Where/how did you learn how to cull chickens efficiently?

[HollyWoozle]

Essentially I have been wondering about learning how to cull chickens. We don't slaughter ours for meat, they are purely kept as pets and because we like the eggs, and I am a bit soft in the sense that they all have names and I do my best to nurse them to health when they are ill (even if it seems somewhat of a lost cause). However I am starting to wonder if I wouldn't feel better and more confident if I knew how to end their lives myself, so that I could deal with an emergency situation in which one was suffering or so that I could show mercy to those who can't be saved.

Currently other members of my family 'do the deed' or occasionally they have been euthanised by a local vet if needed. My stepfather, uncle or partner will all take a chicken's life to stop one suffering and if asked, but they are not keen to do it (which is fair) and I am not sure about their methods. I also feel bad asking them as it's not a pleasant job. Having said that it is a family flock and they are not only my chickens.

I believe here in the UK we are legally required to stun the bird first. The Humane Slaughter Association here apparently run day courses on which they teach you but I haven't had a reply from them and they have no dates listed for the courses.

I was just wondering how/where you learned how to do it and how confident you feel about it? In many ways the idea horrifies me as I am emotionally tied to all animals that we keep, and I am not confident that I would be able to do a clean job of it, but equally I do feel that we are responsible for the animals that we keep.

Any thoughts much appreciated. My grandad would've shown me the perfect way to do it but sadly he died when I was 10 and took much of his poultry husbandry knowledge with him!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

If you have hand strength you can break their neck via pulling hard and quickly upward. Dislocate neck I should say. An injured bird should be put out of misery ASAP. I've never done it this way but person I'd heard from would hold the bird, calm it, let it have a look around at peace as he was holding head then "pop".

Another friend uses the windmill motion. Where you grab bird by head and windmill your arm. The centrifugal force pops the neck when in throwing position. Act like you're through a softball underhand. In windmill fashion quickly swing bird over your head and follow through as if your are throwing but don't. Sure method to snap neck in a matter of a second. The bird won't feel a thing. He had a Fisher cat run through his flock last year. Found one still alive and suffering. "POP".

It's not a fun task no matter how you do it. The idea is to find a method you are most comfortable with that is also extremely fast, as to not cause extra stress on the bird as you're trying to dispatch it.

 

[aart]

After trying to nurse a bird back to health and watching her suffer as a result I now euthanize with this technique:
Cervical Dislocation is shown in this video at about 1:00,
Click the 'Watch this video on YouTube'

it's the only CD video I've found that doesn't remove the head.

-Notice the slight divot in the ground under the stick and neck, this will keep the bird from being choked.

-Notice that she slowly stretches out the neck and legs before giving the short sharp jerk that breaks the neck close to the skull, this is key to success IMO.

I've found this technique to be very effective.

 

[MedicDog]

UK here, I just figured it out by watching some YouTube videos and just going for it. Don't bother stunning it because the coppers aren't going to bust your door down for one hen. One clean break/slit/chop should do the job without major stress for the chicken and you.

Its emotionally hard to do it to pets but if it needs doing then its better to get it over and done with, plus your chicken wont be suffering anymore.

 

[igorsMistress]

Youtube videos are a good source for learning. The quickest and most efficient way is to use a killing cone and a knife in my opinion.

I'm fortunate to have a spouse that has much hunting experience who has helped me learn these things. Before he showed me, I watched videos so I would know what to expect.

 

[Cyprus]

I gas them. 100% pain free death.

 

[ScottyGill]

I saw a video of the apron method which I thought looked very humane. The bird was very calm, she slit its throat and let the blood drain and then pulled it’s head off. I don’t think I want to do it but my husband could and would although hope that day will be a long time off as we only have just put eggs in the incubator. I also read about a mix of baking soda and vinegar (I think) which puts them to sleep.

 

[ScottyGill]

I gas them. 100% pain free death.

How?

 

[Cyprus]

How?

Just as one would gas any other small animal. Closed container filled with some sort of gas that takes away oxygen. I don't do any mixed solutions.

 

[HuffleClaw]

I gas them. 100% pain free death.

So suffocation, basically.