05-02-2016, 02:25 PM
If the bird lets you get close to it, it was either somebody's pet or its sick. My guess based on your description is that the bird isn't sick but is at least habituated to humans.
The best way to grab it is just that... lure it in with a treat and make a sudden grab for it around the back and then quickly grab the legs so that the wings can't come out while immediately cradling the back of the upside-down bird against your body. The second choice is to grab the tail feathers (as close to its body as possible) and close the distance between you and the bird quickly (like less than 2 seconds) and put the bird in the same position. Either way, once you've nabbed it, continue holding the back towards your body to discourage wing flapping (they can break their wings in a panic) with it's head pointed down towards the ground and then cradle it like an upside down baby using your body and the arm that isn't holding the legs. Even a wild rooster usually submits in this position as the blood rushes towards its brain and makes it dopey. Usually if you just hold it several seconds without movement or drama it calms right down and sometimes they nearly fall asleep. Another option is to grab it by the head/neck and then use a single sudden jerking up/down whipping motion to break the neck, however this method is probably not great for a first timer because if it doesn't work the first time you'll 1) Only injure the bird and 2) Wonder what to do next.
After catching a live bird we put it into a "comfort cone" and then slice the jugular with a very sharp knife and let it bleed out upside down until it has passed. Then you can either scald and pluck it or just skin it. There are many videos on youtube on how to dispatch and prepare them for eat but not as many on how to humanely catch them.
The best way to grab it is just that... lure it in with a treat and make a sudden grab for it around the back and then quickly grab the legs so that the wings can't come out while immediately cradling the back of the upside-down bird against your body. The second choice is to grab the tail feathers (as close to its body as possible) and close the distance between you and the bird quickly (like less than 2 seconds) and put the bird in the same position. Either way, once you've nabbed it, continue holding the back towards your body to discourage wing flapping (they can break their wings in a panic) with it's head pointed down towards the ground and then cradle it like an upside down baby using your body and the arm that isn't holding the legs. Even a wild rooster usually submits in this position as the blood rushes towards its brain and makes it dopey. Usually if you just hold it several seconds without movement or drama it calms right down and sometimes they nearly fall asleep. Another option is to grab it by the head/neck and then use a single sudden jerking up/down whipping motion to break the neck, however this method is probably not great for a first timer because if it doesn't work the first time you'll 1) Only injure the bird and 2) Wonder what to do next.
After catching a live bird we put it into a "comfort cone" and then slice the jugular with a very sharp knife and let it bleed out upside down until it has passed. Then you can either scald and pluck it or just skin it. There are many videos on youtube on how to dispatch and prepare them for eat but not as many on how to humanely catch them.