Thank you realsis. I'm so sorry for the loss of yours! What a sad shock for you. Its so hard to lose a friend. It is comforting to be able to share with people who understand here on backyard chickens forum. Thank you all for being here!
If you need to euthanize, I can personally recommend dry ice and a 5 gallon bucket with lid (like the orange Home Depot kind).
Put about 1/4 lb dry ice in the bottom, pour warm liquid, as kindness put something like styrofoam on top of that but which allows the steam to circulate, close lid, let cloud build up for several minutes until it is nice and big.
Open lid, place bird in, close lid with a small vent to let out the expanding gases.
The bird will flutter for a second (first gasp that causes immediate unconcsiousness), then you will hear more fluttering from involuntary muscle movement. Asphyxiation occurs within a minute.
It's the fastest and kindest way I know of. (All the horrible stories you hear about CO2 euthanasia is for birds led into an industrial room while CO2 levels are slowly raised, the only way the industry can do it without killing the human handlers....you are quick immersing in a heavy cloud created in a small closed container...the same technique as fire retardant, which gives clear instructions to all humans to leave immediately as you will get one gasp and then out, then dead in several minutes...my husband works in the computer industry with CO2 room dispensers for fire).
I too find that few chickens are cured. Most that are sick are best culled or they simply linger until something else takes them.
LofMc
