The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Carl f k on September 19, 2013, 09:43:48 pm
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A pellet to the head? A knife to the throat? Break the neck first? A quick swift axe..... Must be the full moon and all these dead questions.... Dry pluck, wet pluck? I'm at it again research before the plunge.. Thanx for any replys.... Bet there's more views than replys as norm ha ha :innocent: :-J
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I'm still working up to it - two drakes are already marked and I'm struggling facing up to a couple of cockerels too. I'm calling in help to show me that broom stick method - apparently she puts them into some sort of stupor by holding them upside down and then you lay them out, broom stick held firmly down over the neck & then pull up the legs. Dislocates the neck in one swift move. That's the theory....
Also need to check out the plucking and dressing.
Good luck - let us know how it goes.
H
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Upside down, knife to the neck and wet pluck... Its all over and done with very quickly! With duck I have always dry plucked straight after killing the bird, while its still warm...
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:roflanim: I always seem to be out when they need doing so the wife has to do it (pulls the neck) :roflanim:
Personally i'd probably shoot them back of the head.
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Several threads on this already with detailed answers/debate !!!!
There is a search facility .... someone else can probably point you in the right direction if you can't find them.
Several options and debate as to which is the most humane.
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broomstick method.
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Currently working up the courage to be ready for this myself sometime in October I think
There are so many opinions and the only thing I'm sure about so far is that you just have to get on and do it using your own preferred method rather than worrying too much about other options or peoples opinions.
For me the main thing is to avoid unnecessary pain or stress for the bird as a result of my own ignorance or inexperience!
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killing cone, pellet to the head.
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Currently working up the courage to be ready for this myself sometime in October I think
There are so many opinions and the only thing I'm sure about so far is that you just have to get on and do it using your own preferred method rather than worrying too much about other options or peoples opinions.
For me the main thing is to avoid unnecessary pain or stress for the bird as a result of my own ignorance or inexperience!
dito. My thoughts. :-\
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wring the neck and dry pluck then hang for a few days somewhere cold before gutting.
hanging by the feet allows the blood to drain to the neck and saves the need of bleeding it.
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With the broomstick method the neck of the bird is most definitely NOT dislocated by pulling its legs!!! :rant:
It's not about pulling the bird, it's about the second step on the stick - the (gentle!) pulling is merely to stretch the spine before you make the second step (the latter is what dislocates the neck).
As mentioned above, the correct method of using the broomstick to dispatch a chicken has been described on this forum several times already. Even better, ask someone who knows what they are doing to show you - there's a lady in Somerset who teaches the method, and if you're near Herts I can show you.
As for plucking etc: if you're not going to roast them, you can always just take them out of their jacket. ;) If you wet pluck them, make sure the water isn't boiling nor too cold as it won't work properly. I can look up the right temperature if you like (that's hubby's domain, I do the killing), it makes a big difference when it's exactly right.
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As for plucking etc: if you're not going to roast them, you can always just take them out of their jacket. ;)
we do that, so much quicker than gutting and plucking. we cut the breast out and the legs, then let the dogs finish off what they want. they dont it all. mind you we have loads of land for the dogs but they always leave feathers on my doorstep! ::)
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We use a hand held humane dispatcher for the hens like this one http://www.ukpoultrysupplies.co.uk/hand-dispatcher (http://www.ukpoultrysupplies.co.uk/hand-dispatcher) although I don't remember it being expensive when we bought it 25 years ago.
It's very quick and there is no blood or mess, it just parts the cervical spine and cuts off the blood flow so is instant. You can hold the bird in your arms, chat to it and tickle it's wattles as you put the dispatcher round the neck, so it has no idea what's coming. It's a good death :)
We snuck out last night and lifted an elusive cockerel from his bed so he was still half asleep when he went to his maker, I'm off out to pluck him in a minute. I quite like plucking birds it's peaceful and methodical and doesn't take many minutes once you get a technique. I don't much enjoy gutting but a nicely trussed bird really shows off the breast and thighs and looks good on the table.
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i used a wall mounted dispatcher once, but never again. blood was all up the walls and the bird wasnt dead. by hand is much kinder, plus you can feel more, you can feel the neck break, the gap in the spine, the cord snap, the flutter and the life fade away. you can make sure its done right and quickly.
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So many different ideas..suppose everyone has their own ways I will have to see which one suits me.. Thanx everyone :wave:
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With the broomstick method the neck of the bird is most definitely NOT dislocated by pulling its legs!!! :rant:
It's not about pulling the bird, it's about the second step on the stick - the (gentle!) pulling is merely to stretch the spine before you make the second step (the latter is what dislocates the neck).
