 I don't mind doing it, it's just very messy, and I'm not very good at it. Do you have to slaughter chickens sometimes? Well, we do if they're off their legs, but that's different. To my admittedly untrained eyes, Charles's birds do look healthy and fairly content. One day before slaughter, and they seem able to walk about, hopping up on the bales, scratching at the floor, and of course my feet. But are these birds really all right?