The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Maddox on December 31, 2009, 11:07:12 am
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Hello All
I hate to ask but i have been let down by 2 people who had agreed to show me/hubby how to kill our meat chickens (our first batch), is there anyone nearby able to show us, we have 6 that need doing asap, they are quite large at least 10lb+ clean, i think one might go around 13lb. I really dont want to cause them any distress by "having a go" myself, so would be very greatful for any help.
We are located near Chelmsford Essex, you would be welcome to have a bird as a thankyou.
Many thanks
Maddox
07501017567
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its very easy, you dont need to be shown a couple of methods, ie buy are quality meat clever about £20 or better and a sharpening steel, HOLD BIRD BY LEGS RESTING ITS HEAD ON A WOOD BLOCK AND ONE HEAVY CONFIDENT SWIPE AND THE HEAD IS OFF, simple then quickly holding the bird by the legs hold it upside down in a bucket till it stops moving. OR if you have an air rifle or air gun hold the bird by the legs resting its head upside down on soft ground, then one pellet into its chin so the pellet travels though the brain area and out into the soft ground, (not so messy) in fact very quick and clean. you can buy a wall mounted dispatcher which i also have and is also easy, but the 2 methods mentioned i think work best, you would need help with neck breaking, all these methods are legal and have been recomended by poultry mags.
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You can't go wrong with a good meat cleaver!
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i was in the same posistion as you,and a friend said the same ,but she had a humane dispatcher ,really easy to use,u just put head in the gap and bring down lever, very quick clean and painless,BUT DONT STOP IF YOU START and do it quick not slow, it breaks the neck and dislocates it . i got it off ebay ,it has adjustable screw for different size poultry too. well recommended.
humane poultry dispatcher is what its called screws to a wall. brilliant invention.
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I FORGOT TO SAY if useing a meat cleaver get some red overalls, in order of my preference its wall dispatcher, air pistol, meat cleaver. mined you the clever is 100% but messy, ive found the adjustment screw is a waste of time on the dispatcher, mine is on the min adjustment ie no gap left when closed for everthing from geese to hens and havent broken the skin.
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Thanks all for the replies, I still havnt a clue how im going to do it but d day is coming.
Maddox
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get a cleaver
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as harry says. a sharp clever or axe. watch your fingers and make sure your first hit is hard. its best to have two people one to hold the hen and the other to do the chopping. you will get blood everywhere but its assured.
don't think about it too much just get it done. always have a second method ready in case your first method fails.
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good advice have a 2nd method ready, as mentioned before on another thread, use a wall dispather, then shoot it then use the cleaver, that should do it.
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humane dispatcher has no blood no mess ,and is quick and clean.dead easy too :)
www.ascott.biz/acatalog/Humane-Wall-Mounted-Dispatcher-PY91.html for piccy ect
i was paranoid about getting it wrong.
these are so easy a kid could use them. ;D
best find a way to make it less stressful for all concerned ! :o
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you are always not going to enjoy the task but its one that has to be done. really just be determinded that your going to kill them quick and thats all you can aim for. once they have lost the head and feathers you won't worry about them.
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Thanks for all the advice, Im going to do it this weekend.
I know its something I have to get over & as long as its quick thats all I can do.
Maddox
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i had someone come over and show me the correct way to kill the rats we bred for snakes.i threw up.still dont like it,my son does all that, i cant.
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What is the correct way to kill rats? I have a friend who will be interested.
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how are you going to do it????????? what method have we convinced you to try...................... do snakes eat quail, they breed like anything, you end up with loads. I killed rats with a hammerfore (worth a try).
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pretty much the same as poultry,only rats can bite. pinkies ect quick throw on ground circling arm round from back.
older ones hold and break neck against step or use a pole type thing [priest?] is it? like with fish. to hit back of neck.wouldnt do it with wild ones tho.
tried freezing some it was horrible.they do go to sleep pinkies its almost instant,pups and fuzzies takes longer,so i wouldnt do it again.i checked on them and they wernt dead,just someone told me it was painless,you just get cold ands go to sleep.
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Thanks, my friend freezes pinkies too.
