DON'T READ THIS IF SQUEAMISH -killing chickens

chrismahon

chrismahon

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I've posted this in this section for a good reason.

The first two of our TNN's went this week- upsetting because one was very friendly but being picked on. Major disruption as I have to go back to UK and I really really hate it (going back to UK and dispatching chickens).

We've decided to not use the wall mounted dispatcher because of the HSA concerns. Not sure they are valid if you take the precautions to adjust them properly for every bird .

So taking the method prescribed by Gale Dumelow in "raising chickens" and shooting them behind the eyes.

Using a full power .22 air pistol we shot them. No problem with the stun issue -the pellet went straight through the skull , pressurising the same and blowing the eyes out. It was a thoroughly distressing experience. Blood pumping everywhere and the usual 2 minutes muscle contractions.

Yes. I think it is better for the chicken. One moment we are talking and the next moment it is mentally and physically dead.

But the mess is terrible!

I've looked into electrical stunning but it may be much worse for the bird (and me.)

Thinking that the HSA have gone too far and the wall mounted dispatcher is definitely the best option for us.

How do I despatch a pet?

Pretty depressed about the whole experience. All that blood! Perhaps I'm not up to this after all. It was always difficult, but now impossible.

Can't do the neck breaking. Not sufficient confidence.

Should I go back to the dispatcher or just get very drunk and covered in sheeting before 'the act'?

Need some guidance please.
 
Oh dear, Chris, you do sound down. I do understand why, that sounds a terribly distressing experience.
I suppose its partly a matter of scale - with a large flock, especially if you need to eat the cockerels, obviously you have to learn to despatch them effectively and be prepared to detach yourself enough to be able to do so effectively and humanely. I read somewhere that you have to avoid giving them names if you know they are for the pot. But it is much harder with pet birds you know personally, who are tame and trust you not to harm them.
I suppose it would be a good idea to go on a course, to learn how to do the dislocation methods confidently and effectively. Or, of course, for people like me with a handful of pet hens that would be too tough to eat when they finally needed culling, to take them to the vet. to be PTS.
So sorry about the TNNs. Were they both unwell or were the just cockerels and you had too many? I do agree about the dispatcher, I've heard very nasty things about them.
 
What a horrible experience for you Chris. did the book not warn you what would happen? I'm hoping that when I have to cull anything I can get the farmer up the road to do it, and then practice on the dead bird.

I had thought about a wall mounted despatcher but have read of people having difficulty adjusting them. I also read that the hand held electric stunners don't actually work on chickens - it was something to do with the structure of the brain I think which is different to sheep and cattle. Some people advocate the broomstick method which seems to work well on big birds where one may not have the necessary strength.

Like you, I worry whether I would be able to do the neck dislocation properly but I also have concerns about my ability to set up a despatcher. Also, am I right in thinking it's really a 2 person job? If so, there's absoloutely no chance of getting OH to help.

If you have used the wall mounted despatcher successfully in the past I think you would do best to continue to use it.
 
The shed is too small for 7 TNN cockerels, which is why the in-fighting started, so the nasty top one and the miserable bottom one were despatched. First was eaten, second in the freezer. The other 5 are fine. It all started when one crowed and was not the top cockerel. He was subsequently attacked by all, led by the top cockerel. They have had another fight now to establish a new leader and all is quiet.

It certainly is a two person job Margaid, either of our two methods. But the despatcher is much calmer, as the head is restrained and there is no blood. We need to review the shooting technique to see if I can shoot and then immediately restrain the head in a towel whilst Rosie holds the wings to the body. I can see that the head remains alive for a period with the wall mounted despatcher method though. I'm not happy with that.

We will be breeding again Tygrysek. Wyandottes next before Merlin has a heart attack -he's really highly strung. Our problem is keeping reserve cockerels to breed from -no shortage of hens. So we have our Leghorn bantam cockerel and our TNN cockerel. We are keeping eggs for 7 days before eating them in case one cockerel dies, so we can then hatch from stock. Seems a lot of hassle, but we are happy with the breeds we have. Won't expand with new breeds until we have bought somewhere and moved. Found a very rural area further South where the Brits haven't got to. Not touristy at all, just unspoilt traditional French farming region. In fact most people there have never met a foreigner.
 
chrismahon said:
. Found a very rural area further South where the Brits haven't got to. Not touristy at all, just unspoilt traditional French farming region. In fact most people there have never met a foreigner.
Click to expand...

Well, it will be an interesting surprise for them, when les Anglaises arrive, then, won't it?
 
If you are going to shoot the birds Chris have you thought about putting them head first into a traffic cone which stops the wings flapping. There are a number of large scale commercial despatchers where the birds are put into a cone. You might have to cut a bit off to make the hole at the top big enough. You might be able to make a stand for it then you could place a bucket or something underneath. Is the Southerly region the area you visited a little while ago> It sounded idyllic.
 
Dear Chris,
Really sorry to hear of your horrible experience. My heart goes out to you; I don't yet know what I'll do if / when I find myself in the same position.
Rather than you having a bottle of wine before doing the deed, would it be possible to give the birds a feed of mash made up in vodka or similar, to "anesthesize" them before their despatch? I can see that you wouldn't want to give them a regular tranquiliser if they're destined for the freezer, but maybe alcohol would work?

