Had to cull my first chick today

[whytedragon]

??? Not so sure where I came off as a jerk, but I was stating my opinion on my beliefs of treating animals humanely, and freezing to death slowly is not humane. I was scrolling down waiting to come across someone who had mentioned the same as I did, but no one did...so I felt it should be stated that no one should put an animal in a freezer to cull it. Just surprised I'm the only one who did....and came off as the bad guy for it.
This is why I do not usually join forums, I get myself into trouble too easily. I'll back off with my opinions now....

 

[monita]

Quote:
Don't feel that you came off as a jerk.. it is valuable information that many don't know. I don't think anyone was implying that you were being a jerk... just that it was kind of the wrong time and place to inform ones who did not know.

 

[monita]

So sorry you had to cull the chick woods woman.... you did the right thing ending its suffering.

 

[whytedragon]

Thank you. I do feel though that is needed to be stated. Patting someone on the back is good, she should not feel guilty, she did not know. However, I believe others should know, and unless someone states it, they will not.

On another note, there is some sort of CO2 contraption that can be made, I'll look for the link, it's pretty easy!

 

[Razara]

I agree that freezing to death is not the best way, though if it was in pain to begin with, I suppose it wouldn't make much of a difference. Still, I'm from New England, and over the years I've grown to hate the cold. I've never had frost bite, but I've been so cold that it caused my body physical pain even after I got inside. Freezing to death is not a good way to go.

Even so, you did what you must, and it must have been very difficult. I broke into tears reading this thread.

 

[sydney13]

don't feel bad i could never use the scissors either so i would have done the same

 

[Jkioneil]

Quote:
Frankly I agree with you. I did not see anyone saying you were a jerk. But, i feel sorry for her. She had to make that decision and it is a tough one. Often in the middle of the crisis it is a lot harder to think of all the right and worng ways of doing something. Freezing to death and slow suffocation are pretty inhumane ways to go. I think everyone wants to offer support. She did need to kill it. It would suffer more than it did in the freezer. She did not put a healthy pullet in there. So it more than likely went fast. It was a tough call, in a tough moment and she did what she thought was best. I am sure in the future she will use valarian root or something like that if needed. But not knowing, and being in a crisis like that, is understandable. I think we all support her decision to do what she thought she needed and her heart was in the right place.


I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[NHchicks]

Woods woman, I know how you feel. Out of 15 eggs (which now I realize was way too many for one hen) we have 8 living chicks. A couple were squished under momma - yuck - about 4 or 5 didn't hatch, and when I shook them I could feel hard things in there rattling around - yuck - and one of ours was like yours - stuck in the shell. Actually, his feet were out swinging around, the egg must have broken before he could push his head out. So his head got glued to the inside of his shell. After a day or 2, we pried the shell off him, but he was too weak. After another day of probably suffering, he finally stopped breathing.

I had not realized, this being my first hatch, that death was such a large part of new life for hatchlings. My 9 yr. old cried over little "Miracle" that we thought might live but didn't, and I had a knot in my stomach. ALL OVER SOME CHICKS. Jeesh. It's just really difficult to watch ANYTHING suffer. I hate it.

The ones who are alive and strong are such a joy to watch. Just wish the dark side wasn't a part of it!

 

[Woods_Woman]

Folks I realize it was not the most humane. But with it gasping for life over several hours it was the only thing I could bring myself to do, cutting it's head off would have been quicker, but no way I could stomach it, not that the freezer was much easier. Poor baby couldn't stand or even hold it's head up, it had all but given up chirping. This baby had chirped all day the following day I knew it was sick wouldn't eat or drink despite my attempts, but it was still up and about..I prayed it would pull through, but it just wasn't case. It was only in the freezer 5 min before I pulled it out, and Luckily it had already passed..I would never advocate this type of death, but believe me this baby was already at the brink of death and needed a bit of help along. NO Way would I ever do this again, and thanks all for the support and other suggestions to help should something like this ever arise again.

On the flip side here is a pic of the healthy babies

 

[Sunny Side Up]

A big AWWWWW for cute lil' baby chicks!

And a big

for having to cull one, but

to you for taking the responsibility for it. This is something every chicken keeper needs to consider and have a plan in mind for how they would quickly & humanely put a chick or chicken out of its misery. Sometimes you could be faced with a bird who is injured so badly and would need help to Cross The Road right away.

I think the scissor method is the fastest, therefore the most humane, but it can be difficult for a person to do. But I'm going to describe a way that makes it more bearable. Take the chick and wrap it in a paper towel, talking soothingly to it the whole while. Hold the wrapped chick over an opened paper bag, cardboard box, or a hole I've dug at the drip-line of a tree or bush. Locate where the neck is under the paper towel. (You just cover it with one layer of toweling, don't wrap it like a mummy) You can use any kind of sharp scissors or shears, they can be kitchen scissors, poultry shears, big office scissors, etc. Just about anything except your kids' little plastic craft scissors. Use the back of the scissors to cut so you get the best leverage. You should be able to snip completely through with one cut. Then let both pieces of the chick, the head & the body, fall into the bag/box/hole. There will be some reflexive movement from the body but the chick is beyond feeling any pain, once its head separates from the body it has crossed to The Other Side. Keep an extra paper towel handy to wipe the spots of blood off the scissors, you can do this without looking if it bothers you.

It really takes longer to read about it than to do it. It's quick & effective and therefore the most humane method I've found. I just don't like holding them or seeing them afterwards, that's why I use the paper towel & the instant disposal.

Now let's hope we don't have to do this for a long long long long time!