Chickens - Humane Slaughter Association

• Home
• About
• FAQs
• Press
• Shop
• Contact

Your Cart:

Items: 0 Total: £0.00

• Our Work
• Support
• Our Services
• Grants & Awards
• News & Events
• Resources
• Donate

You are here: HomeResourcesPractical Slaughter of PoultryCatching and HandlingChickens Search Online GuidePractical Slaughter of Poultry

Practical Slaughter of PoultryMenu

• Practical Slaughter of Poultry

• Introduction
• Overview
• Preparation
• Catching and Handling
  • Chickens
  • Ducks
  • Geese
  • Guinea Fowl & Quail
  • Turkeys
• Restraint
• Stunning And Slaughter
• Electrical Stunning
• Concussion Stunning
• Neck Cutting
• Neck Dislocation
• Gas Killing
• Other Methods
• Food Hygiene
• Further Sources Of Advice
• Acknowledgements
• Download PDF Version

Chickens

Chickens should be picked up by placing both hands securely over the wings to prevent flapping. Once you have hold of the bird, slide one hand under the body and firmly clench the legs between your outstretched fingers (positioning one or two fingers between the legs) and support the bird’s breast on the palm of the same hand. The wings can then be controlled by your opposite hand or by holding the bird against your body, under your arm.

Secure the bird’s legs between your outstretched fingers, positioning one or two fingers between the legs. Clench the legs firmly (which makes the bird feel secure, minimising flapping) and support the bird’s breast on your palm.

Hold the bird against your body to control wing flapping, which should be minimal if the legs are held firmly. The head of the chicken is accessible for stunning.

The bird may also be held under your arm to control wing flapping. The head of the chicken is accessible for stunning.

All chickens should be supported and carried individually and should not be inverted. Catching or carrying hens by the legs can result in hip dislocation.

Remember: Always handle birds with care and consideration.

Back to top

• Introduction
• Overview
• Preparation
• Catching and Handling
  • Chickens
  • Ducks
  • Geese
  • Guinea Fowl & Quail
  • Turkeys
• Restraint
• Stunning And Slaughter
• Electrical Stunning
• Concussion Stunning
• Neck Cutting
• Neck Dislocation
• Gas Killing
• Other Methods
• Food Hygiene
• Further Sources Of Advice
• Acknowledgements
• Download PDF Version

Humane Slaughter Association

The Old School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Herts, AL4 8AN, UK

Registered Charity in England No 1159690: Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Copyright © www.hsa.org.uk.

Privacy Statement

• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Charity Website by Adept

• Our Work
• Support
• Our Services
• Grants & Awards
• News & Events
• Resources
• Donate

• Home
• About
• FAQs
• Press
• Shop
• Contact

Our cookies

We use cookies, which are small text files, to improve your experience on our website.You can allow or reject non essential cookies or manage them individually.

Reject allAllow all

More options • Cookie policy

Our cookies

Allow all

We use cookies, which are small text files, to improve your experience on our website. You can allow all or manage them individually.

You can find out more on our cookie page at any time.

EssentialThese cookies are needed for essential functions such as logging in and making payments. Standard cookies can't be switched off and they don't store any of your information. AnalyticsThese cookies help us collect information such as how many people are using our site or which pages are popular to help us improve customer experience. Switching off these cookies will reduce our ability to gather information to improve the experience. FunctionalThese cookies are related to features that make your experience better. They enable basic functions such as social media sharing. Switching off these cookies will mean that areas of our website can't work properly.

Save preferences