Benadryl to Euthanize Chicken?

[lizo97]

True, though it's really important to ask how they will do it. I have read that some vets use a "heartstick" method that is painful and not all that fast.

I took a chicken to the vet and they said they were going to use a gas overdose and that I couldn't be in the room when they did it. While the vet seemed nice, I have always regretted not seeing exactly how the chicken was put down and worried that maybe they didn't do what they said they would.

I am gripped with anxiety about euthanasia because I'm always so scared that I will mess up and cause the animal more suffering. At this point, though, I have watched my dad use a hatchet to decapitate two of my beloved chickens when they were terminally ill, and I think the next time I will attempt on my own.

Agree with everyone who says that the fastest method is best. I know it seems "nicer" to do something bloodless like an overdose or whatever, but the "nasty" method of beheading/cervical dislocation/quick bleedout are more humane.

I do remember someone talking about a carbon dioxide box system that is humane but just takes a very long time.

My vet gases them, until they are unconscious, then she sticks the heart.

 

[Anon112]

My vet gases them, until they are unconscious, then she sticks the heart.

I've read mixed things about heart sticks, and I worry that they might not actually be fully unconscious.

Just for me personally, I think I prefer decapitation. I know at this point that if done right, it's at most about 40 seconds for the hen and it can be done in my backyard, so no stress of a car ride, strange environment, etc.

But I can definitely appreciate wanting to do something less bloody, with a professional, and that doesn't require as much physical strength/coordination.

 

[dawg53]

How do you hold the head still?

I put the bird in a pre-dug hole in the ground, then shoot it with my .22, quick and easy.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I put the bird in a pre-dug hole in the ground, then shoot it with my .22, quick and easy.

You bury the whole bird in a hole with just the head out?

 

[dawg53]

You bury the whole bird in a hole with just the head out?

Yep, head shot with the .22.
The bird flops around in the hole abit, then stops. Then start shoveling dirt in the hole.

Sorry @BigBlueHen53
I misread your question. No, I dont bury the bird first, then shoot the bird in the head.

I simply put the bird in the hole I dug, then shoot it in the head. When it stops flopping around in the hole, that's when I shovel the dirt and fill the hole.