Had to cull my crippled chick- Vinegar and Baking Soda Method

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Sunny Side Up said:
Wasabi, are you butchering the chicken for the table? I wonder how the vinegar/baking soda method would work for that. Most folks use methods that enable the blood to drain from the meat. There's a section of the forum with great advice on how to do that if you're interested.
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No no... not butchering w/ baking soda! That I will be using a knife for & a killing cone... definitely read & will reread that thread on here again. I'm doing a trade w/ the owner of our local feed store:
I get 6 meat birds she raised when I come butcher the batch of 30 w/ her & her neighbor... they are going to be great teachers of the by-hand method, though they just purchased a machine so I guess I get to experience both! And then I get to come home to try it alone, yikes!

I was just excited to see that I have other options when it comes to culling little ones. I hope I never have to make any decisions like that, but I know realistically that day will come since I don't see myself ever living w/o chickens.
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I think this is one of the Basic Issues every chicken keeper needs to address for themselves. It's highly likely that at some time during your experience with chickens that you'll have an injured or ailing bird who is depending on you to help it Cross The Road. And even if your Plan A is to take it to a vet, or have someone else do the deed, you'll want to consider what your Plan B would be if your A plan isn't feasible.

I consider it the final kindness I can bestow on an animal in that situation, something I do with their needs in mind, not my own squeamishness or hesitation. I have one technique I use with my meat birds, another I employ with dear old pets, and yet another for cute lil' chicks.
 
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The deed is done. My "Big Foot" is not suffering anymore. I'm glad this was an option for me. I just multiplied the recipe times 10, since this was a large hen in a big container. It worked. It was the best way, I think. I will miss her gimpy hop-fly run towards me for treats. It was precious and endearing.
 
I'm going to try the baking soda & vinegar tonight... looking at one of the little 4 day old chicks I have & its not looking good! I think he got smushed.
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My 18 month old is usually supervised around all animals but he snuck a chick (we have 35) out of the carrier while I was cleaning the brooder. Of course he didn't mean to hurt the chick but I over reacted when I saw he had it & I think he tightened his grip!

I think its suffering... totally unresponsive to the pecking.... taking him out of the flock now. This is really unfortunate but I am grateful that I read this post last week because I really don't know how else I could have handled this.
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This is the part of raising chickens I haven't had to deal w/ yet & I am sooooo glad ya'll are here!

Good bye little black chick... (Barred rock? Aracona?) I will hope the departure goes well... Wish me luck!
 
Vinegar and baking soda are much safer methods of cleaning than the chemicals most people use! I used vinegar to clean mold out of a room and it worked just as well as bleach, stinky but safer.
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windows open is always a good idea though.
 
Sunny Side Up said:
I think this is one of the Basic Issues every chicken keeper needs to address for themselves. It's highly likely that at some time during your experience with chickens that you'll have an injured or ailing bird who is depending on you to help it Cross The Road. And even if your Plan A is to take it to a vet, or have someone else do the deed, you'll want to consider what your Plan B would be if your A plan isn't feasible.
Click to expand...

x2
 
Thank you! As hard as it is to have to do, sometimes I guess it's neccessary. I have a really sick 10 week old right now, I am treating with amprol, but I don't know if she's going to make it. I dont want her to suffer, but it seems so selfish to keep her alive. I have not made a decision and I cry as I write this because I've been giving her water with a syringe for a few days, she has been eating up until today. I used the syringe to give her some yogurt, but I don't know how much more she can take. She's not standing up anymore really.
It's nice to have a more humane method.
 

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