Help with solo dispatch of drakes

[RainbowVixen]

We acquired some pekin drakes a month ago from some people in a nearby neighborhood, they didn’t mention any particularly violent behavior or anything like that. And at first things weren’t too bad, or maybe that’s just my inexperience showing and inability to see what more experienced duck keepers can.

Yesterday, I went to tend to the ducks first thing in the morning as usual. Give them their fresh water in their ponds, refill or give fresh water and food in their containers if necessary and give them treats. I see one of my girls, Leda, not moving next to the food container, her back had no feathers left on it and her eyes looked really red. Due to the redness of her eyes I assume that they all got on top of her and she got crushed and suffocated. They were all still trying to breed her despite the fact that she was dead. I was horrified naturally and have been crying on and off since. She has been buried next to her sister, Ophelia. Needless to say..the boys were removed immediately from the girls area and I have no intentions of breeding them with the girls, who we keep for eggs. We will be eating all 3 of them and will never purchase animals from anyone else besides a breeder or a trusted hatchery ever again. Boys will be kept separately from now on as well. Never again.

But I am terrified of axes and blades, or of even holding down a duck for my husband to cut the heads off. We dispatched one of the girls for being loud at night, we live in a neighborhood where the houses are all super close together. It wasn’t something that was easy and I moved a bit, which did not help at all. I was just so very uncomfortable holding her neck out and her body while an axe came down close enough to my hand. I’ve been looking into cervical dislocation and the broomstick method, but don’t know if it works for such big boys. They are at least a year old and I’ve never done it before or killed any animal purposefully, let alone 3 of them for that matter.

Any tips? How do you dispatch animals alone? We can’t use guns unfortunately, due to the neighborhood. I am willing to use an axe if absolutely necessary, but I’m afraid of someone holding them as I’m not very hand-eye coordinated and have managed to recently destroy my glasses. Thanks!

 

[citymeetscountry]

I’m responding just bc no one has. I don’t have any advice as when we had to get rid of our cockerel I dropped him off at the neighbor’s house and he took care of it.

Since then I have read up on if I need to cull at any point and I think I would go with the broomstick method. I’m still not sure if I could do it though. But my husband would.

 

[Isadora]

We had a couple of pekin drakes that we butchered because our hen to drake ratio was not good. We cut out the corner of a feed bag and put the drake inside the bag. They will naturally want to go towards the little hole with the light and will stick their head out. We make sure to hold the other end of the bag closed as they get situated. Once they stretch out their neck in an attempt to get more of their body out of the hole, we chop their head off with a long machete. Since you wait for them to stretch their neck out on their own accord, you don't have to worry about holding out their neck yourself or anything. It's pretty simple. It also keeps the bird contained for the convulsions after the head is cut off.

 

[3KillerBs]

We will be eating all 3 of them and will never purchase animals from anyone else besides a breeder or a trusted hatchery ever again.

This is, unfortunately, normal behavior for drakes in breeding season and has nothing to do with the source of the drakes.

 

[rum3002576]

Broom stick to the neck real fast and hard. Basically just under where there head meets the neck. Ive used this method for chickens, turkeys and ducks for years.

 

[Geena]

You can use a rope, make a slipknot and put it around the drake's neck just behind the head, to stretch the neck out straight. That way you can stand back while the chopping is done.

 

[Ridgerunner]

But I am terrified of axes and blades, or of even holding down a duck for my husband to cut the heads off.

I would not hold the duck for someone else to swing an ax or hatchet either. As you are that terrified you should not be part of the process. You could easily freak out and get yourself, your husband, or the bird injured.

The way I stretch out the neck when I use a hatchet is to drive two large nails in a stump to form a Vee so I can gently hook the head in that and gently stretch it out. I don't do ducks but it works for chickens and turkeys. Just a different way so you don't have to help your husband.

Some version of the killing cone where you hang the bird and use a knife blade to slit the throat or maybe some type of pruning loppers or shears may allow your husband to do it by himself.

I've never done the broomstick method but nothing sharp is involved. I've wrung a chickens neck. You grab it by the head and swing it over your head a couple of circles and vigorously snap your wrist, like snapping a whip. Hold on tight, the head might come off in your hand. That means it died immediately when you snapped but it could freak some people out. To me there is no pleasant way to kill one, I don't think it should be pleasant anyway. You need to find the way you can without injuring yourself or anyone else and you want the bird to die immediately, not be injured.

 

[RUNuts]

Pellet gun for a suggestion?