Disagree Eve,
I've been killing larger cockerels and ducks etc using this method for many years but I use the brush handle to hold the head in place then dislocate the neck by pulling up on the feet.
Just standing on the brush can result in the neck being crushed rather than dislocated and is therefore not considered a humane method.
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We bought a wall mounted dispatcher for the ducks and weren't very impressed with it either. The finish was rough and scabby to say the least and it was far too expensive for what it was. There was no instruction sheet on best setting for size of bird and it would be easy to get it wrong and be inaccurate/inhumane. I think a swift meat cleaver and a tree stump would be more efficient to be honest ..... as long as it wasn't me aiming the meat cleaver, I'm the worlds worst shot.
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I wouldn't like to be the one holding the neck outstretched for your cleaver shot then Julie! ;D
A lot of these mechanical dispatchers can also actually crush rather than dislocate and they are not recommended for humane despatch either under the poultry slaughter regulations.
I'm not a fan of messy cutting and decapitation methods, I prefer hand dislocation, brush handle, killing cone for larger stuff.
Saying that, they still recommend electrical stunning before and of the above methods too for a humane kill. :-\
I have seen CO2 used successfully once on a small farm.
a pub gas bottle of CO2 piped into a small airtight container which held around 6 chickens , 2 feet square and 3 feet high with a cover over the top.
The chickens were placed into the container and lasted only a few seconds before being overcome by the CO2, they basically got back to their feet, had a look around and then dropped.
They were left in there for 2 minutes before being removed to ensure they were dead then the necks were also dislocated before they were plucked etc
That was a VERY calm and stress free method and something I may try myself one day, especially with larger stuff like turkeys etc.
The main thing I noticed with the CO2 was that there was no flapping and kicking like you normally see with other killing methods.
I also experienced large scale CO2 killing on commercial farms diagnosed with Salmonella just after Mrs. Currie's 1988 scaremongering campaign.
We used tipper lorries with their tarpaulins fitted over the top and gas piped in at the four corners.
The birds were then caught and carried outside by hand 4 at a time and dropped into the lorry (I was the dropper) and was tied up with a rope in case I fell in too.
A sorry sight but again it was an eerily silent and very calm method.
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I trust Gordon, he has a strong and sure shot with these things being a Blacksmith, but I don't think he would want to just decapitate something, it was him who insisted on the wall mounted gadget before he would neck the drake.
I also think CO2 is a very humane method, it's just like going to sleep. I wonder about the lack of spinal reflex from a practical viewpoint though. It can be helpful with the bleeding out as it keeps the blood pumping and is useful when we do sheep.
Bear in mind, any opinion I may have about slaughtering ducks and other large poultry is purely theoretical, we only ever killed one drake for the table so far, using that damned gadget.
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I do mine at night - remove the bird from the shed, place it on the ground - it's dopey/tired and pellet to the head.
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for those of you that shoot-what do you use and whats involved in costs/getting/keeping/training for one please?
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Everyone I know that shoots them just use air rifles
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yup, .22 air rifle.
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22! anything larger and you run the risk of having no bird left!
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most people i know just shoot them in the back of the head so that shouldn't be a problem.
i don't know if i'd like to lie a big turkey on the ground and put a .303 in the back of its ear! :roflanim:
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well, I don't know anything about air rifles :p
I was just wondering-I use the broomstick method but I hate it, have to psyche myself up for it unless the bird is ill. I am also not that tall so when it comes to big roos etc, its seems a bit awkward. Once I move I was playing with the idea of ducks and a friend has warned me that ducks are more difficult to neck plus will be upping the poultry breeding anyway so will have more to do. I don't like the idea of cutting or using a humane dispatcher so just considering alternatives
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Yeah I'm no fan of blood and guts methods myself! ;D
A killing cone is probably your best bet.
Not to be confused with the killing cones which just hold the bird while its neck is cut to bleed it.
This type actually dislocate the neck and are normally used for larger stuff like turkeys, ducks, geese but there are chicken models available.
You can buy them although they can be expensive but are fairly easy to make if you are handy or have a friendly DIY'er
This stops the bird from flapping around and damaging itself whilst making the actual killing process much easier with a lot less effort, you're just using your bodyweight to push down or lean on it (pivots and fulcrums etc)
The long bar under the turkeys head in this picture is bolted onto the frame at the right side but can move up and down.
The other bar connected to the first bar and also can move up and down.
The birds head is placed between the two bars as in the pic (a bit like curling tongs) then the bar is pushed slowly downwards until the neck is dislocated.
