I think we all deserve gold stars for avoiding the mandatory 'enjoying doing a cock not making you weird' quips.
And I only clicked on this to ENJOY the quips!!! LOL
Kate
Chickpea
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Is it illegal to put a pellet through the brain of a bird? When I had to dispatch one of mine many years ago, I used the high powered air rifle and it was instant.
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Woo
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I know this is an old post, but I've not been around much lately.
I had to resort to an air gun PB to finish off a duck who didn't want to die. He was a big boy with a rubber neck and I just couldn't get him to stop blinking disdainfully at me! it was quick and I will do it again as required for the ducks rather than pulling for what felt like forever.
I don't know if it is permitted in England though. I'm in France and it seem like anything goes! Bah Oui!
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Chez
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I hate doing ducks. They have a whole Marie-Antoinette thing going on and seem to *stare* right at you for ages afterwards, even if the head is actually detached. The last ones I had to do last year, Rusticwood swooped in in his Superman pants and did. I'm going to do a batch early on and send them to someone else to do for me, this year - I do like to eat duck, but they are even worse than rabbits for me, killing-wise.
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dpack
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if i ever have to deal with a "rapist rooster"again it will be a head shot assassination or grannie's coathanger carving knife combo kill.
some birds are far too tough in a commando rather than a kitchen sense to get less than industrial on their fluffy little souls 
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Bodger
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Funnily enough, this evening I came across an 'also ran' knocking seven shades of you know what, out of a young cock that I want to put in the breeding pen. I quickly grabbed hold of the former and placed him in a small shed ready for me to bump off in the morning. He's a biggish boy but I'll pull his neck in a jiffy and he'll be dead. I wont enjoy it but then again, I wont find it that distasteful. I will however find him very tasty when Karen makes him into a chicken with tarragon pie.
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dpack
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i have only ever had to deal with one like "r r" and there will be no repeat of my messy execution.i do have "stranglers hands" and experience but even though i felt the neck "give" and he looked very dead he came high up off the floor with a lop sided head and tried to spur my face .what can only be described as a trench fight ensued ,i killed him .it was horrible and im still upset by it.
i will add that normal chooks only require normal methods but some chooks are not normal.
ps i was told he was rather "evil" and might be a "bit difficult" when his card was marked but i was very surprised by the way he did a Karel Richter when i surprised him "in flagrante" the afternoon before his planned visit to my stew pot.
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Bodger
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Finished! I bumped that cockerel off this morning. I've just finished plucking what was a nice last summers Welsummer cockerel and as I sat there in the old stable, with my wellies and my rubber apron on, I was wondering how many of you dry plucked as opposed to wet plucked?
And yes, while I realise that perhaps I should have put some more clothes on, its sometime times nice to be a simple bloke. 
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sean
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Plus you can just hose yourself down at the end of the job.
Back when my family had chooks: Dry for the odd one, wet if doing a load.
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dpack
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dry but as soon as it stops bleeding ,i know some think other ways are best but it seems to work for me
out of doors if possible,any hint of mites etc outdoors no matter the weather
ps i tend to not bother with wing tips so just cut em off as dog toys
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Bodger
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I wet pluck and a couple of kettles of boiling water not only sees the feather coming off more easily but also puts paid to any unwanted creepy crawlies.
I'm not allergic to feather dust but I would imagine that wet plucking has got to be a better bet for those who are.
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alison
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Interesting.
We dry puck, as soon as the blood has stopped flowing.
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Chez
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Dry. I only do a couple at a time these days though.
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dpack
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i have tried cool overnight and then hot water dip but i found it a bit "claggy" and as i dont care for gamey in chicken i like to pluck n gut (n chill or cook)asap ,especially with a roastable bird
do i feel a roast spud moment ? 
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Bodger
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Its probably just a touch of wind
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Lorrainelovesplants
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God, its a regular occurance here throughout the year. I hatch about 100 chicks annually, so morally Im obliged to keep and eat the cockerels.
It dosnt bother me now, and I just get organised first thing.
I dont bother with plucking - helluva faff. I just take the dead bird in the kitchen, split the skin, remove the fillets and legs, bag the carcass and on to the next.
