Had to cull my crippled chick- Vinegar and Baking Soda Method

[gerowsie]

Okay, we did this today, in a coffee can with a tight-fitting lid. about 1/2 cup soda, and 1/2 cup vinegar and the chick was silent and we put it in the trash. Now there's peeping in the trash.

 

[NottinghamChicks]

Quote:
Starter fluid soaked papertowel placed in the coffee can, place chick in and cover. Less thatt 20 seconds and you have complete, humane death. Best way I have found that isn't physical.

Hope this helps

 

[gerowsie]

Thanks for the quick response!! Will do. Poor chicky :-(

 

[ByeByeBlackBird]

You can also use Dry ice

 

[dianaross77]

I have used baking soda/vinegar for pet mouse and starter fluid for a wild rabbit maimed by our dog. Both worked well and were humane. The starter fluid was faster to do in a crisis situation. I was in a hurry as she was bleeding and suffering. I decided after that, starter fluid would be the way I would dispatch any of our chickens if the time ever came. And in regards to a previous post about injection being humane, in small animals the injection goes directly into the heart. Their veins are too small. So while the medication used results in a very humane death, I can only imagine the injection itself must be painful.

 

[gerowsie]

It was quick and we were glad the chick was out of its misery. Thanks again! I also will do this next time if I ever need to again

 

[OtterCreekRanch]

I just want to mention that I have used the baking soda and vinegar method many times for small animals (rats and mice)....while sick and severally injured (traumatized) animals do go quickly and "peacefully" with this method...healthy and mobile animals may not (in case you wanted to put down a trouble maker rooster or something to that effect). I have watch many mice and rats jump around and completely spaz out for several minutes before finally laying down and drifting off. I am not sure if birds would/do react to this differently, but I know from personal experience this method might not be the best choice for someone who is squeamish about things like that. I have also seen animals (like mentioned by a previous poster about their chick) not get enough CO2 and not actually die using this method. You have to be certain that the CO2 displaces all of the oxygen in the container or you may inadvertently just make the poor animal suffer and not actually end it.

While this has been a good plan b method in the past, for me personally it is not fool proof enough to use as my main way to euthanize animals at home.

 

[dwegg]

I too had read about this method but when the time came and I had a crippled chick I feed it vitamins and electrolytes with a dropper ect and didn't have the heart to dispatch it. It grew fine with a crooked upside down neck but only lived till a couple months old. I feel that the kindest thing would have been to end it's little life straight away like you did.

I would never put a little thing through that again just for my piece of mind.

You have to be strong to be kind. Well done and thanks for sharing this info.

 

[chicksntexas]

Thank you for the post. I have been sick to my stomach for days trying to figure out the best way to cull my 3 wk old that has major leg problem. I've tried everything to help it, but nothing is working. There is no way I could cut off it's head or anything like that. DH told me to take it & leave it in the woods...but I can't do that either!! It sounds like this method will be the best. I hate to do it, it's the sweetest bird.

 

[MrViskers]

I used your method to cull a shrink wrapped chick who has been stuck in a concrete like way for 2 days and was slowly dying
it only took a minute and she was gone with the suffering finished