The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: CameronS on November 23, 2010, 07:08:13 pm
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Like the heading says i am looking for a hand held humane chicken dispatcher, i have seen wall mounted ones on ebay but was put off by the ridiculous price tag, not that i am opposed to buying one if thats what it costs, but there must be something cheaper if i am only doing a couple of birds or so every six months?
thanks
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http://www.sprcentre.com/product.asp?P_ID=720&strPageHistory=search&strKeywords=humane,dispatcher&numPageStartPosition=1&strSearchCriteria=any&PT_ID=all
recently bought this, as part of a bigger order.. not had need to use it yet!
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Hi - I bought mine from Ascott (http://www.ascott.biz/acatalog/Humane-Wall-Mounted-Dispatcher-PY91.html) and its only a few pounds dearer than the one little blue bought.
Its a good strong thing, and I feel confident when using it, even on the larger cockerels. I chose it after reading the Humane Societies thoughts about the various methods of dispatching birds.
Since getting it when I have used it I first give the bird a sharp blow on the back of the head with a short piece of 2" x 2" which knocks them out, and then I use the dispatcher, and leave the mechanism closed for a couple of minutes so I know there is no chance of any mistakes. I assume if I was knocked unconcious myself I wouldn't suffer when anything else happened afterwards.
All the best
Sue
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Sue, when you "stun" the bird... do you just creep up behind them?!
or how do you actually go about it?
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I am such a coward and can't kill anything. I have given all my birds away for the time being, mainly to avoid killing the many cockerels that were hatched this year. i shall try again in the spring!
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Sue, when you "stun" the bird... do you just creep up behind them?!
or how do you actually go about it?
I just pick them up as normal, and whilst I have them in the crook of my arm I find they are generally looking around, and a quick bash does the job. Not nice, but it seems quick and I have found knocks them unconscious then I use the dispatcher.
I think in general we are far more aware, and do more "thinking" about stuff. Animals/birds react to the situation, so if you want to catch a sheep to check if it has flystrike it doesn't seem much worse than catching it a zapping it with a humane stunner.
As I say I don't like doing it, but without me the foxes, rats, buzzards, etc etc would have finished them off long before.
Sue
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I am such a coward and can't kill anything. I have given all my birds away for the time being, mainly to avoid killing the many cockerels that were hatched this year. i shall try again in the spring!
That's why I don't try to hatch any chickens! Drakes don't make much noise and so far I think I have only one out of the three.
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The Humane Slaughter Association do NOT recommend anything that crushes the spine, which is what the hand held + wall mounted do.
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The cheapest way is to use a cone. You can do your part to decrease the size of the European 'cone mountain' by liberating one for the side of the road or buy one from Jewson (I did actually buy mine for schooling horses ???). Cut the foot off the cone and fix it to the wall, cut the head hole the right size and off you go. I take the birds out of the shed one at a time then take them to a darkened out building drop them in the cone and cut the neck. The brain is immediately starved of blood and the bird is dead, no flapping, job done. I used to use the broom handle or in my case a cart wheel spoke but found it difficult doing ducks and generally a nasty experience. I have a need to get it right first time and don't want to experiment with various neck wringing techniques. I can't bare to think of the failed attempts until the method is perfected.
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But what do they recommend? I've used the broomstick method and last time the birds head slipped under and I know it suffered briefly which is upsetting for all. I'd thought to get one of these too.
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The reccomended method is either neck dislocation or an electric stunner followed by cutting the carotid arteries.
The so-called humane dispatchers that crush the neck aren't humane at all.
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The cheapest way is to use a cone. You can do your part to decrease the size of the European 'cone mountain' by liberating one for the side of the road or buy one from Jewson (I did actually buy mine for schooling horses ???). Cut the foot off the cone and fix it to the wall, cut the head hole the right size and off you go. I take the birds out of the shed one at a time then take them to a darkened out building drop them in the cone and cut the neck. The brain is immediately starved of blood and the bird is dead, no flapping, job done. I used to use the broom handle or in my case a cart wheel spoke but found it difficult doing ducks and generally a nasty experience. I have a need to get it right first time and don't want to experiment with various neck wringing techniques. I can't bare to think of the failed attempts until the method is perfected.
Bleeding without stunning is inhumane. It's not flapping because it can't.