The bars don't come together therefore this prevents the neck being crushed rather than dislocated.
This is a commercially made one but they are pretty easy to make up.
I've seen smaller ones made out of traffic cones etc which work ok
(http://i43.tinypic.com/243g5cw.jpg)
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ok, thanks for that-will put thinking cap on as I reckon I might be able to build one.
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Could use a .177 air rifle or even a pistol prob easier with a pistol with the bird in a cone,pistol to the head kills it and bleeds it at the same time
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a colleague of OHs mentioned a ratbuster? had a quick google-would a .22 ratbuster pistol do the job on chickens, homebred rabbits and possibly turkeys?
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we've always used the broom handle after a friend showed me some years ago. the bird seems to just relax once laid flat on the floor and it feels as if you have complete control over the whole event
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a colleague of OHs mentioned a ratbuster? had a quick google-would a .22 ratbuster pistol do the job on chickens, homebred rabbits and possibly turkeys?
Don't see why not but I would still recommend dislocating or bleeding immediately afterwards, I've never seen any bird bleed properly from an airgun pellet to the head.
it's a LOT easier to dislocate or cut the neck of an already dead bird from both the physical and mental perspectives!
I would still learn how to dislocated the neck by hand though, its a good failsafe backup to have.
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clansman is correct, they don't really bleed out from the head wound and still need bleeding.
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ok thanks for the help-necking a dead bird/cutting wouldn't bother me. When they are ill/injured and need necking I find it alot easier, I know I can do it if I must but would just prefer shooting I think when faced with more to do.
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My son in law did ours and it did not bother me in the least, he went into their hut and took them out when it was dark and just slit their throat... :o :o ...quick and in their sleep but a tad messy..he also had a very sharpe knife that no way would I be able to use,
we plucked them very soon after when they were warm and it was not too bad actualy!! I shocked myself...although posting photos of several dead hung hens and 2 hung Deer was not a great move on my behalf as many of my friends are vegetarian and funnily I do not eat much meat!
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TO EVERYBODY ON THE FORUM THIS IS THE MOST CORRECT AND UP TO DATE INFORMATION , ALSO THE MOST LEGAL HOPE THIS HELPS http://www.hsa.org.uk/POULTRY%20WEBSITE/Poultry%20Slaughter%20Project/PSPSite/Introduction.html (http://www.hsa.org.uk/POULTRY%20WEBSITE/Poultry%20Slaughter%20Project/PSPSite/Introduction.html)
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We use a hand held humane dispatcher for the hens like this one http://www.ukpoultrysupplies.co.uk/hand-dispatcher (http://www.ukpoultrysupplies.co.uk/hand-dispatcher) although I don't remember it being expensive when we bought it 25 years ago.
It's very quick and there is no blood or mess, it just parts the cervical spine and cuts off the blood flow so is instant. You can hold the bird in your arms, chat to it and tickle it's wattles as you put the dispatcher round the neck, so it has no idea what's coming. It's a good death :)
We also use one of these. Got it from Ascott - it's called Semark pliers, I think. As you say, very quick, no mess. Just hold the bird for a few minutes until the electrical activity stops and the bird ceases flapping.
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I see the HSA doesn't recommend them though, odd that, as my experience is that done correctly it is amazingly fast and the neck bones separate enough to feel your finger and thumb touching through the skin. Perhaps there is scope to get it wrong but I can't see how myself :? I'm curious now ...........
The HSA is a good organisation and are responsible for many of the improvements made to the slaughterhouse system in the last few decades.
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I see the HSA doesn't recommend them though, odd that, as my experience is that done correctly it is amazingly fast and the neck bones separate enough to feel your finger and thumb touching through the skin. Perhaps there is scope to get it wrong but I can't see how myself :? I'm curious now ...........
The HSA is a good organisation and are responsible for many of the improvements made to the slaughterhouse system in the last few decades.
Its the crush factor, it is possible using these just to crush the neck bone and break it that way rather than to actually dislocate it.
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Oh, I see. I always feel for the space between the vertebrae first.
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if your quemish see HOW TO KILL GEESE
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I have 2 drakes earmarked for the pot and would like to raise some meat chickens next year. I have dispatched chickens before by hand neck dislocation ( many years ago) but never a great, big fat drake. I think the broomstick method seems best but would like someone to show me how. Is there anyone in the east northants/n.Beds/Huntingdon area whom I could take the birds to for a hands on demo lesson or even somewhere I could help out with the slaughter of their own birds to get the hang of the method and build my confidence?