[Q]

***  WARNING THE VIDEO SHOWS A CHICKEN BEING DISPATCHED   ****

DONT WATCH IT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT!

I have a question about this video showing how to dispatch a chicken with the broomstick method.

Is it normal for the bird to flap for that long?  Is the bird actually dead in the video at the end?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR55rMaBQfs

[shygirl]

i havent used the broomstick method but id have been happier to see a bigger pull as i believe (i may be wrong) that its not just breaking the bones, its detaching the spinal cord that counts. a bigger pull also leaves the cavity for the blood to drain to. and its reassuring to feel an obvious break to the bone. in my experience, if you dont give the neck and cord a good pull then the neck can be broken but the bird is still alive and watching you. snap the cord and its away.
i also go by when the eyes are shut, in this case it was 1min. and that was when the death reflexes started.
death isnt instant anyway in my opinion, thats just a myth. it takes time for the brain and heart to stop working.
the bird did die quite quickly and quietly though. sometimes they flap for ages, we hang them for at least 5 mins until they have stopped, as they keep going long after they are dead.
but in answer to your question id say it died at 1 min at the latest, and that was actually not alot of movement for a dead bird as he was holding its wings. if you held it by its feet only it would have flapped alot more, and if you put it down on the ground it would have took off across the ground.

[sabrina]

I used this method on a sick chicken and it worked well. Hated doing it but it was needs must. for her it was instant but she was almost gone when I found her.

[Q]

Thanks for your comments Shygirl, 

Interesting for me because I would normally put the broomstick right by the birds head.    Doing that means that sometimes the head comes right off if you pull too hard.

I normally hold the bird by the legs, there is a bit of flapping and by feeling the feet movement usually it is over within about 10 to 15 seconds.

The bird in the video was still flapping as it ended so I wasn't convinced it was dead at all.

[Q]

Sabrina thanks - did your bird flap for that long do you remember?

[lord flynn]

the last one I did, the head became detached-she was still flapping by the time it took me to go into house, get s bin bag and come out again and I'm pretty sure she flapped once or twice once bagged up.  not nice even the the rational side of me knew she was dead. (I'll not watch the video). I did get someone else to do a largish cock that I had, he was done by hand and flapped for maybe 5/10 seconds.

[chrismahon]

Not convinced the hen died of anything other than strangulation in that video. To spend so long with the poor thing upside down in obvious distress as well. A disgrace in my opinion!


The body movements didn't look to me consistent with my experience. All of ours, except sick ones, convulse for one to two minutes. The convulsions start immediately. The last reaction is the feathers on the neck stand up.

[shygirl]

The convulsions start immediately. The last reaction is the feathers on the neck stand up.

yes thats true, theres a difference between struggling and flapping - (and who wouldnt in those circumstances) and the death flap. i still think it was dead by the end though.

[Stereo]

I use neck dislocation and was shown how by an expert. Main thing is to make sure there is nothing still connected which you can feel with your fingers. It's possible to do half a job and the bird will still die but probably in a lot of pain. It's always better to pull too hard than not hard enough, even if the head comes off.

Ours mostly flap hard for about a minute, sometimes 2 and the neck feathers do go up as mentioned. I try to bleed them as soon as possible.

[Q]

Thanks Stereo, do you dislocate near the head or further down the neck as shown in the video?

[Stereo]

As tight up to the head as possible. Your fingers should be against the skull. I believe that in order to get a clean kill with minimal pain, the spinal cord(s) and other gubbins (not sure what) must be pulled out of the brain. This causes such damage to the base of the brain that the animal is rendered unconscious immediately. This is why it's better than decapitation as that leaves the base of the brain intact and the head can remain conscious for some time.

At least, that is what I have been told. You basically are aiming to render the brain useless whether by destruction or electrocution. Just cutting off it's blood supply does not do that instantly. Electric stunning is probably the best way or using a mechanical stunner or gun but with these, accuracy is everything so you need skill.

[HesterF]

Didn't watch the video because I don't have an account and can't be bothered to create one (sorry!) but have dispatched with the broomstick method. Exactly the same as Stereo describes - broomstick should be right up behind the skull not further down the neck. It's the 90 degree angle between the head and neck which dislocates the neck. It shouldn't need a strong pull because that will decapitate but you feel the click as the neck goes. We had the birds in a bag because the flapping can be quite strong & it did continue for quite a while but was wing flapping rather than struggling.

[MKay]

A lot of dubious opinions I am afraid. The spontaneous movement is the nerve impulses rushing through the body that were sent peri-Morton, normally in a last such hail Mary to live. It can last hours in higher intelligence animals. Humans twitch and spasms, equines gallop and birds flap. Just part of the end of a highly complex organism.
It why people have this crazy notion than decapitation does not kill instantly (sever brain stem=death but incidently not dead ddepending on what you consider dead) as soon as the bloodflow stops brain goes into coma- shortly after the neurons shut down- that is brain death. So to say the bird is dead depends on the acceptance that mortality is inevitable at that stage, as the brain will never recover but brain death has not yet occured. Semantics.
Cut off the head/dislocate the neck death is inevitable and although brain death has not occurred mortality is assured and the bird is not conscience.

Now brain stem destruction is a different matter as the brains destruction is what kills it. With large mammals pithing is required if captive bolt is employed where free bullet will do the job for you.

So do not worry about flapping and just buy a killing cone so you can walk away and not watch if you don't like it.

Incidentally don't let go of a decapitated turkey as the strength in the wing spasms can throw then three feet. I had one finally stop 80' from where I did the deed and that was after killing with shot and then decap to bleed. And finally a decap head may still blink, the brain is comatose but again its just nerve fire and they will not be any corneal response.

[Stereo]

We all have our own views I guess. I prefer to do my own research and listen to people who have done the science.

http://www.hsa.org.uk/other-methods/other-methods