Chicken First Aid Kit

[Wyorp Rock]

One more thing while we are talking being prepared for sick/injured chickens.
It's not something any of us like to think about but I do think it is something you need to read up on and have a plan for as well.

Culling/Euthanasia.

What will you do if you have a bird that is so badly injured, sick and/or in a state of decline-you need to end their suffering.

• Do it yourself? How?
• Can't/won't do it yourself? Who will do it for you then - parent, spouse, boy/girl friend, neighbor? Have you spoken with any of the prospects to see if they are willing to take care of this part of chicken keeping for you?
• Vet? Do you have a vet - will they see chickens? How much does it cost, can you afford it? If your dog/cat vet won't see chickens, is there one in your area that will?

 

[paneubert]

Culling/Euthanasia.
What will you do if you have a bird that is so badly injured, sick and/or in a state of decline-you need to end their suffering.

This is a good point.

My method. Makes them pass out and then stop breathing.

You buy "starter" fluid from an auto parts store (or Amazon, like this one.... http://a.co/1MTpAzv ). It is used for spraying into engines/carburetors to "start" them if they are old. It is NOT the stuff you use to start fires or BBQ grills. The stuff you want has a high percentage of "ether", the stuff they used to knock people out for surgery in the "olden days". You put a paper towel or rag in a bucket or other container you can seal. Spray some spray on the towel/rag. Use a liberal amount. Put the bird in and close it. They will take a few breath and then pass out. Leave them in there for a few minutes. They will stop breathing. It is the most painless way I know (without physical violence/cutting/slicing/blood).

Most starter fluids with higher ether are marketed as such. Like "high performance". So splurge on the more expensive can if there are multiple options. Or even see if you can find that it says it has “ether” in it. But it should no matter what since ether is a standard ingredient in starter fluid.

I have not used this on a full grown chicken, but have used it many times on quail.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This is a good point.

My method. Makes them pass out and then stop breathing.

You buy "starter" fluid from an auto parts store (or Amazon, like this one.... http://a.co/1MTpAzv ). It is used for spraying into engines/carburetors to "start" them if they are old. It is NOT the stuff you use to start fires or BBQ grills. The stuff you want has a high percentage of "ether", the stuff they used to knock people out for surgery in the "olden days". You put a paper towel or rag in a bucket or other container you can seal. Spray some spray on the towel/rag. Use a liberal amount. Put the bird in and close it. They will take a few breath and then pass out. Leave them in there for a few minutes. They will stop breathing. It is the most painless way I know (without physical violence/cutting/slicing/blood).

Most starter fluids with higher ether are marketed as such. Like "high performance". So splurge on the more expensive can if there are multiple options. Or even see if you can find that it says it has “ether” in it. But it should no matter what since ether is a standard ingredient in starter fluid.

I have not used this on a full grown chicken, but have used it many times on quail.

Yes, I've seen that method mentioned, if that's something a person is comfortable doing, then that's what they should use.
There's many ways to get the job done.

 

[TheAmundsons]

This is a good point.

My method. Makes them pass out and then stop breathing.

You buy "starter" fluid from an auto parts store (or Amazon, like this one.... http://a.co/1MTpAzv ). It is used for spraying into engines/carburetors to "start" them if they are old. It is NOT the stuff you use to start fires or BBQ grills. The stuff you want has a high percentage of "ether", the stuff they used to knock people out for surgery in the "olden days". You put a paper towel or rag in a bucket or other container you can seal. Spray some spray on the towel/rag. Use a liberal amount. Put the bird in and close it. They will take a few breath and then pass out. Leave them in there for a few minutes. They will stop breathing. It is the most painless way I know (without physical violence/cutting/slicing/blood).

Most starter fluids with higher ether are marketed as such. Like "high performance". So splurge on the more expensive can if there are multiple options. Or even see if you can find that it says it has “ether” in it. But it should no matter what since ether is a standard ingredient in starter fluid.

I have not used this on a full grown chicken, but have used it many times on quail.

If you use this method, you would not be able to eat the bird, correct? Since those chemicals would be in the birds body? Just asking for personal inquiry! We've been trying to decide on a culling method for next spring when we plan to move several to freezer camp. Thanks! (Sorry, I'm not trying to take over the thread!)

 

[paneubert]

Ehhhhhh......I don't know. It dissolves into their bloodstream, but you drain the blood when you butcher. It is not odorless, I can tell you that.

Middleground could be to knock them out and then cut their head off, etc... So they would be asleep but not dead.

 

[dalasgalas]

OMG I feel so under-prepared!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If you use this method, you would not be able to eat the bird, correct? Since those chemicals would be in the birds body? Just asking for personal inquiry! We've been trying to decide on a culling method for next spring when we plan to move several to freezer camp. Thanks! (Sorry, I'm not trying to take over the thread!)

Personally, no, I would not eat a bird that was culled using this method, fwiw - I would not use the method at all, but to each his own.
To me, this method would be used on very sick or dying birds, not for processing.

