The Ballista Bolt Gun for Stuning Poultry during culling

[Amina]

It works great every time on chickens, for me. I have also used it for young rabbits with success. I can't speak to ducks.

 

[fatcatx]

It works great every time on chickens, for me. I have also used it for young rabbits with success. I can't speak to ducks.

Amina - do you remember where you bought yours? I made the mistake of not purchasing when I was mulling it over. Now that everyone has turned into a COVID prepper, I can't find one.

 

[tactilecontact]

I've also been considering this method, as I'm rather unsteady with an ax.

 

[KeystoneEarthMorgie]

I have used the bunny rancher bolt gun to dispatch about 12 roosters so far. I feel like its tricky because there are ao many feathers on the head. (Perhaps i need to place the bolt better?) but i can’t always kill them in one shot.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

You could always buy a Harbor Freight framing nailer. That way if you decided that 'offing' the birds just wasn't your thing, you could always use it to build a bigger coop! @cavemanrich

 

[Still mad]

Just checked bunny thread too - only thread I found had naysayers but no one who had actually used it?

I bought one and used it for the same reasons ( not comfortable with an axe) and hoped to humanely stun them before cutting. It was horrific..about half were injured but not stunned. A well stunned chicken has a thrashing body but a still face..so no blink,vocalization, breathing, voluntary movement.
They were meat king under 16kg, the device was new,and bolt placement was correct. I know that because I dissected the heads and could see hole in skull and bruising over mid brain. I think it doesn’t deliver enough force. I am a 71 year old women and I could cock the spring new out of the box.

 

[Sosalty]

"Is the skull thickness of a duck decidingly thicker than a chicken? The manufacturer does have a larger more powerful device but I'm not sure it would be needed."
I bought one and used it for the same reasons ( not comfortable with an axe) and hoped to humanely stun them before cutting. It was horrific..about half were injured but not stunned. A well stunned chicken has a thrashing body but a still face..so no blink,vocalization, breathing, voluntary movement.
They were meat king under 16kg, the device was new,and bolt placement was correct. I know that because I dissected the heads and could see hole in skull and bruising over mid brain. I think it doesn’t deliver enough force. I am a 71 year old women and I could cock the spring new out of the box."

I bet the ballista has generally adequate, but not ample power for their price point. If it can be taken apart, I'd try to double the spring power.
Springs

 

[TaylorGlade]

With 30 eggs put in the incubators two days ago - David bought one of these. It will be about 20 weeks before he tests it on males headed to freezer camp.