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the tail and a hard wall are useful!
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Hi Harry
I feel the chickens are far to big for me to ring there necks so its cleaver & broomhandle for me, Ive a wall dispatcher on order too.
I will let you know how it goes, cant wait to cook one though..lol
Maddox
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All you need now is the air pistol and youve got the full set. Just a comment.. do you know what to do with the broomhandle, you dont chase it and try to hit it ;) fix the dispather to the wall or wooden post better than you think you need to, mine is about chest height so you can pull down with max pressure, do it once that should do it then move the neck an inch and do it again to make sure, you should feel a sort of crunching of the neck. also you need to nick a lost roadside cone and nail it to the wall next to the dispatcher at knee height upside down, then do the neck then slide the flapping bird into the cone so the neck comes out of the small cone hole (cut it to size), this keeps things tidy and stops bruising while they bleed upside down, some people cut the neck at this point a bit to drain the blood, i dont. i also use a cone with an air pistol, head hanging out of the hole the pull the trigger. watch where the pellet may end up after passing though. ive got the dispatcher thats shown on a previous reply in this subject and mine is fully adjusted to completly close, it doesnt cut or break the skin
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Hi Maddox,
I'm on my 6th batch of cobb/ross table birds. My largest was over 17lbs. When I have a bird that's only 7 or 8 lbs, the quick wrist action to break their necks works fine for me. But after unfortunately almost torturing a 10lb bird with that... I've moved onto the broom handle method for the large birds.
Hold by legs, head on ground, broom handle over neck, your feet on broom handle.......Pull hard. I don't hang about doing it, all over in a second. Once their head touches the ground, get your foot on the broom and get it done immediately. My only issue with this method is that I usually end up with a detached head. :-\
90 mins from dispatch to fridge. 5 mins kill + bleed, 5 mins gutting, 80 mins plucking. One day I'll build a whizzbang plucker. I hate dry plucking.
DJ Chook
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Hello all Just a little word of warning.We got a rat in the cavity of our lean to.Its made from 2x4 inch wood with T&G boards on the weather side and plaster board in side and a zinc roof. The deep freeze and washer are kept there.Kath first noticed some droppings near the veg trolley.So I called on one of my farmer friends and said"hev yer got a bit of rat poison I can scrounge We hev a rat in the out house cavity" "Course try 2 or 3 of these they are like lollies just tack a 3" nail through the hole onto a bit of board and you will see when hes been by the lolly being chewed and hes to late hes swallowed some hes dead"Sure enough next mornin it had been and quite a bit was missing Next day no droppings next week THE MOST FOUL SMELL IN THE BACK WAY.THEN A FORTNIGHT OR SO LATER THE BACK WAY WAS FULL AND i MEAN FULL OF BLUEBOTTLES URH!!! :farmer:
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If you go to the River Cottage Community web site and click poultry in poultry click killing my chickens there are lots of info and a poster offering a set of photos on wringing a chickens neck.It really is quite easy if you are not squeamish and its your darling pet.This is a big problem especially if there are children involved. :farmer:
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D J CHUCK, interesting, 17lb birds , whats all that about, would like to raise some
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Harry, yeah 17lbs plus. These cobb ross hybrids are monsters. Poor things. We've an average dead weight of 12lbs at 10 weeks old. The very large birds are on average 16 weeks old.
DJ Chook
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DJ. can they be slowed down on semi free range, do you have to buy day olds or can they be home bred.
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Hi Harry, Yes, they can be slowed down by free ranging them & restricting the amount of food you allow them. I have to say though, it wasn't much of a slower growth rate. It's a difficult choice.. they are always hungry little things, it breaks my heart to see them chirping for food when trying to restrict what they eat. I don't restrict their chick food, I let them free range from 6 weeks old
I get all my chicks from Cyril Bason. http://www.cyril-bason.co.uk/ They do deliver, but I only live 30 mins from there, so I collect.
Day old were about £1.60 each, growers (5 weeks old) were £3.50 each.
When I did my costings there was nothing in it, from 1 day olds to 5 week old growers. It was costing me about £3.50 to get my birds to 5 weeks old. I always buy the day olds. I got the growers once and they weren't that great.
