Culling Chicks Humanely

[Beanzie]

So today was the first time I have ever put down any chicks. I always had someone there to help me through it but I was alone and had three chicks out of a large hatch that were not going to improve. I do a lot to help them, splints, periodic feeding, chick therapy... I really am a soft hearted person, but these chicks could not walk and were beyond any repair. I didn't want to just leave them to die slowly. Every time I went into the room it ate me up inside to see them suffer. So finally today after a long day of work I came home and dispatched them. It was on my mind all day, and while I felt OK about it knowing they will not suffer any long it is just killing me. I feel terrible about the poor peeps, and any method is gruesome. Anyone else have to go through this? I know it is the right thing to do in the long run if you cannot help them. But it really, really sucked.

 

[cmchickens]

I've had to put down one chick. It was a Cornish X chick that was blind and deformed. I babied it for a couple days before I decided culling it was the best thing to do. It was heartbreaking. Culling chicks is the worst part of hatching and brooding chickens. I'm sorry you had to do that today, but you made the right choice for the babies.

 

[justplainbatty]

So today was the first time I have ever put down any chicks. I always had someone there to help me through it but I was alone and had three chicks out of a large hatch that were not going to improve. I do a lot to help them, splints, periodic feeding, chick therapy... I really am a soft hearted person, but these chicks could not walk and were beyond any repair. I didn't want to just leave them to die slowly. Every time I went into the room it ate me up inside to see them suffer. So finally today after a long day of work I came home and dispatched them. It was on my mind all day, and while I felt OK about it knowing they will not suffer any long it is just killing me. I feel terrible about the poor peeps, and any method is gruesome. Anyone else have to go through this? I know it is the right thing to do in the long run if you cannot help them. But it really, really sucked.

I am sorry, you are right it sucks! we've all had to put a bird down or watch one die even as we try to save it and well, it always sucks!

I'm about 8 years in with chickens and it sucks just as bad now as it did in the beginning!