Best way to kill my roosters ( these are not meat birds ).

[cluckcluckluke]

I have three roosters that I am unable to sell or even give away so it looks like BBQ rooster is on.
I just want to know the proper way to kill them. We do not have proper processing tools, just kitchen knifes and an axe?lol?

 

[Lyrika]

We did our first four roosters today with just kitchen knives and an axe.

Two had their heads removed with an axe, the other two had their necks broken. The two who had their necks broken seemed to flap around a lot less and there wasn't blood everywhere, so I think I prefer that method.

Make sure your knife is sharp! And if plucking is a hassle just skin them, that's all we did.

 

[vehve]

According to my better half, some people use garden shears (the big kind) to cut the neck. Although, initially when she told me this, she said "woodchipper" instead of "garden shears" (In finnish these have similar names). Don't use that, unless you like minced rooster.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

How do I properly break their necks?
Diagram?

 

[vehve]

With the sheers the plan was to put the chicken in a funnel head first, with the head coming through the smaller end (This way they apparently flap less) and cut the neck with (sharp) garden shears.

I haven't done this myself yet, since our chickens are only closing in on the 8 week mark. If anyone has any feedback on this technique, i'd love to hear it.

When hunting, if the shotgun shells left the prey breathing, I've just quickly cut the neck with a large hunting knife.

Also, you probably have some sort of legislature regulating the putting down/slaughtering of animals. Good to check that you're not breaking any laws. Here in Finland, animals kept at home are to be killed by a person with sufficient knowledge of slaughtering animals, and in a swift manner that does not cause unnecessary pain.

 

[Lyrika]

Ours were done by a friend who just did it with his hands, but he suggested for us girls who may not have the upper body strength, to put them on the ground with a broomstick on their neck, put your feet on either side, hold their legs and pull up. I didn't try today because I'm a bit of a wuss and I was on gutting duty, but it didn't seem that difficult. You just have to be QUICK not hesitate because if you hesitate you might not kill them first try.

 

[Bens-Hens]

I have done a few. I have tried a couple of methods.

If you choose to use a axe, make sure it is sharp, and you are using a block. I believe the bird won't feel pain if it's head is not connected to the body, but it's not the cleanest way, and I found it wasted some of the neck.(We have always fed our dog bought chicken necks so I was never going to waste them off our own butchered birds)

The method I have been using with the most satisfaction is the cone and bleed method. My description may be graphic, so if you are not comfortable with detail don't bother to read on.

I made a kill cone from some plastic garden mesh. Just zip tied it into the shape I wanted. This is important as it restricts the birds movement once the nerves kick in, it also holds the bird in position for the process. I hang the bird by it's legs, then feed the cone up from the head end and zip tie the feet to the cone. Ensure the head is clear of the cone, yet the wings are 'hugged' Hold the head with your non master hand and the beak facing you. Using a very sharp knife (I will come back to the knife in a moment) cut from just above the ear lobe to the center of the throat. One side is normally enough, but I swap hands and cut the other side too. You will get some blood on your non master hand as you hold the head. The bird may thrash a little in the cone. I hold the head until the bird is motionless (only take a few seconds) There is not a very large amount of blood, but you need to ensure you cut deep enough that the blood flows at a reasonable dribble. If it does not, you have missed the main artery and may need to make another cut.

The knife. I cannot stress enough about having a sharp knife. I blunt knife make the job hard, and is cruel to the bird. This cut is best made in one long stroke, so best to choose a sharp knife that has some length to the blade, like a filleting knife. Short blade like box cutters and razor blades work, but often require a second pass. I find a longer blade takes care of the job more briskly.

I also find that it's best to be prepared for the whole task.

Lay out your area, I presume you will be hand plucking, so you need a space for that, something to put your offel and rubbish in, water both hot and cold as well as a place to do the deed. Since you will be handling food, also make sure your tool and work space is clean, I use a weak bleach and water mix.

I lay all this out, I have a old sink, a hose, a drain bucket as well as a bin with a bin bag in it ready to go. I boil a big pot of water (big enough to stick a chicken into whole) and have that set aside ready. I have the hose handy as ready at the pressure I like to work with. All of this is done before I even go near a bird.

Once everything is ready, I grab one bird (some may choose to fast them to reduce mess from the crop, but I let them go) I leave the run, once out of sight of the flock I hold him by his legs and hang him by his feet. Fit the cone, bleed out and leave for another minute or so to ensure it is dead. I then remove from the cone and take to the cleaning area.

Firstly I take off the head as high up as possible.

I then dunk and hold in the hot water. There are temps floating around on the net, but I just adjust how long they are in. Remove and start to pluck. If it's in too long, then skin will tear, if it too short it's really hard to get the wing feathers out. Pluck. Make sure your work area is a comfortable height. This took me ages to start with, and it was a black bird too, so it took some rinsing to clean the little feather bits off. I then remove the legs

Once you are happy with the feathers, I gut the bird, remove the neck and feet are normally last (they make good handles I find) Try not to cut through bone, always go through the joint. In the case of the legs I make a cut across the front side, then gently bend it backwards opening the cut you just made and slice through the joint, easy, quick and no waste. Finally I remove the neck.

Sometimes I choose to skin the bird, in that case plucking can be a little less accurate, sometime I also part the bird out to make it easier to freeze. There is a great video on youtube of Gordon Ramsey doing this if you choose to.

Finally, give everything a good clean, knives, hose hand piece, bench tops the lot. Some people rest their bird in the fridge for a day or so, some freeze some eat straight away. Up to you.

I will also say, it tastes a bit different to store bought. A bit more 'earthy' and rich, and is also a bit tougher, so cook it nice and slow. In all honesty, it's probably exactly what chicken should taste like, not the watered down intensively raised version we are accustomed too.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Here is the Gordon vid.