Respectful Culls, Processing Tips

[DellaMyDarling]

I'm struggling to "get things right" on the first try per bird. A few birds went just fine, others took multiple attempts or methods. Its awful for the bird and awful for me to know they suffered.
Feeling like a very disrespectful human with bad husbandry techniques.

I have tried multiple types of knives, always sharpened prior to culling. I hold the head, feel for the jawline, and use a nice hard and in downstroke at an angle.
Most birds are put in a cone. My 2 pets were cradled upside down in my skirt. Both methods were the same difficulty level.
All types of birds, from hens needing to be culled for health, ducks for butcher, CornishX, and even some of the neighbor's Freedom Rangers. Sometimes the cut simply doesn't cut! Typically, it cuts partway or internally and requires three more slices to actually get the bird bleeding out. Bird is freaking out, I'm covered in splots of blood, horrifying for both parties.
I tried using my Fiskars tree loppers. This design has only one blade. It will not cut clean through and cannot be relied on for the initial job duty.
Last week I thought I had been successful with a pet hen, went to get the next pet hen I had to cull, and first was still breathing laying there blinking at me :'( OMG
Still bothers me.

I need suggestions please. Willing to buy better tools.

Have my first rabbit breeding trio as well. I am uncomfortable with the hopper popper method and imagine bird culling method above is also not an option. Is a pellet handgun a remedy to both types of animal?


As for processing...

Yes, I'm a noob, but I've done a good dozen birds now. Not certain it's getting easier.
I'm very slow at it and need to improve. The feather plucking is probably the easiest part lol! General tips? Precision slicing points?
Why do the guts never slide out nice like on YT?
If I skin the bird instead of leaving it on, how do I deal with the thin annoying sticky membrane? It also gets in the way at the neck opening, making it harder to pull guts and crop, etc.

How long is TOO long to leave a bird resting in fridge? I have not done any with a brine, as I see opinions both ways on it.
If you don't have a real vacuum sealer, how quickly do you use the birds you put in freezer? I do the water dip with bird in Ziploc trick for now.

 

[Ratchnick]

My first though is you likely need a sharper knife. Sharpening is a hard skill to master. Feathers are also somewhat cut resistant, you don't want to cut through the feather shafts. A knife like this has replaceable blades that are razor sharp. If you cut yourself with a very sharp knife you can't even feel it. A scalpel might work ok as well but not as good of a handle.


https://www.havalon.com/piranta-60a-edge-pack-includes

 

[ChickenCanoe]

As long as you can keep ice on the birds, I'm fine with them resting for a week. Or if you are using a fridge, keep them separate from each other.
If you don't have a vacuum sealer, use shrink bags. IMO, they are better than vacuum anyway.
https://www.texaspoultryshrinkbags.com/
https://www.poultryshrinkbags.com/

For the killing, there is definitely a learning curve. I too use a killing cone. I'm right handed. After I guide the bird into the cone, I grasp the comb and head with my left hand with the front side of the neck to my right. I feel for the jawbone with left hand and make sure I plunge the knife much farther back than I originally thought. The blade goes almost directly toward the spine and sweep forward deeply enough that the jugular is definitely cut.
Extremely sharp knives are imperative. And sharpening frequently because cutting through feather shafts will quickly dull them.

 

[RoosterML]

If you are going to try the artery slice I would buy a razor knife that has replacement edges. Yes now you know they will be as sharp as possible.
I prefer the Stump and meat cleaver or axe. Meat cleaver is super sharp and a much longer cutting edge.
Get 2 nails and place about 3/4” apart, stretch out chickens neck and place in between nails. If nails are at the correct width the head will not lift up. Lightly stretch bird out and chop. Imagine the bird is not even there and swing through the bird. Pictures are worth 1000 words so here goes. After the chop immediately drop bird down into cone.


Razor knife:

 

[Rose Quartz]

I get a filleting knife from the dollar store they are extremely sharp and when they start getting dull just replace them. I only use it for the killing part. I have a different knife for the rest.

I usually end up having to do the whole thing by myself and have found the most reliable way is to wrap the live bird in an old curtain hold them upside down on my lap over a big grey rubbermaid bin. my left hand holding their shoulders, my right hand with the knife(I'm right handed) I put their head against the inside of the bin and use that kind of as a cutting board, so there's enough pressure with the knife. Since I started doing it this way I've only had one bird that it took multiple strokes to get it right and it was a tough skinned older bird.

I do skin my birds. I haven't found the membrane to be a problem for me. The crop and trachea, I cut off near the wishbone and leave attached to the skin.

 

[Frog Bog]

Some good info provided above.

The key is sharp knife and placement. It really comes down to practice, muscle memory, and everyone has problems at first. While a bad cut is terrible, it happens. Even after tens of thousands of chickens, it still happens now and then. I do my best to correct the situation as fast as I can and figure that it's better than being eaten by a racoon.

 

[RoosterML]

I do my best to correct the situation as fast as I can and figure that it's better than being eaten by a racoon.

Sorry that just made me laugh for some reason.

 

[Frog Bog]

Sorry that just made me laugh for some reason.

Sometimes you just have to.

 

[RoosterML]

Some good info provided above.

The key is sharp knife and placement. It really comes down to practice, muscle memory, and everyone has problems at first. While a bad cut is terrible, it happens. Even after tens of thousands of chickens, it still happens now and then. I do my best to correct the situation as fast as I can and figure that it's better than being eaten by a racoon.

I wish I had someone that could show me how to do the arterial slice properly. Until then I’ll stick with idiot proof stump and cleaver.

 

[DellaMyDarling]

Thanks all. Reviewing replies, hoping for more to chime in.
Have a meat bird with bad leg and 2 more overgrown, need to go this week. Hoping to collect enough info to improve from last week.