Comments on: Killing a Chicken, Plucking, Gutting & Boning

By: John

John — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:29:17 +0000

I nearly chickened out too – it’s not an easy thing to do emotionally if you’ve not been exposed to it before.

By: Moon Over Martinborough

Moon Over Martinborough — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:20:21 +0000

It’s great there’s a course like this. My neighbor taught my partner and I how to kill a chicken recently. It’s pretty horrific, but since we both eat chicken we felt like we should do it. Well, actually, at the last minute I chickened out!

By: John

John — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:08:49 +0000

I was trying to avoid giving ‘instruction’ as I think this is something you need to be shown in the flesh rather than read up on. In effect you dislocate the neck. The men tended to be too forceful hence the bleeding whereas the women did it right.
In an emergency I would suggest a sharp axe or knife to decapitate or a plastic bag over the head sealed around the neck if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Usually you can find a local poultry keeper who will show you what to do.

By: frieda burns

frieda burns — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:44:15 +0000

Feel a bit your article skirted round what actually happened. Is the chicken’s neck broken or is a knife involved. I am about to embark on keeping chooks and would like to be able to put an animal out of its misery should the need arise but living in ne Scotland – long way to go to learn how to do the job!!

By: Swing Swang

Swing Swang — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:34:39 +0000

What a great way to learn how to do the job properly. When I was 11 and Dad was away at college Mum brought home an ex-layer/battery hen (dispatched) that she’d been given,

“You’ve seen your father do it, that chicken is for supper,and I don’t know what to do”

We ate and we ate well, but I’d not reccommend my way to anyone. It was also the foulest smelling animal that I’ve ever had to gut and I can still taste the ‘vomworthy’ stench to this day.

By: BenF

BenF — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:18:40 +0000

I remember being ‘inducted’ into the cycle of life and death as a 10 year old taken by my father to watch the dispatch of some our broods more ‘mature’ chickens.

I was always told that they go on our dinner plates but had never given any thought until that day.

I remember watching as they were dispatched not horrified but certainly uncomfortable only to be told i would be doing the next one.

I remember doing the deed, I realised after that i was much happier doing the plucking and boning etc than i was actually killing them.

Even now when buying meat, i always remember that day and give a little thanks to the person who dispatched the animal and the actual animal itself that i will be eating.