人们杀鸡的原因有很多。As interest in local and ethical food increases,many meat-eaters have challenged themselves to raise and slaughter their own meat.
People who keep backyard chickens for eggs often kill older chickens when they have passed their prime laying age. Even people who keep chickens as pets may find themselves needing to kill a sick or injured chicken as a humane measure.
不管你的原因是什么,你可能会遇到他们需要屠宰你的一只或多只鸡的时候。
It can be overwhelming and emotional to be faced with killing an animal for the first time. Here is a straight-forward guide that will explain how to slaughter a chicken humanely and eviscerate it cleanly.
⚠️Content warning:This article contains frank and graphic discussion of killing and gutting chickens. Video links, which are clearly marked, also contain graphic images of killing chickens. Read responsibly.
Slaughter Methods
Killing a chicken is straightforward compared to other animals. There are three common methods that don’t involve special equipment: the slice, the chop, and the twist.
The Slice
The slice is my personal preference.
Take averysharp knife. You can either have someone hold the chicken upside down, pinning her wings, or use akill cone.
Slice the knife across her throat directly under the chin on either side of her larynx. Make one cut parallel to her jaw bone on each side. This slices the arteries rather than the trachea.
If you cut straight across the center of the throat, you have to go deeper with the knife, which will kill her more slowly and cause more pain.
How Sharp Is A Sharp Knife?
Very sharp. The sharpest knife you’ve ever handled. When you are killing an animal, the sharper the blade, the more painless and humane the death. A knife sharp enough to kill with should have an edge that drags at your skin like raw silk when you put the ball of your thumb against the edge.
If your finger slides easily, without cutting you, it is too dull. The knife blade should be trying to slice your flesh with the barest pressure, and it will feel rough or “sticky” like the very fine spikes on a burr. Always sharpen your knife between every couple of kills.
The Chop
The chop is possibly the easiest for beginners, but not the cleanest.
Take a sharp ax or hatchet—sharp! Not as sharp as the knife, but don’t cut your firewood with it before using it on a chicken.
Have someone else hold the chicken upside down to calm it, and then quickly lay its head on a chopping block and swing. Don’t wimp out on this. The stronger the swing, the more humane. Blood is going to go everywhere, but that’s the name of the game.
The Twist
我父亲描述了在他祖父母的农场里杀鸡的情景:抓着鸡的头,把它转个圈,转得越大越好,直到听到一声巨响,或者直到头和身体断开。
这是扭转的一种变体,用手,或某种杠杆,折断鸡的脖子。Some people would argue that the twist is ahumane option if done correctly, but it requires precision, skill and follow through.
***We do not recommend this method, especially for first timers.***
You can hurt the animal unless you can make the twist with strength and without hesitation. I have never tried it and I doubt I ever will. I am too scared that I would get halfway through and, ahem, chicken out.
Death And Clean-Up
No matter how you kill a chicken, it will twitch and convulse strongly, and continue for thirty seconds to a minute. This can be scary and unexpected, but know that it is normal.
我观察一只鸡的眼睛,寻找它何时死亡的感觉——眼睑会变得无力,即使它们稍后会痉挛打开,瞳孔也会停止移动。拿不准的时候,再切一次,切得更深、更硬。越快就越人道。
如果你养鸡是为了吃肉,或者杀死蛋鸡、麻烦的公鸡或其他健康的鸟类,你可以选择把它们内脏取出来吃掉。有关说明,请参阅下一节。然而,如果你杀死了一只生病的鸡,或者你有理由相信这只鸡以任何方式感染了病毒,不要吃那只鸡。掩埋或堆肥,清洗你的屠宰设备。
Processing For Food
Once a chicken is dead, you have a second task—processing the chicken so it can be cooked.
Removing The Feathers
首先,你要把鸡烫一下,这样更容易拔毛。用一锅华氏140度的水,太热,鸡肉就会开始煮。太凉了,羽毛就不会松。将鸡肉浸泡15到20秒,然后取出。羽毛应该很容易一把一把地脱落。
You can pluck a scalded chicken by hand or in a mechanized chicken plucker, like the one shown inthis video.