Ducks were always that wee bit stronger and a couple of years back did 14 in a day. bar over neck, holding legs at the thighs and inside a cutdown traffic cone to contain the flapping wings. Again, peel off skin.
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Bodger
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The cockerels that I'm killing are eight months old and are dressing out at about 7lbs, so they're well worth plucking and producing a lovely tasty traditional roast chicken. 
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dpack
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i pluck a good roaster ,game is often peeled,boilers could go either way .
roadkill is usually peeled
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Mutton
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We dry pluck immediately after killing while the body is still warm. Start with the flight feathers (though usually can't be faffed with wing tips). Then we do a fast rough pluck over the rest of the wings and the body. When it starts to get tough(er) we then pour boiling water over.
It can be difficult to get the boiling water to penetrate the feathers. Doing the rough pluck first makes it easier to get the water in.
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12Bore
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Finished! I bumped that cockerel off this morning. I've just finished plucking what was a nice last summers Welsummer cockerel and as I sat there in the old stable, with my wellies and my rubber apron on, I was wondering how many of you dry plucked as opposed to wet plucked?
And yes, while I realise that perhaps I should have put some more clothes on, its sometime times nice to be a simple bloke. |
Bodger
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Karen's jointed the chicken this evening. Unless you rear your own birds, when did you last eat a bird with meat as dark as this. Its a million light years away from the insipid crud that supermarkets sell and you'll have to take it from me as to how tasty it will be. 
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dpack
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38 days in a shed eating pellets
or a chook with a decent home ,diet ,activity ,age etc etc
no contest
i dont eat industrial fowl
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mal55
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I have a wall mounted guillotine type dispatcher. I've found that if I put the lever gently over the bird's neck just below the head lift the bird up as far as it will go then drop it at the same time as jerking the lever down I get a clean kill every time. I talk quietly to the bird all the time.
The worst thing for us is plucking due to arthritis. I tried one of those pluckers you fit onto an electric drill but ended up looking as though I'd been tarred and feathered! My wife was in hysterics as I tried to get into the house. At the finish I had to strip down to socks and pants outside before she'd let me in. I've never used the flipping thing since! It's wonderful how you never have a camera handy when you need one isn't it!!
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Woo
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I have a wall mounted guillotine type dispatcher. I've found that if I put the lever gently over the bird's neck just below the head lift the bird up as far as it will go then drop it at the same time as jerking the lever down I get a clean kill every time. I talk quietly to the bird all the time.
The worst thing for us is plucking due to arthritis. I tried one of those pluckers you fit onto an electric drill but ended up looking as though I'd been tarred and feathered! My wife was in hysterics as I tried to get into the house. At the finish I had to strip down to socks and pants outside before she'd let me in. I've never used the flipping thing since! It's wonderful how you never have a camera handy when you need one isn't it!! |
dpack
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feather comedy is rather fun .
i have had an opening door surprise when the draft lifted quite a cloud of chest down from the floor
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Bodger
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Don't talk to me about feathers! A scenefrom Christmas past.
A heavy snow storm but many hands made light work.
Father and son. The one's on the right.
Blind Pugh.
Two Christmas Dinners.
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mal55
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That's nothing Bodger! Unfortunately I was working outside and it came on to drizzle. The feathers stuck absolutely everywhere. I could've done a double act with Frosty the Snowman!
Those look beautiful birds though.
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Bodger
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They were fantastic tasting and made Christmas dinner that year.
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mal55
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You can't beat home grown and fed birds. I started with Sasso "White Rangers" and "Gauloise" which were fantastic despite being "broilers."
The ones we didn't manage to knock off ended as layers and we got crosses with a Bressé cock from them which eat even better.
The first time I ever had to neck a bird was when my father in law died. My brother in law and I had to knock off a shed full of turkeys. We started off with the small ones and worked our way up. The last one was built like a Russian weight lifter and pulled David off his feet. He looked like he was being Emu'd!! The bl%^*y thing kept giving him the evil eye, kind of set it's neck muscles and just wouldn't give up. At the finish we had it straight jacketed in a sack with a corner cut out and I had hold of it whilst he wrung it's neck. I felt terrible at the muck up we'd made of it and couldn't face turkey for years. If you can't make a clean kill you shouldn't do it but at the time we had no choice.
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