To those of a sensitive nature please don't read - Page 4

 


Terryc's mention of bunney killing is one way or the other is to remove it's
head entirely.  I'd use an axe and a wooden block but you could do the same
thing using a kitchen meat cleaver (one of the ones with a straight vs a
curved edge so a Chinese one rather than a Japanese one) and a stout bit of
wood on a solid surface.  Hold the bird by the feet with it's back up and
lay its head on the block.  Chop it on the neck with sufficient force to
remove the head in one blow.  If need be, practice chopping a carrot in one
blow to get your eye in before subjecting the bird to potentially more
trauma from a sloppy job.

 


i'm very sorry you are upset about this (i would be too - there is nothing
worse than a killing that just doesn't work - it just makes you feel worse.
also, i think killing comes more easily to men [generally speaking] for
longstanding biological reasons, so you have my sympathy [i ask dh to do the
killing round here, & i do most of the growing & don't consider that's
unfair exactly].)

in the situation above, i would firstly say neck-wringing can go wrong even
if it goes right (the whole head can come off in your hand). cutting its
head off with a spade is a good idea under the circumstances & now you know
you need a hard surface to do it on, so you won't make that mistake again.

with a small animal/bird, you could always drown it in a bucket (holding
wings/legs closely to body). i do not, and have never, felt that drowning is
cruel. it is quick & more peaceful for everyone.

i hope you are feeling better about it today. what you did was NOT wrong, it
just didn't go well this time.
kylie

 

wrote:


It's a rotten job we sometimes have to do, but you've managed to do it,
so you've helped and spared the bird from as much pain as was possible.

If ever you have to do it again you'll know to first place the bird on a
firm base.


Quickest is like others have suggested, hold the bird with one hand,
grasp its head with the other and stretch its neck and twist.

You might be more comfortable with: from the kitchen fetch your meat
chopper and chopping board, hold the bird on the chopping board with one
hand, keeping your fingers out of the way and remove the head with the
meat chopper.

For some years I kept Chooks and inevitably they stopped laying and had
their heads wrung as their reward for supplying me with eggs for the
previous 2 years.
--

John

 

Linda wrote:

Most of us don't have much practice killing things so when it becomes
necessary to dispatch small animals or birds or goldfish it can be a
problem.  Lacking such practice swinging an implement accurately to do the
job in one hit can be hard.  The answer is don't swing it, place it.  Dig a
grave and place the bird in it.  Take your spade and place the edge (your
spade does have sharp edge doesn't it) across the neck and then quickly
apply your best foot strongly as if you were cutting turf.  Fill in the
hole.  This will work first time every time and not leave a mess.

David

 



If one person holds the chinese chopper, axe or large kitchen knife just
above the injured animal's neck and another person then hits the top of the
implement with a piece of wood, you get an accurate and hefty cut delivered.
About as humane as you can get I would guess.