$80 to put a chicken down?

[rosemarythyme]

And it's a good idea to know how to kill a chicken humanely if you need to. The broomstick method is often recommended by folks on BYC.

x2. Most humane (and cheapest) is to do a cervical dislocation if at all possible, or simply remove the head. I had a hen ripped open by a hawk and immediately ran inside to watch a video so I could put her down as fast as possible. Admittedly I failed to dislocate as it was my first time trying but a branch lopper did the job right after.

 

[Aunt Angus]

What in the world was wrong with your chicken? Did it survive? Not cosmetic feather implants was it? No really, I am asking seriously. I had too many biscuits this morning and on a carb high. Sorry.

She had a severe eye infection. Two emergency trips, two rounds of antibiotics, and a surgical draining of the massive abscess behind her eye. She is alive and laying eggs! She lost use of her eye, but she is fabulous!

 

[Alagirl]

Boy, of all things, euthanasia should be either cheap, or free. Every animal should have the right to go humanely if treatment isn't possible. I mean, in my country, its literally illegal to let your pet suffer and not take them to a vet. But if you take them to a vet you get charged a lot for treatments, and a lot for euthanasia. So, many people don't bother. Doesn't feel fair.

Edited to add: I'm not suggesting that vets shouldn't be paid plenty for their profession, but I think the government could be helping with funding their practice.

Considering the importance of vets for the economic backbone of society, I agree, government needs to step up more.
Veterinarians have a tough job. They are as qualified as Human physicians, have the same school bills, but make a lot less, are more questioned about their billing practices and too often the end treatment is to kill the patient.
And even that is expensive to do, and the customers complain about cost.
We, as a whole have gotten too comfortable not having to deal with death.
At least with chickens the DIY method is still acceptable.
I am not sure I will be able to do the deed when it will be time for my girls to depart from this earthly coop. I know how to. There is that societal taboo about killing stuff as civilized person.
(and there is a real problem when a 20-30 dollar animal requires hundreds of dollars of vet care. Ethics demand it to be treated, the pocket book thinks otherwise)

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

None of the vets I’ve been to have charged upfront. They do the exam, shots, whatever, first and then you pay before you leave. But that’s for dogs and cats. Maybe it’s different with birds. I don’t really see how anyone can really charge upfront though because they don’t know how much it’s going to cost or what services you’re going to get. It doesn’t make sense to me. We’ll see with Brew’s neuter if they make us pay upfront or not.

If I understand correctly, the person who was charged $700 to euthanize their chicken (Not the OP) took their hen to an animal emergency clinic. Several times through the decades I took dogs to an urban animal emergency clinic, which opened after my regular vet closed and stayed open all night. They always requested payment up front before performing any services. They requested payment for initial exam, then requested payment for additional treatments once an exam was performed. Very different from "regular" vets which present a bill after all services are rendered.

I understand that the person who paid $700 is upset because the vet wouldn't euthanize before receiving payment, even though the hen was suffering terribly. Horrible as the situation was, I'm not surprised the vet refused to euthanize before receiving payment, and though $700 seems borderline outrageous to me, I'm not really surprised at that either. Animal emergency clinics are a whole 'nother ballgame compared to regular vets.

 

[Chicken poppy]

I’m inspired by a friend who is a very kind vet, people come to her house and she will help them absolutely free just because she is kind. She even put sutures in a chicken for me, so when i become a Avian vet i will make sure to do the same and help people if needed.

 

[21hens-incharge]

My vet is $25 for a chicken but 300+ for a mammal of any size. That does not include return of ashes etc.

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Chickassan]

That is a fair price, the euthanasia medications aren't cheap at all! So it isn't the vet persay it is trying to cover supply costs. The vet will have made around ten dollars after meds are deducted.

 

[DawsonsPeep]

As someone who has worked in a Vet office for over a decade. Your $40-100 euthanasia charge isn't for the 3 CC's of Beuthasol. You are paying (like it or not) for the Vets time, the exam and emotional exhaustion. When your pet is put to sleep, and you are sobbing (which is typically the case with most pets) - it takes a toll on everyone in the room. You, the animal, the Tech and the Vet. It's hard and it pretty much ruins EVERYONES day. While any charge over $50 seems high to me, it is a task that no one wants to be put through, so I get why a lot of Vets charge more - simply because they would rather have you take it somewhere else. I'm not defending - simply explaining.

 

[Debby in france]

I recently had to put my chicken down. She was suffering had only a few hours left In her. She couldn't stand and was breathing shallow for a few hours. She just wouldn't die on her own. I just got my bill today. I though 80 dollars to put a half dead chicken down was a little steep. What do you think?

I took my old girl to our vet and I think he was embarrassed by his shocked reaction. This is a farming community and chickens and vets don’t tend to meet. My old girl was dying and could no longer walk so I took her in. He charged me 40€ which is a little less than your charge. He was very kind though and put her in my arms after the injection. I cried after and he held my hand. It was worth the cost but I was there for nearly 20 mins before I left. If you think of it that way then it’s not too bad. Compare the time and cost to the equivalent time and cost of a plumber and over here it’s a snip.

 

[debrashaver]

I recently had to put my chicken down. She was suffering had only a few hours left In her. She couldn't stand and was breathing shallow for a few hours. She just wouldn't die on her own. I just got my bill today. I though 80 dollars to put a half dead chicken down was a little steep. What do you think?

These are still medical professionals with many years of education behind them. There are charges for basic office calls, emergency office calls and related charges for procedures. It is to be expected or . . . learn to humanely euthanize your own birds