First Cervical Dislocation (Did I do it correctly?)

[Jhs51684]

I did my first cervical dislocation today on a very ill chicken. I believe the hen suffered from egg yolk peritonitis. I did my best to manage the birds health but this was inevitable. After researching my options, I felt cervical dislocation was the best method to put her out of misery. She was very, very lethargic. I pulled the neck downward, and pulled back. She hardly moved at all after the dislocation; although, her eyes were still open and i could see her torso slightly moving up and down. The neck felt very limp and I believe I did it correctly. But, I guess my question would be... should the eyes have glazed over and closed almost instantly? (in the videos I watched, the chickens eyes shut very quickly). Should there have been no movement at all within 10 to 20 seconds after? I'd hate to do this incorrectly on a healthier, less lethargic chicken and have them flop around or be in pain. Any feedback or opinions on whether I did this correctly would be greatly appreciated.

I did make sure the bird was dead before I buried it. Very soon after the dislocation, I used an axe to be certain she was absolutely out of misery.

Thanks for all the help!!! The BYC community is the greatest.

 

[azygous]

If the chicken is dead, your operation was a success. The neck going limp immediately is indication it was severed. What the bird then does above the severed vertebrae and below is of no consequence. Nervous system residual movement does sometimes occur, but it's simply the body shutting down.

 

[Jhs51684]

If the chicken is dead, your operation was a success. The neck going limp immediately is indication it was severed. What the bird then does above the severed vertebrae and below is of no consequence. Nervous system residual movement does sometimes occur, but it's simply the body shutting down.

Thank You!!!!