it by both feet in one hand. With the other hand guide its head thru the hole as you place it in the bucket or cone.

Now grab the chicken by the head from the bottom of the bucket or cone. Between thumb and pointer finger non dominate hand.. Very sharp knife or utility blade knife with snap off blades in dominate hand.. Place it at the side of the neck under the base of jaw neck junction. Its inline with the chicken ear lobe. You might want to move the blade up and down to have it between the feather not cutting thru them.. Now ideally make one back stroke cut of the blade.. . You will see an immediate flow of blood like a trickling faucet spigot.. You can do one or both sides.. Doing both terminates them only a few seconds quicker.. As a new dispatcher you are more likely to cut the wind pipe trying to do both sides.

If you cut the carotid artery or both with the chicken inverted (head down)death comes in under a minute.. A way to insure death has been reached is to poke the eye.. If there is no eye movement (very noticable) its dead.. You can commence with scalding.

I have been an avid sustainus hunter for 40+ yrs. I have killed, butchered, and consumed most north american game along with most livestock. Cattle pigs goats sheep chickens other poultry etc. So I have a decent amount of experience but there are still plenty of people with even greater knowledge and expertise to which I will gladly defer to.

I just got done processing 60 chickens end of last week so its very fresh in memory.

One issue is we normally can turn to youtube. But in this case most everyone that does YouTube videos of chicken or any animal processing shy away from this with some acting as if you showing technical close ups of the kill/dispatch process is some lewd, evil, perverse act. Its not.. In fact, it's really doing a injustice to both those your trying to help educate and also their animals they will be dispatching.. Without close ups of the whole process it leaves people guessing in the most stressful part of the whole process.. People in that state tend to be tentative which is the opposite of whats needed.. Not to mention the only part that if screwed up can cause high degree of suffering for the animal.



The keys are:

** a very sharp knife. Should not be large (no chef knives) revoking knives are ideal for all poultry processing.

** Chicken held upside down with some pressure around its body/wings. Cone ideal or other device than can be made to work.. Piece of plastic sheet/sheetmetal rolled up into cone wrapped in duct tape.

** extend the neck with moderate pressure.

** find the base of the head where the bottom jaw to neck junction is on a human. Align with chicken ear lobe

** part between the feathers with the blade edge so its against skin not on the feathers.

** draw the knife blade smoothly pulling towards you from the base of the blade pulling toward the tip across the neck with moderate pressure. You may have to make one short back and forth sawing motion depending on blade sharpness.. The blade travel each way should only be 1 to 2 inchs.. Do it quickly but smoothly.. Don't panic or rush.

** Keep holding the head and keep knife lightly against neck .. You should immediately see blood flow even before you finish the cut.

** You can then pull blade away and release the head. After a couple mins do the eye check and proceed.

This kind of thing is so much easier to learn in person or on a closeup video than from text descriptions.

I will see when the next time the people I borrowed the plucker etc equip will process more chickens. They do them regularly. I will do a very detailed video of it all.. Hopefully google/youtube will allow it with a content warning. Not sure anymore now that most all the media sites are self regulating free speak based on their own political/ social beliefs.. If its an issue I can make it a file download and link it.

FYI lopping the head off completely does not bleed the chicken as through as you have severed the spinal cord sending impulses to heart to make it pump stopping it immediately. Only initial pressure and gravity is then at work.

 

[rjohns39]

There are also a number of how to videos here https://www.feathermanequipment.com/how-to-videos/ The key is to locate the jugular or curated and cut it without cutting the esophagus. For what it's worth, that's where I bought my equipment. Kill cones are $35 and for most back yard chickens the game bird size is best, but for big birds like broilers, well the broiler cone is best. They do have a hole at the top so you can attach to a post or something.