Eviscerating The Body
准备两个桶,一个盛垃圾的桶和一个盛可食用器官的干净桶。在器官中,你可以拯救一只成年公鸡的心脏、肝脏、砂囊和睾丸。在肉鸡正常年龄被杀死的雄鸟还没有发育出睾丸,但如果你杀死一只年长的公鸡,你会发现相当大的睾丸味道温和,质地松软。
Once the chicken is defeathered, use your knife to remove the chicken’s head, if your slaughter method didn’t do that already. Then start the evisceration at thecloaca, with another sharp knife.
Cut in a circle around the opening of the cloaca and tie the end of the intestines to prevent feces coming out as you pull. Gently pull the guts out, using your fingers or a knife to carefully separate the membranes attaching them to the body cavity.
After the guts, you take out the other organs. Most come out easily, although sometimes you have to scrape the deflated lungs off the rib cage.
The next two steps are important, but easy to forget. First, you must remove the oil gland or sac at the base of the tail, which produces a smelly, sticky grease. It is an unpleasant surprise to accidentally puncture that sac on a cooked chicken, so cut it out with your knife while gutting.
The second thing to remember, and what I find to be the most technically challenging part of gutting a chicken, is to remove the crop. The crop is a small, nubby part of the esophagus above the gizzard which stores food. It is the last thing you pull out of a chicken.
This doesn’t require any technical skill, you just have to get a grip on the esophagus, which is slippery, and pullhard. Some people remove it from the top of the neck. I was taught to remove it from the bottom, after the other organs have been removed.
The final step is to remove the chicken’s feet, which cut off easily at the knee muscle. The scaly skin peels off the feet, leaving them clean and ready to cook.
Chicken Slaughtering Laws
许多城市对在多大的空间里可以养多少只鸡,以及是否可以养公鸡都有规定,但大多数城市根本没有关于屠宰的法律。人们越来越认识到,城市中心需要解决与城市农业有关的各种复杂问题,包括屠宰。法律还没有跟上城市宅基地的现实,所以你没有违反法律杀后院的鸡。
If you live in a rural area, your zoning may expressly prohibit or expressly allow the building of a slaughterhouse, but almost certainly allows killing household chickens as an “agricultural use” either primarily or conditionally. Don’t be worried if your zoning prohibits slaughterhouses—there is a clear distinction.
在美国的一些州,在屠宰当天出售从农场新鲜屠宰的鸡是合法的,但在其他地方出售在家屠宰的鸡是不合法的。这需要进一步的许可证,各州不同。Check with yourlocal extension officebefore selling any home-raised meat.
Getting Support
第一次杀死动物是一种紧张的,有时甚至是可怕的体验。向有经验的导师学习,或者寻找好的教育资源。
Ask around in your farm and homestead community to see if anyone has experience, or call yourlocal extension office. Some extension offices also offer chicken slaughter equipment, like cones and a plucker, for daily rental. Farms or community groups sometimes offer workshops on chicken killing that give you hands-on experience and a chance to meet other chicken raisers.
Videos can walk you through every step of the process.This videodemonstrates slaughter using the chop and has a helpful step-by-step on evisceration.Here is a video这展示了蛋筒的切片。
The bottom line is this: Take steps to make yourself feel safe and comfortable with the process, whether that means learning from an expert or marathoning YouTube videos. Being calm and confident will make a cleaner, more humane slaughter, and an easier evisceration.
我个人觉得杀鸡是一件不愉快但意义深远的经历,它提醒我要对我吃的每一样东西心存感激,尤其是肉。
然而,并不是每个人都适合屠宰动物。2022欧洲杯葡萄牙vs德国诚实地面对自己的底线,当你需要的时候寻求帮助。
TRACEY FEENEYsays
Crudely informative. The continual references to the emotional aspect of slaughtering another being leads me to believe you might have some semblance of compassion. Just go vegan. Not necessary to raise chickens and exploit them.
