I have used the neck dislocation method successfully for years when a bird has been suffering and needed to be dispatched, but when I was researching to write the article on this method for poultrykeeper.com, I thought I would see whether this method was the most humane that could be practised at home and whether I should be putting information on the site about it. There are some slaughter devices on the market that look like a pair of pliers (some versions can also be fixed to the wall too) and I wondered if I was out of date with my method of dispatching chickens but after some extensive research on the subject, I found out that these devices (that are sold by many reputable online suppliers too) aren’t really very good at killing a chicken.

These ‘Chicken Dispatchers’ actually kill a chicken by crushing the neck and spinal cord rather than dislocating it which can cause a great deal of unnecessary suffering before death. I found out that the Humane Slaughter Association (in the UK) didn’t recommend these devices.

So What about the Neck Dislocation Method?

I was then surprised to find out that the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) had ‘reservations’  about the neck dislocation method however it is legal to use this method in the UK.

They say ” it is difficult to consistently achieve an immediate loss of consciousness” which I would totally agree with. If you don’t get it right, there certainly is suffering. So because of this, I certainly would urge people to try to get an experienced poultry keeper to show them how to practise neck dislocation properly. A friend of mine had me practising on pheasants that had been shot – when you get it right, you can feel the neck stretch and then feel the gap between the vertibrae afterwards so you know you’ve done it correctly.  The HSA recommends that the neck dislocation method should only be used in emergencies or for very small numbers of birds where no better method is available.

So what is the correct method of dispatching a chicken?

The HSA advises that when it is possible, other more humane methods should be practiced such as using electrical or mechanical concussion stunning. This should be followed immediately by a killing method like bleeding or neck dislocation whilst the bird is still unconscious.

The hand-held electrical stunners and mechanical percussive devices are available but they do cost approximately £500 to £700 which is out of reach for your average poultry keeper.

The neck dislocation method still seems to be the best approach for us to dispatch a chicken at home. The key factor is the time it takes for a bird to lose consciousness so that it is not suffering which means you might want to think about practising on a few dead pheasants too!

So I wrote my article and have uploaded to the poultrykeeper website: How to Kill a Chicken