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

[chickendot]

I have a 5 day old chick with deformed right leg and just scoots, she doesn't eat or drink well and I've been giving her pedialyte and polyvisol drops...and she doesn't seem to be be getting any stronger...I also have another chick who has pasty butt for 5 days now, despite cleaning her repeatedly. I've given her a drop of olive oil and she will poop once but then is straining and crying out after that. It seems painful for her to even sit as she falls asleep standing up. I think it is a more internal problem than just pasty butt. So I've been scouring the site reading everything.
When we make the decision that we have to cull one or both, I think the starter fluid method seems the best.
Thanks for all the posts that gives everyone a different option....

 

[thunder creek farm]

Thankyou! Thats a wonderful method!!!

 

[AlienChick]

First time having to cull one of my adult birds.
I also had a baby chick with a deformed leg, so I culled them both at the same time.
The little chick huddled underneath the larger bird until the end.
I used the baking soda and vinegar inside a large tupperware container (since that's the only container I had an airtight lid for).
It didn't take long at all for them both to "fall asleep."
I'm glad I saved this thread.

 

[KZ]

Gosh, I just read this thread today and culled one of my week old chicks with the baking soda and vineger method. Poor little chick, something was very wrong with its left leg and the chick mostly just pushed itself forward with the right leg, but often toppled over and got stuck on its back or side. I almost talked myself into just letting nature take its course, but the chick seemed to be very uncomfortable and it was getting worse.

I read several threads where folks said the best way to cull is is cut their little head off with sharp scissors, but I just couldn't do that. In fact I put off doing anything because the idea of cutting a head off was just horrible to me. Today, I realized I had to do something, so I did a search, this thread popped up, and I used this method. Doing it this way was SUCH a relief to me - and I believe it was humane for the chick.

Thanks to everyone at BYC for sharing.

 

[AlienChick]

Yeah, I couldn't bring myself to cutting off the head with scissors either.
Plus all the mess from the blood would have just made it more work.
I found this method to be very humane and easy.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote: I think that it's been explained earlier in this thread that there really isn't much blood or mess with the snip method. Certainly it's heartbreaking to see this done to a dear little baby chick, that's why I do it with my hands holding the chick & the scissors inside a paper grocery bag, or after dark over the burial hole I've already dug. But the mess & blood is very minimal.

I'm just saying this in case someone can't manage the gas chamber method, to ease your concerns about doing the snip. That's the method I use because I know that it's a fast & effective way to help an ailing or injured chick Cross The Road.

 

[AlienChick]

Thanx for the note, Sunny Side.
It's good to know there's not that much mess.
I had envisioned blood spurting out all over the place. lol
Anyway, I'm quite pleased with the little gas chamber, since I'm not one for cutting off heads.

 

[WasabiChicki]

I am so grateful for this thread!
I have not yet had to cull anyone from the small flock we've kept the last 3 years but am planning on butchering my first bird this month.
As far as humane, I'm so glad to have discovered there are other options besides just the hatchet... especially because I am getting my first order of day old chicks (30 of them!)
next week & I know now that the possibility of needing to cull is very real.
Good luck to all who have yet to cull, thank you to everyone who posted their experiences in this thread & thanks to BYC in general: I don't know what I would do w/o you!
I LOVE THIS SITE!!!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Wasabi, are you butchering the chicken for the table? I wonder how the vinegar/baking soda method would work for that. Most folks use methods that enable the blood to drain from the meat. There's a section of the forum with great advice on how to do that if you're interested.

 

[chickenteacher2]

I'm thankful for this site, too. I'm so glad to have this information, as hard as it is. One of my RIR is not doing well. She's about 4 years old or older and has just had a hard time with her feet (we got her with string imbedded in her feet and they've sinced ballooned and twisted.) She's a sweet baby and is the first to run to me for treats. It's so precious that she hops/flies to get to me first. I am sad to have to put her down (and see, I didn't even know what "cull" meant until tonight)....I was dreading the butcher knife or whatever.

I'm glad to have this alternative method. This is doable.