Again, my post was not meant as a judgment in any way; I felt my post was in the spirit of all of us garnering better knowledge on this topic. As I said, and as this vet says, going about this decision is a very personal and sensitive one and we will all have varying thoughts regarding what is morally, ethically and emotionally the best course of action for us to take given the very unique circumstances of each case. You acted with your hen's welfare in mind and you clearly loved her and did your best for her.
The following is from a veterinarian, regarding humane and inhumane methods for euthanizing backyard birds. I hope it proves helpful. I think the greatest take-home lesson on this topic is the following:
Euthanasia is NOT about making the bird dead; it is about rendering them unconscious as quickly and painlessly as possible. After they are unconscious, the method of killing the body is much less important. He outlines, in very specific detail, a couple of methods.
https://mikethechickenvet.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/euthanasia-for-backyard-birds/
The following is the study I mentioned, in which ether was found to be an unsatisfactory anesthetic due to a too-long time to unconsciousness and due to its irritant nature on the mucus membranes, eliciting distress behaviors, etc.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3127635
Euthanasia by decapitation has been found by a number of studies (one attached) to not be humane...
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._issues_surrounding_decapitation_reconsidered
I’m guessing cervical dislocation is similar, and Mike the Vet says up to 40 seconds... that to me feels like it would be a long time for an animal which is suddenly finding itself in severe pain, unable to move.
I remember the first time I had a general anaesthetic and I was afraid and told the dr I wanted to know when they gave me the anaesthetic so I wouldn’t fight it and would be prepared. The dr obviously thought it would be better not to tell me, gave me a shot, I said is this it, he said no, then blackness came over me and I felt like I was being crushed and couldn’t breathe.
That only lasted 2-3 seconds and it was scary, I cannot even imagine finding myself in severe pain unable to move my body for up to half a minute or more.
I did rI ad that diethyl ether, was used by people recreationally in parties many years ago and people at these parties would become excitable, trashy about and often injure themselves but did not seem to feel the pain or be affected by it at the time, and didn’t remember after so possibly it’s a human way to anaesthetise prior to whatever method of death is used.... however those party guests took it intentionally and knew what to expect and why it happened when it did, which obviously a bird does not...
It would be great if there were an effective drug available to give a bird an anxiety free, loss of consciousness as if going to sleep, that could be given and they would drift off to sleep, and then possibly a second drug or second dose which the owner could inject I’m or something, which would continue to deepen the loss of consciousness until totally out then stop breathing, heat beat etc. so that the bird just gets a pill or shot, is replaced in its own or a familiar location, and feels tired, so goes to sleep. And that is all the bird knows...
I understand the reasons vets are not allowed to dispense this sort of drug to owners, but it definitely means euthanasia is less human...even if a vet does it the bird still has to suffer the stress and fear of being caught and taken to the vet to be euthanised... where I live a call out fee for euthanasia is at least $300-$400...
Which means for anyone with a large flock it’s prohibitive cost wise to have birds euthanised at home by a vet.