If you are butchering for freezer camp, then look in the meat bird forums for tips about how to go about that. You may find this article helpful https://ramblingredneckmom.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-process-chickens-at-home.html

 

[AmyJane725]

• Do it yourself? How?

• Can't/won't do it yourself? Who will do it for you then - parent, spouse, boy/girl friend, neighbor? Have you spoken with any of the prospects to see if they are willing to take care of this part of chicken keeping for you?

• Vet? Do you have a vet - will they see chickens? How much does it cost, can you afford it? If your dog/cat vet won't see chickens, is there one in your area that will?

-I have been doing some reading on the subject/watching some videos. If it comes down to it I was planning on the ether method. I was originally going to do the vinegar/baking soda method, but then I found out that one's actually not very kind at all. I wonder how effective this will be for a fully grown bird though. Just dump the entire bottle of starter fluid I guess? I know I don't want to chop off the head, slit the throat, bash in the skull with a blunt object, use a broomstick or do the vinegar/baking soda thing. My mom told me that my grandpa grew up on a farm and when it was time for dinner he'd go out into the yard, grab a chicken by the neck and just swing it around in the air like a helicopter rotor and the neck would snap and it would die. Does anyone kill birds like this? (I wouldn't do it regardless, but just wondering if this is an accepted method?)

-Getting these chickens is kind of my "do this instead of killing yourself" hobby after my fiance of over five and a half years stopped loving me. I have no spouse/boyfriend. I'm on my own. I certainly wouldn't ask my mother to do it. Besides, they're my babies. It's my responsibility. It'll kill me, but I'll do what's necessary. (Also, please don't worry that these birds are just a tool to help with the despair and that I'll lose interest if I ever start feeling better again. I've wanted chickens ever since we had to give away the flock we had when I was 5-6. I've felt their absence for the last 21 years. It'll be so wonderful to have those pecking, clucking, crowing, love machines scratching around the property again).

-I have not formally met with the vet, but yes, I have one picked out that is literally 5 minutes from my house (in the same parking lot as my dentist used to be actually. I've seen that building twice a year every year for the last two decades. Never been inside). And if I decide I don't like that one there's another 17 minutes from my house. I'm quite lucky in that respect. I know a lot of people have to drive an hour or more to reach a vet.

I would not use the method at all

Why would you not use this one? Is there something wrong with it? I know the baking soda/vinegar method turned out to be not so great because it trips off the high CO2 sensors in the brain and the bird realizes it's suffocating, so that's one's out. Does this do something similar? I really would just like to have the bird go to sleep. I don't have the heart for just chopping the head off. I get it that it's the quickest, but I don't trust myself to not recoil at the last second and just inflict a painful injury.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I wonder how effective this will be for a fully grown bird though. Just dump the entire bottle of starter fluid I guess?

I have no idea how much starter fluid it would take to put down a full size chicken. Hopefully someone else can make a suggestion of that.

Why would you not use this one? Is there something wrong with it? I know the baking soda/vinegar method turned out to be not so great because it trips off the high CO2 sensors in the brain and the bird realizes it's suffocating, so that's one's out. Does this do something similar? I really would just like to have the bird go to sleep. I don't have the heart for just chopping the head off. I get it that it's the quickest, but I don't trust myself to not recoil at the last second and just inflict a painful injury.

It is an accepted method by many people, I can't tell you whether it's painless or how it works, I've never tried it and don't plan to. It's just something that I personally would not do.
I am more hands on I suppose. That may seem callous to some but I do care very much for my hens and rooster. I do hold, pet and talk to them right up until I put them down. Quick and done. It's not easy and yes, it does hurt the heart.

My mom told me that my grandpa grew up on a farm and when it was time for dinner he'd go out into the yard, grab a chicken by the neck and just swing it around in the air like a helicopter rotor and the neck would snap and it would die. Does anyone kill birds like this? (I wouldn't do it regardless, but just wondering if this is an accepted method?)

Yes, I have seen that. Probably more of an "old timers" method, but it would get the job done.

 

[AmyJane725]

I am more hands on I suppose. That may seem callous to some but I do care very much for my hens and rooster. I do hold, pet and talk to them right up until I put them down. Quick and done. It's not easy and yes, it does hurt the heart.

I don't doubt that you care for them very much. I don't think having the capacity to dismember them makes you love them any less. It's just not the way my body/brain works. All I want to do is hold them and pet them and love them. I can't inflict bodily harm on them. It goes against my wiring. Putting them to sleep is the best I can do. I hope the ether thing isn't too awful. I'm such a bleeding heart I'm almost tempted to try to buy pure ether so they don't have to die with that horrible chemical smell all around them.

Edit: I found basically pure ether. $39.95 for 30 mL of 99% Diethyl Ether on Amazon. Wonder if that would be enough to euthanize a fully grown bird.

Edit 2: 30 mL = 0.126803 Cups. I think not.