Sorry if this is a silly newbie idea... :-)07
 
omg chris my heart goes out to you big time . my friend culls mine and he does the neck deed but hes strong and knows how to do it in one go as hes leant to kill animals for food since he was a kid but he will also use the axe thingy cant think of the name and we even have a block thats sits outside the run for when he does that , a friend of mine whos culled poorly birds for me in the past shots them direct though the top of the head but puts them in a bag first again hes another person who knows whats he doing .
if you want to sedate them first you could always trry acp tablets if you can get hold of any ?? 1 - 2 works on pretty much any dog calms them right down so maybe only half would be needed for a chock or how about gassing them if theres a gas thats safe enough to use if they are going to be eaten afterwards although i know nothing about this sort of thing but i have read about it .
i am so so glad i cant cull as some of my birds are doing my head in and also i am getting very very depressed with the weather at the mo as i cant get anything done at all and nearly every night i threathen to cull mine if i could cull i'd have no birds left :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Back from the Uk now thankfully. Poor Elisa has an incurable prolapse. We've put her in a secure rearing unit so she can scratch around before despatch. I spent the Ryanair flight reading Gale Dumelow's chapter properly. The book is without doubt the chicken keepers bible. Yes Marigold, she did warn of the mess but I didn't read that bit. So Elisa has to go and can't be eaten because of the Baytril. I've given up on re-inserting the prolapse so now it will die and become painful. So tomorrow morning after a scratch around I think and we will try to contain the mess. Traffic cone causes stress as would any forced digestion. We fuss them and BANG, it's all over without any warning. That's got to be the best way surely.
 
Hi Chris,

I have never been keen on the 'pliers' that crush the neck... I wrote a blog post about it here in 2009 after having some discussions with the Humane Slaughter Association: http://blog.poultrykeeper.com/tim-chicken-blog/the-correct-method-of-dispatching-a-chicken/

The HSA has now published guidance on this (last week) and say:

Neck Dislocation Techniques

In practice, a variety of techniques and equipment are used for neck dislocation. Neck dislocation should involve sudden stretching of the neck to instantly damage the brain stem, the lower part of the brain from which the spinal cord arises, and cause extensive damage to the major blood vessels. Do not worry if you accidentally decapitate the bird in the process of neck dislocation, the effect will be the same.

Effective neck dislocation disrupts the normal co-ordination between brain activity and spinal reflexes, which can result in uncontrolled wing flapping and body movement. Do not be alarmed by this involuntary movement, it will continue in the unconscious bird until the spinal cord stops functioning.

You must never attempt to kill a bird by crushing its neck (e.g. with pliers or other tools). This does not have the same effect as neck stretching and is neither quick nor humane. Equipment that simply crushes the neck is therefore not recommended.

They also say:

The use of a firearm to slaughter poultry is not safe or practical and is not recommended.

Instruments that slice through a bird’s brain from inside the mouth should not be used as they are not effective, immediate or humane. Neck-crushing pliers, as discussed in Neck Dislocation Techniques, must never be used without effective prior stunning.

Decapitation involves severing the head from the neck using an axe or sharp blade. It is not recommended on welfare grounds as brain activity may continue for up to 30 seconds and it is doubtful the bird is rendered immediately unconscious. Decapitation is not an acceptable method of slaughter without prior stunning. In the EU, slaughter or killing birds by decapitation without prior stunning is not permitted.

They have published this information on their website - with a great deal more that is well worth reading:
http://www.hsa.org.uk/POULTRY%20WEBSITE/Poultry%20Slaughter%20Project/PSPSite/Introduction.html
 
Thanks Tim. A firearm is safe and practical in the hands of an expert, which I am without doubt. If you are not familiar with firearms they can obviously be dangerous. I am not familiar with neck dislocation. I want to do what I believe is the best for our birds and could not let them suffer in any way, either pain or stress, so in that respect I disagree to some extent with the HSA approved methods. Plenty of kitchen towels tomorrow.
 
why cant they just invent an injection thats safe for us to eat the bird atferwards { well not me as i am vege :lol: } surely there must be something out there . good luck chris :-)17
 
Thanks everyone for your good wishes. Despatch is scheduled for tonight when she is quiet and relaxed, but I was persuaded to try again with the prolapse. Last time it was painful for her and I didn't want to upset her again. But she is preening and looks very happy so I tried. No pressure at all and it went straight back in, almost as if she sucked it in herself. So it's still up in the air at the moment. She is pooing OK as well. Not only was she an expensive bird, but she is also the friendliest of the three hens.

We have a large plastic tray (hamster cage base) to put her in if it comes to it. Will wrap a towel around her and hold her head immediately after the shot in another towel.
 
Her prolapse seems to be improving so wait and see. 5 days on and we thought it would be past repair because other sites say the muscles weaken. But she is very young. Has developed an infection which we are treating. Today the prolapse was half the size and went after reflex action. Most importantly she is happy -but not when she gets her antibiotics!!! Staying on a wheat diet to stop her laying.
 
Chris, Thanks for your post and so sorry to hear about your distressing experience....However, I am now better informed as a result. I currently have 4 beautiful cockerels that I have hand reared from eggs (and yes, they have names) and I am very attached. They are sadly surplus to requirements and I have made the reluctant decision to be pragmatic and despatch them humanely, knowing that they have had a good and happy life. I am considering all options that won't completely freak me (and the boys) out. I don't really trust anyone else to do it humanely for me. My favoured option at the moment is a quiet cuddle and a stroke on my lap, quick bash over the head to stun and then a cleaver. Not sure how effective the stunning will be though ...any advise gratefully received...
 
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