Tinasays
Sometimes the animal is suffering. It is a mercy to relieve their pain. I keep chickens as pets but I have one who is definitely suffering. It’s time to help her escape her pain.
Terrysays
还有那些获救的鸡,它们在一个业余农场(那里所有的动物都是宠物)舒适地度过了它们的日子,但现在它们太老了,秃顶了,一点微风就会让它们发抖?2022欧洲杯葡萄牙vs德国它们的消化系统已经很成熟了,它们甚至没有固体的粪便,所以它们的液体排泄物会流到它们赤裸的屁股上,侵蚀它们冰冷的皮肤,使其开裂和渗出。它们太蠢了,会和我的小鸡打架,导致它们掉了很多羽毛,被剪掉,很痛苦。那么当你有这么多鸡的时候,你会做什么呢?你在等待它们“自然死亡”,但它们仍然处于同样悲惨的状态,给幼鸡造成痛苦。2022欧洲杯葡萄牙vs德国动物并不总是和谐的,你需要处理它,否则你只是增加了痛苦。不要说我是在找借口,我不吃肉!!
Nicksays
Whatever gave you the idea that hobby farm animals are pets?
Sportsmombballsays
如果被冒犯,请远离这些网站!
Dannisays
Great information. I have raised and butchered Cornish X and ducks in the past. I hired an experienced neighborhood teen to help the process go along faster. Good grounding experience. Always important to give the animals a great life and a quick, painless death. Thank you for writing this.
Lsays
What about gassing?
Chrissays
Gassing just isnt practical for a small home operation.
1) It’s not humane for a conscious animal. It’s stressful and scary- and so is pretty much any way of rendering an animal unconscious first.
2) It’s slow to take effect, leaving lots of time for panic, and potential struggling which can lead to injuries, and stress.
3) This is only relevant if you wanted to butcher the animal, but- the flesh will be basically inedible. It’ll be full of whatever it was breathing, and all those stress hormones and lactic acid and stuff. If it isnt outright toxic, at the very least it’ll have a horrid, gross texture and flavour.
It’s really only used occasionally by vets or by shelters for group euthanasia, which I dont imagine is very humane, either. Its primarily used because it’s cheap and easy to use in large groups (remember to spay, neuter, and adopt, folks!)
Cp44says
没有人道的方式去杀死不想死的东西。读到这里我感到恶心。只要停止吃和杀动物。2022欧洲杯葡萄牙vs德国这是人道的方式。
Kane Jamisonsays
I’ve had two flocks of chickens, have had to put down 1-3 birds from each flock eventually, most commonly because a bird gets sick. There are compassionate reasons that go beyond eating meat.
Joe Bauersays
Sometimes the happiest egg-laying hen, even one whose eggs don’t get eaten, has what is called a “blow out.” Basically a prolapsed cloaca and oviduct, hanging out their but.
So my friend, the chicken doesn’t really want to die, but won’t live long without dying of infection. Should we just let that pet hen suffer.
表现得人性化是可以的。但这个词暗示着人类。大自然的牙齿和爪子是很长时间的。
Joe
Sabine Allensays
We are born to eat meat, fish, and vegetables. If we can peel a potato we should also be so honest as to know that killing an animal is part of “harvesting” meat. I will not “chicken out” when it comes to slaughtering an old hen for the pot.
tonyasays
stay out of peoples stuff and voice your opinion some place else we have to do what is right for our hens and not to let them suffer
Bobsays
Tell that to every predator in nature that has existed for hundreds of millions of years. Nature eats meat. It’s unavoidable. Humans are natural.
Jensays
1)如果这篇文章这么糟糕,为什么一个素食主义者还会读它?往前走,不要再去评判和争论了。2)如果你是素食主义者,那么我认为你喜欢鸡蛋,鸡蛋来自鸡,有时需要放下。
3) I have 4 pet chickens that lay eggs and that I love. 1 has a broken leg somehow and I’m trying to figure the best way to put it out of its suffering. It’s hard as it is, everyone doesn’t need your opinions about being chicken killers.
