Before you changed your lifestyle to an off-grid living, you could just walk to a chicken butchery to buy an already slaughtered chicken. That is not the case when you are now the farmer and the butcher. You now need to face the reality of killing.
Many people are not at peace seeing blood or watching an animal becoming lifeless. However, if you have a good reason to slaughter a chicken, you should do it as humanely as possible. You need chicken meat to supplement your food.
Many people like chicken for their diet but do not understand the slaughtering process. That is what this article is all about. We will walk you through some of the ways to go about it.
Contents
The 4 Most Easy and Humane Ways To Kill A Chicken
Taking a life is devastating, even if it is just an animal such as a chicken. You might be afraid of seeing the blood or watching the chicken battles with death. Regardless, you should learn ways of making the process simple and not forming a scene.
The following are some of the ways to kill a kitchen. Even if it is your first time facing this task or you have some experience, these methods are recommended.
Warning: This post is all about slaughtering a kitchen. We have tried to remain as humane as possible, but you have to read responsibly.
Make The Chicken Bleed
This is the most common method among kitchen farmers, butchers, and consumers. It involves inflicting injury to the bird, which then bleeds to death. You can use two approaches to make the chicken lose blood: using a knife or axe and using a gun.
Use A Knife , An Axe, or Hatchet
Prepare to slaughter a chicken by getting everything you need ready. In this method, you require the following:
- Knife
- Axe
- Chopping Board or a Log
You need to sharpen your knife or the axe before the process. Get hold of the chicken. You can kill a chicken using a knife in two different ways: cutting the jugular veins or cutting the trachea.
For cutting jugular veins, make two cuts on both sides of the neck parallel to the jaw bone. This slices the jugular arteries, which take blood to the brain, making the chicken bleed and become unconscious within a short time.
For cutting the trachea, make a deep cut across the throat. The sliced trachea denies the bird oxygen and hence loses consciousness. However, this method is slow and inflicts more pain on the bird.
The chop or using an axe method is one of the easiest to do but not the cleanest. That is because there will be blood spatter almost everywhere, but the chicken dies almost instantly. To proceed, sharpen your axe and prepare the chopping board or log.
Prepare the chopping blog or log for the process by hammering two nails into it. The nails should be half-driven into the log, leaving the upper side to hold the chicken’s head. With the head held by the nails and neck laid against the log, stretch the bird and strike the axe.
Striking the chicken’s neck with an axe should be done very quickly to cause less pain to the bird and make the whole process more humane.
Benefits
This process is fast and easy. Chicken immediately and painlessly loses consciousness. It is one of the most humane ways of killing the bird for meat.
Drawbacks
You have to be careful when using sharp tools such as knives and axes. There is a possibility of injuring yourself. Also, the process is associated with blood. Therefore, it may not be suitable for people who are afraid of blood and prefer cleanliness.
Use A Gun or Pellet Gun
This method requires the following:
- A Handgun or Pellet Gun
- Towel
Get the chicken and wrap it in the towel. Place it on the ground and shoot it on the head. It is as simple as that. You only need to make sure that the gun is as close to the head as possible. And if it is powerful enough, the bird should be long gone by the time you blink your eyes.
Benefits
Shooting a chicken on the head is the easiest method ever.
Drawbacks
This method is fast and easy. However, it is not possible if you do not have a handgun or pellet gun. Buying one only for slaughtering a chicken can be expensive.
Don’t Make The Chicken Bleed
This is the most preferred method of killing a chicken for meat to those afraid of blood or who just want to stay clean. There are two ways of doing it: neck-breaking and suffocation in the CO2 chamber. The method to use depends on material availability and personal preference.
Neck Breaking
Neck breaking or cervical dislocation is one of the bloodless ways of killing a chicken. Usually, your hands alone would be enough to carry out this process, but you have to do it quickly. It requires knowledge and skills to do it. Otherwise, the bird would experience a painful death.
Neck breaking is a hands-on approach that some people cannot take. It requires courage and confidence as well. To do it, hold the chicken by your left arm and use your right hand to grab the head at the base of the neck. Twist the head until it snaps. You have to be very quick.
Benefits
You do not have to prepare a list of requirements. Your hands are the tools you need, and the process is fast. The chicken dies instantly and without bleeding.
Drawbacks
Neck breaking method of killing a chicken for meat requires skills and confidence. Do not attempt if you are afraid. You can also watch videos on how to do it if it is your first time.
Note: Pay close attention to your dominant hand. A broomstick or any other strong pole can be used instead of your hands. In this approach, hold the chicken’s neck against the ground using the stick by standing on the broomstick. Grab the chicken by its legs and pull upwards to strap the neck.
Using a CO2 ‘chamber’
This method is not commonly used. A CO2 chamber is very effective in painlessly ending the life of an animal. You require the following:
- 1 gallon of white vinegar.
- 1-pound box of baking soda.
- Tablespoon to measure baking soda.
- 1-gallon container.
- Hosepipe (half-inch diameter and 3 feet in length)
- 1-gallon size plastic bag (CO2 chamber)
- A twist tie for securing the plastic bag to the hose.
- 16-ounce glass for measuring.
- Rubber band for securing the hosepipe to the cup.
- Plastic or cloth to cover the CO2 chamber.
The method begins by producing the carbon dioxide gas by reacting baking soda and vinegar. This gas is directed into the CO chamber through a hosepipe, where it suffocates to death due to oxygen deprivation.
There are different methods of using a CO2 chamber to kill a chicken for meat. Refer to alysion.com for more information.
Benefits
Apart from being bloodless, you do not get into contact with the chicken. You only arrange your reactors and channel the CO2 produced to the chamber where the chicken is.
Drawbacks
It is time-consuming to assemble everything required. The CO2 production also takes time. Therefore, it is not suitable if you are in a hurry.
Note: CO2 Chamber method is best suited for killing small birds less than two pounds in weight. Chicks, bantam, and young adult chickens are the only birds that can be slaughtered through this method.
Some Tips Before Killing Chicken
Killing chickens requires preparation, both physically and psychologically. Here are some tips to use:
- Assemble all the tools you need and sharpen the knife and axe.
- If it is your first time killing a chicken, it is better to first consult an experienced poultry farmer or a chicken butcher.
- Practice makes perfect. Find some dolls or celery chicken to practice with until you are comfortable and confident doing it.
For a good reason, killing chickens isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not a good thing either. The act of killing chickens can cause obsession or form bad habits for some people, especially children, and pregnant women. DON’T let children and pregnant women witness this scene!
Personal Feeling About Killing Chickens
In my opinion, killing chickens is to serve food needs. Or sometimes chickens are sick, and you are required to liberate them. So, do not let guilt dominate you.
We can choose the most humane way to kill the chicken, which means it has been guaranteed minimal animal rights.
Conclusion
You can find many methods of killing chickens on google, but we think the above methods are the most humane. Whatever approach you use, make sure you do it quickly. Because the faster, the more humane. The chicken won’t feel pain if you do things quickly.
As always, thank you for choosing ”EmOffgrid” as your reading source! If you are reading this article of ours, thank you, and we hope you have found the information useful.
