The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Steven Dinnage on August 16, 2014, 08:03:57 pm

Title: What the best way to cull a duck?
Post by: Steven Dinnage on August 16, 2014, 08:03:57 pm

Im obvisoly going to make sure im  using the right method before i do the deed. these are the 2 way i though of so far:
Put bird in cone or feed bag with hole in it and shoot head with air rifiel a few inches away.
Put sock over head to keep calm place neck over wooden block andf cut head clean of with axe.
Both of these i could easyly do but is there any better ways? and whats the best?

Title: Re: What the best way to cull a duck?
Post by: jaykay on August 16, 2014, 08:54:41 pm

Neither of those.

Broomstick.

Hold the bird with its wings close to its sides, lie it on the ground, put the broomstick over its neck and put a foot on the broomstick either side of it.
Slide your hands quickly up from its wings to its feet, hold tight and pull upwards hard.

The bird doesn't struggle, it's quick and it's foolproof.

Title: Re: What the best way to cull a duck?
Post by: HesterF on August 16, 2014, 10:55:54 pm

Ditto broomstick - make sure you dislocate the neck rather than squeeze it. Bit of flapping afterwards but if you can feel the gap in its neck, you've done good & it's brain dead. Getting them calm beforehand can be harder - I was shown to hold them upside down which sort of lulls them but my last one took a while to calm and was struggling to get back upright for a wee while. I use a feed sack with a corner cut off to pin the wings to the side - once calm, lower them into that and pull the head through the gap. Then you have to be relatively quick - lay them down chin down, place the broom just behind the skull on the ground with one foot on it, then in one move place your other foot on the broom and pull up by the feet until you feel a click.

H

Title: Re: What the best way to cull a duck?
Post by: lord flynn on August 17, 2014, 09:42:37 am

seeing as I am looking into this-a friend informs me that ducks are more difficult to do this way than poultry, do you think thats true?

Title: Re: What the best way to cull a duck?
Post by: Q on August 17, 2014, 10:37:34 am

I would agree with broomstick but my experience is with chickens not ducks but I would also add that I keep the axe handy for plan b.

Also keeping the bird calm is important -  find they flap about less.

Title: Re: What the best way to cull a duck?
Post by: jaykay on August 17, 2014, 05:55:22 pm

You have to pull harder for ducks and geese, than chickens, is all, but it's still not that hard.

I'd be worried about getting a good clean accurate chop with an axe.

The key to keeping the bird calm is to just get on with it, no faffing. Walk it through, sans duck, if need be first.