Anyone thinking of creating a Chicken Guillotine

[ametauss]

Last night DH and I were discussing my need to have someplace to kill the chickens (cut the head off and hang)....

Jokingly my 14 y/o son, DH, and I all looked at one another and basically at the same time started to laugh and said guillotine...

As silly as it may sound, I'm a little afraid that I don't have enough strength to get thru the neck of a chicken.... The thought scares me as I don't want an animal hurt....

Here's what came from a rather long discussion of building one....

Use a butcher knife and remove the handle drill two holes on either end and mount on a piece of wood and weight the wood with those weights for kit cars (boxwood derby) and build the frame from 2x2 or such... test with a frozen chicken leg...

What do you guys think????

 

[greyfields]

I think a killing cone or pruning shears would be a lot quicker to make...

 

[Teach97]

being a bit of medival fan...I am thinking sounds fun...the thing you gotta take account of though is force...two ways to get it...speed and mass...knife blade and weights not much mass so you need speed...that can only come from height...do you really want folks asking you what the thing is sticking up? I would love to tell them and then show them how it works...my physics class is building a ballista and mangonel...might need to look into chicken chunking...my advice for you would be...work out...get a heavier chopper...look into hatchets

 

[rubyv67]

I googled miniature guillotine just for the curiousity factor. I too have right arm strength issues and worry I wouldn't cut clean. Found some plans you could probably enlarge for the size you'd need. dreadwilliam.com/miniguillotine

 

[ametauss]

Greyfields... You saying pruning shears that are about a yard long like you'd use on small tree branches??

I've got two and one is a really nice pair that I could sharpen the blade on... that would keep me back from the chicken a bit....

I'm not squemish, just don't want to get anything on me....

 

[ametauss]

Loved the web site

http://dreadwilliam.com/homemadeguillotine.html

I sent it to DH to look at... might be a fun undertaking.... think we could sell them??

 

[patandchickens]

I've thought about it. Idly noodling around with the idea while unable to fall asleep at 3 a.m. several times, I've thought that the most effective design might be something along the lines of a paper cutter. You know, like in a school office or whatever? Where the blade pivots down from one end?

My biggest concern with the concept is that I have this possibly excessive fear of somehow getting my own finger(s) in there and lopping 'em off with the chicken's head. Not just when TRYING to kill the chicken, but through an accident while positioning the chicken.

So I have thought you might want to have a stop for the blade, just a few inches above the chicken's head (put a blade guard on while positioning the chicken). Position chicken, remove blade guard and safety stop, then take sledgehammer and whang the end of the handle real hard.

Pruning shears sounds MUCH MUCH safer as long as they were sharp enough and did the job.... now that you mention it I think I may well try them next time I need to do the deed.

My only issue with the axe is that I am just enough of a klutz and weenie that I do not seem to *always* hit hard enough and in quite the right place. In, what, 12 chicken executions I've had like 2 or 3 where I apologized a lot to the bodiless head afterwards

I'd like something where the positioning and force are not as subject to operator error. Mind, I'm *ok* with doing it with the hatchet and assume I will get better at it with time, but still, the idea of a more idiotproof method does have appeal

JMO,

Pat

 

[ChickenTender63]

Quote:
I highly doubt it. You may sell a couple as a novelty type thing, but as far as a killing tool, I doubt it.

There are several methods out there that are very simple and don't cost much to kill a chicken. A very sharp knife is the best thing I have ever found and it is quick, cheap, and effective. I also need something that is easy because I have had a spinal fusion and two ribs removed this summer. Then once the chicken has bled out, if it takes a time or two to actually remove the head, it doesn't matter because we aren't causing the animal any discomfort or harm.

I would also be scared of the safety factor on having a homemade guillotine. There always seems to be a child around at the wrong place, wrong time that might remove a few fingers, and that I could not live with.

But, those are just my thoughts. Good luck on whatever you decide.

 

[Teach97]

samari swords...those are cool

I think there is supposed to be a u somewhere in samuri but I can't find the spell check!!!

 

[EweSheep]

Those who are afraid of getting their fingers cut off, why not make a chicken body bond with velcro that you can keep the chicken still and not sure if you can do the same near the head as well, figured it would be quicker.

I dont think chickens can stretch their neck out as well as humans can at the time of guillotine. Not sure if the head facing upward (yep seeing the guillotine) would benefit as well as facing down.

I dont know if this velcro strapping down would help????????