Wren Everettsays
珍,很遗憾听到你吃鸡的事。我们不得不带走一些我们自己养的鸟,这对一小群鸟来说从来不容易——它们对我来说都是有个性的个体!如果有什么帮助的话,快速切断它的喉咙可以让你在它经过时抓住它。对我来说,这是一种帮助我的鸡死去的非常私人的方式——没有无意义的乱跳,没有没有人情味的砍头。这并不容易,但它会给你时间说再见。
Katiesays
Hi Wren,
Thank you for sharing your personal experience. One of my chickens is showing signs of being very sick. I just hope I isolated her in time from my other chickens. The quick cut does seem the easiest way to put her down. Did you hold her in a towel, was it messy? I just don’t know what to expect, but I expect to take care of it this weekend = (
Heathersays
I want to thank you for your article. I am an animal lover and your article made the job easier. Straight forward, without pulling any punches. I very much appreciate your help!
Leigha Staffenhagensays
Hi Heather!
Thanks so much for the kind words. Glad we could help!
-Leigha
Ceciliesays
I do not like the bloody mess of a kill cone, chopping, or throat slitting. I do a dislocation at the base of the skull. I don’t like killing, either, but sometimes it may be necessary.
I am right handed, so I hold the chicken over my left hip with my arm wrapped around them pinning the to me. They will usually settle down quickly. This position is necessary for the prevention of bruising of the meat and to help you manage the emotional side of the death. Once the chicken is secure and settled, my left hand will be fingers up upon the chest ensuring a firm hold.
I then smooth the feathers of the head down to the neck and repeat it a few times to get a feel for the place I will grasp. With the right hand I brush the feathers down once again, stopping at the base of the skull. Quickly and firmly stretch the head forward while rotating the head straight up. Hold on firmly after you feel the neck dislocate. Keep the head in your hand to support and stabilize during the death throes.
Once the bird is no more with us, I’d set it aside and do a few more if they are meat chickens. If not healthy or suspecting of illness, then dispose of the carcass immediately. Be sure to clean up the work area and change clothes, too. If healthy then continue to process, as many as needed for the first step.
让鸡的尸体躺在一个凉爽的地方,以确保它的小羽毛应该已经离开。
Have a large deep kettle with a thermometer attached to monitor the temp which should be 140degrees F. Dip each bird, one at a time, submerging the feathers completely. (hold by the feet) you will notice the feathers begin to take on a transparency and when they all are so, it is time for the carcass to be plucked. Simply run hands in rubber gloves over the feathered areas and the feathers should rub off with little effort. The wing tip feathers and some tail feathers may be stubborn and require some firm pulling.
Only go up the neck as far as you plan to cut later.
立即将胴体浸泡在一个非常冷的水的大容器中。让它留在那里,直到所有的处理到这一点。
Make sure the carcass is cold for the next step. This congeals the blood, cools the offal, and minimizes stench.
1. Chop off the head
2. Place it breast up legs towards you place knife at but not inside the vent and pierce the skin and flesh being careful to cut shallow up to the bottom of the breast bone to avoid nicking the intestines. With the insides chilled the internal viscera should stay mostly in one mass. Work your fingers up inside along the back grasp the trachea and firmly pull it from the neck. At this point some may want to collect the heart, gizzard, or what ever. Be sure to cut away the vent area when you’ve emptied the intestinal cavity do not squeeze or cut the intestines.
3. Cut off feet and process them as desired.
4. Place the carcass into another different clean very cold water bath again to cool again and rinse away any large bits of debris.
5. I drain my chicken butt down a few at a time, then wipe them inside and out with white paper towels.
A bag of cold, cleaned giblets may be inserted in the cavity at this time, if desired.
6. Using clear plastic wrap, tightly wrap the bird with wings and legs as you want them. Compress it, but don’t break bones to void as much air as possible. Two layers of wrap should be sufficient to help prevent freezer burn.
7. Last wrap should be heavy duty butchers paper. One well secured wrap should further guarantee minimal freezer burn. Use masking tape to secure the paper and mark with date and so on as you wish, maybe weight,too?