I sorry I've hijacked this thread. If I can sus it out.. I'll do a new thread with some videos of my meat chicks. I've a 6 week video diary of my 1st ever batch.
DJ Chook
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Hi All
Well the deed was done (well half of them) and all went well, DJ we have the same type of birds as you and our largest was 15lb clean (its in the oven as we speak for our tea..lol) I dread to think what a free range 15lb chicken would cost in the shops!! We got ours from day olds and were free from a family member but we intend to buy our own next time as we have enjoyed our first batch so much.
Thank you all for the advice, not quite sure what I would of done without it.
I cant wait to taste my own 1st free range Chicken ;D
Maddox
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how did you find/feel about dispatching them? :) :'(
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Not enough info Maddox! ;D How did you do it? How did you feel? How was plucking/drawing e.t.c.?
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Dispatch was Ok, calm and I didnt feel they knew what was coming or suffered, we chopped off there heads (I only used this method as they were sooo big) it wasnt as bad as I though very quick with very little wing flapping and not as nearly as much blood as I had thought there would be either.
Plucking was fab, but then again Ive alway enjoyed doing it and gutting was fine(we get given pheasant from the game keeper, so Ive plucked and gutted before).
I didnt feel as bad as I had thought, once they were dead from then on all I cold see was a lovely chicken dinner. Im certainly going to get another batch of meat birds but think I will wait until end of Feb when the weather hopefully has improved and I have some minor repairs to do to the hut.
Maddox
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Its funny a old world - we fattened a cockeral recently and didn't have a problem doing the whole thing, but I could never eat one of our layers as they were never bought for food! We are hoping to get meat birds this year.
Glad it all went well.
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Aaaah me too, if I had to do one off my layers that would be a whole different story!!!
As these were for meat, I treated em as such, no cuddles and no names..lol
Maddox
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Hi Harry, Yes, they can be slowed down by free ranging them & restricting the amount of food you allow them. I have to say though, it wasn't much of a slower growth rate. It's a difficult choice.. they are always hungry little things, it breaks my heart to see them chirping for food when trying to restrict what they eat. I don't restrict their chick food, I let them free range from 6 weeks old
I get all my chicks from Cyril Bason. http://www.cyril-bason.co.uk/ They do deliver, but I only live 30 mins from there, so I collect.
Day old were about £1.60 each, growers (5 weeks old) were £3.50 each.
When I did my costings there was nothing in it, from 1 day olds to 5 week old growers. It was costing me about £3.50 to get my birds to 5 weeks old. I always buy the day olds. I got the growers once and they weren't that great.
I sorry I've hijacked this thread. If I can sus it out.. I'll do a new thread with some videos of my meat chicks. I've a 6 week video diary of my 1st ever batch.
DJ Chook
Hi
Would be really interested in seeing the video diary as about to take the plunge first time with meat birds. PM if you would and maybe you could email if not sure how to put on thread. (Or You tube?).
Question for all really... Looking at numbers, thinking of about 15-20. Dos this seem about right.. too many..too few? Also the size of the brooder concerns me. Its ok for 15-20 day olds but at 5-6 weeks old Im worried it may be cramped. Any advice about size of brooder compared to number of birds etc? thanks
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I would also love to see the video as we are thinking of doing meat birds this year. If I was you Gecko I would have what you feel would comfortably fit in the brooder. We plan to start off with only a few birds and see how it goes and then increase numbers at a later date.
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you said you killed and cooked it..... with the others hang some of them for 1, 2 or 3 weeks, somewhere cold, i use and old tall fridge, hang by the legs plucked but not drawn, try that.
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Thanks Harry will def give that ago.
Maddox
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best hang 3 then try one each week for prefered best. if hanging outside got to be rat proof and cold, if you like it buy and old fridge for a tenner.put all the racks on the top shelf for one strong shelf to hang from, i got a 6 foot tall fridge to hang 3 geese in. the meat can sometimes go a bit black in places, 3 weeks, thats good, you wont see that in good butchers as its trimmed off beaf to look better.and you will never see it in a supermarket as they are to fresh.