Am I crazy?

[Shamo Hybrid]

$500 for the operation..... $135 to kill the bird. One of those "Damned if you do damned if you don't" case scenario. If I were you, I'd take the bird home and spend a few days with him feeding him all the treats he wants. Then say your goodbye and do the deed yourself. Some folks have money trees in their backyard so they can afford these emergency operations, me, my money trees been dead for years rotting away as we speak.

 

[RowanTheRed]

Okay, now that we have decided to euthanize, is it wrong to think about processing him to eat? Part of me hates to think about it, but the other part says why let at a good bird go to waste. He's just under 10 months old so hopefully not too tough. He's an F2 EE mix. Mom is an English orpington and dad was a barnevelder/ Ameraucana mix so he's a good size bird

 

[Callender Girl]

My dad always butchered our chickens back home. Even the ones with names. However, my rule is once they have a name, they can't be eaten.

Consequently, I name all of my critters ASAP.

I am sorry to hear about Hiccup. He is a lovely bird, and I don't think anyone will fault you for deciding to process him, if that's your decision. You did your best to take care of him.

 

[Al Capon]

View attachment 1694874

He's waiting patiently for them to come xray his leg. Im hopeful that it's not broken. The quote for putting a pin in his leg is $500!
As sad as this will sound, I just don't know that I can really justify that. I wish I was really rich because I wouldn't hesitate to pay that. But like everyone else, I'm not

In the last year, I've been around 2 chickens with broken legs. One chicken stepped in a coyote trap completely snapping the leg, the other was just a fracture.

The one that stepped in the trap stayed immobile for probably 10 days. She was old and mostly feral and wasn't at the top of the land owners list of things to take care of. I kept food and water close by just in case. To my surprise the chicken was eating and drinking. After 2 weeks, she started hopping around the barn putting a little weight on it. A knot developed where the break was but the foot eventually strengthened over the next couple months. She could get around just fine, could get herself up in the barn rafters. The toes weren't 100%, but she didn't seem to notice. She got around fine, scratched in the dirt, returned to regular chicken duties.

The chicken with the fracture was isolated to keep his activities at a minimum. He was allowed to rest and take it easy. He was given antibiotics for a couple weeks to stave off any infection. He developed a knot at the fracture point as well but he made a 100% recovery.

If it were me, I'd splint it, keep him immobile and hope for the best. Chickens are tough animals if given a chance.

 

[Eggcessive]

I think that many people would make use of butchering the rooster, especially those that normally butcher their chickens for meat. I have given away quite a few extra roosters to a friend for butchering, but I am too soft to do it myself.

So sorry about his injury. Your vet and the other vet who posted today are right, in that with the location, he may have never recovered. He may have suffered needlessly being confined and still never able to walk again. He was a handsome boy.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Okay, now that we have decided to euthanize, is it wrong to think about processing him to eat? Part of me hates to think about it, but the other part says why let at a good bird go to waste. He's just under 10 months old so hopefully not too tough. He's an F2 EE mix. Mom is an English orpington and dad was a barnevelder/ Ameraucana mix so he's a good size bird

I'm so sorry to hear about your rooster.
Thank you for sharing the photos and xray. He is a handsome boy!

I do not think it's wrong to think about processing him. He had a good life, you cared for him and did what you could.
I do understand your thoughts, I put one of my sweet pullets down a while back, sad, but she provided a couple of tasty meals. I would have felt even worse if I had just buried her.