Take several packages to the freezer in one trip to avoid loosing the cold air from multiple openings and closings.
This is the cleanest and easiest chicken processing I’ve ever done and highly recommend it for large batches of meat birds. Get some other meat chicken folks together and make some chili or stew for a hearty meal one clean up is done. When they are ready to process their meats, you can return the favor.
Terrysays
I find a sharp hatchet the best for decapitation, I do not pluck, I believe skin wash and dry, then freeze, are the best option for me
Ronaldsays
I cannot even think how you could be so cruel. I mean how can you even think of such killings in such a brutal way
Coopersays
Good info.
人们抱怨鸡的死亡是有趣的。
Do the deed, get it over with quickly, enjoy the meat.
Debbie Caldersays
I have 3 quail babies who have deformed legs. One leg on each bird is bent tightly backwards, and is not usable. The other quail in the flock will kill it. I prefer to save it from that, and do it myself, but is it more humane to sever the head, or to drown it? As it stands now, these babies are not happy. I’m not sure if they are in pain or not, but really not happy. What method do you recommend? Thank you for advice.
Emmysays
Drowning is usually not considered to be humane. Go with another method.
Sophia Richtersays
我同意之前的评论:没有人道的方式来杀死一个还没有准备好死亡的动物。鸡是很好的肥料,如果你吃鸡蛋,那就吃吧。但跳过杀戮和吃肉。Humane is vegan.
michelesays
I personally have been unable to kill my birds for any reason but Ive had the luxury of a husband who was raised killing a chicken every saturday night in anticipation of sunday dinner.
His method was the best for him. He would draw a line in the ground with a stick and lay the chicken down and then put his heel on its head and step down. i never saw a bird twitch much. just a couple trembles then it was over. bird was very calm. then he would hang it up and cut its throat to bleed it out.
I still have nightmares about if their eyes were open or not….
Hes gone now and I am getting ready to start raising birds again. so i read this with interest. I think I will try the sharp knife on each side and see if that helps.
Thanks this is so necessary. I used to ranch and I did have to learn how to use a killing stick for large injured animals. I cant stand the suffering.
When my grandma was young you were still able to get chloroform from the store and then use that to put the animal out quick, she used it for stray dogs and pregnant cats during the depression so it was with interest i read about the gassing making the meat inedible. I always thought if i could find a way to get chloroform that I would try it but i guess not.
仇敌得恨。很抱歉你被佩塔怪人骚扰了。
Ruth Jaegersays
One great option for helping a suffering chicken to pass away peacefully is euthanasia at a vet. Even vets that don’t normally treat chickens will often euthanize a sick or injured chicken.
Sian Barkattsays
I had to take my pet chicken to the vets yesterday, when I eventually found one that would treat chickens! She was egg bound and had to be euthanized. It cost me £150 but I know that I would not have been able to kill her myself and I could not see her suffer.
...says
如果你想在鸡不知情的情况下迅速下手,用斧头砍下鸡的脖子是个好方法。
Daniellesays
谢谢你提供的信息。我很抱歉你被那些仇恨者折磨。但这是不可避免的。我个人很喜欢自己养鸡吃肉。我们自己也打猎,屠宰和加工所有的大型猎物。我相信这比杂货店里卖的肉对我们来说要好得多,因为我们知道,没有生长激素、抗生素或杀虫剂会影响动物,进而影响食用它们的人类。2022欧洲杯葡萄牙vs德国我很欣赏这篇文章和附件中的链接。感谢您的指导,让我可以放心地屠宰和加工我的鸡,因为它们不同于我们加工过的任何其他鸟类或野生动物。
Bonnie Eckersays
那我读到的飞天扫帚法呢?头部脱臼了。
Annasays
非常感谢这些非常有用的信息。我记得当我还是个孩子的时候,我很开心地在我奶奶的农场里杀鸡,但是现在我又开始养鸡了,我需要提高我的技能。在我的记忆中,他们盯着一条直线的方式曾经很管用。再次感谢。
Thomas Bighamsays
Thank you for the article. It was very helpful.