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SO - how is the best way to dispatch a bird Quickly with no mess/blood etc (i found the broomstick a horrible way, I'm not strong but managed to pull the head off and I'm sure she suffered) and above all Humanely.
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That's the question isn't it. If you should stun what sort is cheap and efficient? Don't want to spend hundreds for the odd few birds..
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you can't stun them with an lecky stunner because you need to hold a poultry slaughters licence to use that equipment. and to be honest it scares me holding a bird wilst running enough power through them to stun them its sure to go wrong if i was to use it.
whatever method apart from destroying the brain they are going to feel pain. face it you not being nice to them. the object is to reduce the pain to a minimum. a program from tazmania showed them using a cone and whilst pulling the head down cutting it off with a knife. it looked quick.
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Here's what the Human Slaughter Association has to say: http://www.hsa.org.uk/Publications/General%20Publications.html
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The only acceptable way on farm without resort to expensive abatoir type equipment is by neck dislocation. This is best achieved by the broomstick method or similar, which is quick, easy to do and causes the least suffering. Also if you're holding the bird while it's killed you know that the neck has been dislocated properly and death has occured.
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The Humane Slaughter Association do NOT recommend anything that crushes the spine, which is what the hand held + wall mounted do.
The Ascott wall-mounted Humane Dispatcher (http://www.ascott-dairy.co.uk/acatalog/Humane-Wall-Mounted-Dispatcher-PY91.html) does not crush the spine, it dislocates it, exactly as you would if you dislocated the neck by hand. The inner nubbit pushes in between two vertebrae and pushes them apart = dislocation.
Provided it is used correctly, therefore, it is consistent with the guidance given.
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But only if you get it in the right place, Sal, I've tried one! I use a stunner, best investement I've made :chook:
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But only if you get it in the right place, Sal, I've tried one! I use a stunner, best investement I've made :chook:
Oh! Did you already post a link for your stunner?
And have you had a look at my link to the Ascott one - that is the right type, isn't it? The documentation that came with mine (bought about 10 years ago) did explain all about how it works by dislocation, and I've not had any reason to think otherwise - no neck bones have ever been crushed in the choox I've dispatched with it.
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We use a game dispatcher for smaller chickens. It works well but no good for big cockerels or decent sized meat birds. We pop the birds on the ground between our legs and squat over, stroke them and soothe them etc then use the dispatcher. Never an easy job to do but we find this process just calmer.
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Humane my ar** you have to be kidding. Illegal in Wales.
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The cheapest way is to use a cone. You can do your part to decrease the size of the European 'cone mountain' by liberating one for the side of the road or buy one from Jewson (I did actually buy mine for schooling horses ???). Cut the foot off the cone and fix it to the wall, cut the head hole the right size and off you go. I take the birds out of the shed one at a time then take them to a darkened out building drop them in the cone and cut the neck. The brain is immediately starved of blood and the bird is dead, no flapping, job done. I used to use the broom handle or in my case a cart wheel spoke but found it difficult doing ducks and generally a nasty experience. I have a need to get it right first time and don't want to experiment with various neck wringing techniques. I can't bare to think of the failed attempts until the method is perfected.
I've often wondered how to kill duck. This sounds good. I work on a shoot and absolutely dread the dogs coming back with a duck that is a runner (ie not completely dead). I find it so difficult to break the necks well.
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Ha ha :innocent:
I read human dispatcher. There are a few I would like to dispatch, but I think it's illegal.
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Would an air pistol to the head be suitable for an instant kill?
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If you get in touch with DEFRA they will send you a free booklet on the humane slaughter of poultry.
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I find shooting them in the back of the head with an air pistol, just about between the eyes and the ears works as a stunner if not outright kill. First one I did, I dissected the head to check I'd got the right spot and found the pellet had gone right through the brain. I follow this by cutting the throat and allowing them to bleed out, but I imagine breaking the neck and bleeding into the gap would be equally as effective and a lot less messy!
Stunning, even if only with a short plank or hammer, is essential before slitting their throats: the brain stays active for a significant time after. I used to decapitate birds, which is ultimately the same thing, but it is VERY unpleasant holding a bodiless head and feeling it moving eyes and beak in your hand!!
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"Humane my ar** you have to be kidding. Illegal in Wales".
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[/size]Sorry - getting confused..... what's illegal in Wales???