Has anyone here felt guilty after euthanizing a chicken?

[gimmie birdies]

I only felt bad that I didn't put my poor hen down sooner. My hen died this week, she was almost 9.
(This is her a few months back when she was doing better.)
She had to have her own heated pen because my other hens would harass her.
She was old anyhow, but the cold weather didn't help.

 

[JLB]

cheepcheepnash, I feel your anguish and doubt. Thank you for sharing your experience. I just had a similar situation, needing to the same, due to suspected Marek's - Patience was the most docile and beautiful of our 3 chicks (my first(and last ) time raising chicks - I'm sticking to pullets from now on). Anyway, I am also working with the "what ifs" and reading yours and others' experriences help me get through and over this difficult time. Chicken keeping IS a learning curve for sure. Especially since keeping these animals is not as valued in the same way as keeping dogs and cats are. This puts us in the position of more unknowns and yet to proven remedies and health strategies by not only us, but by veterinarians, and sometimes makes it a guessing game as to what to do for our beloved animals. We are on the "front line" as it were, and it helps to remind myself (us) that we are doing the best we can, with the information we have right now. Take care.

 

[Coops Dad]

The only one I ever felt bad about was a rooster who was badly injured but was such a boss that I didn't realize it until his wound was horribly infected. He never showed a single sign of it; I only found out because I caught a whiff of rotting meat near the coop one night and spent 15 minutes looking for a dead chicken. When I realized what it was, I cleaned his wound, dressed it with triple antibiotic ointment, started him on fish-mox and kept him warm in a darkened room. After four days with no improvement- and actually worsening- I put him down.

Near as I could tell, he got hit by a hawk or owl. He was huge and a seriously bad-ass boy but very good to his hens and very respectful towards people.

 

[Chold05]

We had five sweet chickens in a mixed breed flock. They are our first chickens are somewhat pet-like for us.

Today we put our sweetest one, a porcelain d'uccle, down. She is our first chicken who has died and I just feel awful and guilty for taking her to the vet for euthanasia. Has anyone else after felt this way after putting down a bird? Is this common in the grieving process?

For more context, our hen was normal yesterday and we didn't see her this morning. When we saw her at 11, she was paralyzed in one leg and we were instantly worried about Mareks. Over the course of a couple hours, she couldn't move either leg, was rolled over on one side, kept dropping her head to the ground, was puffed up even when she was warm inside in a dark room, and refused to eat even eggs. We gave her vitamins but it didn't help. The vet over the phone said there probably couldn't be much done for her and we didn't want to see her suffer, so we brought her in and she will get a necropsy done.

I'm sobbing from time to time wondering if maybe we could have done more for her. We are pretty sure it wasn't a vitamin deficiency, but I can't stop thinking that maybe it was botulism and she could have been okay. I keep thinking about all the things I could have done that might have helped her. Maybe I could have saved her.

Do you have any tips about how to stop blaming myself and stop wondering "what if?"

Thank you!

I'm so sorry! And this is absolutely normal and it's okay to grieve. Please don't let others tell you that you're feelings of guilt and sadness aren't valid.

Mine too, are pets. I had a very sick hen that started with a hard swollen abdomen that kept growing. The vet did all kinds of tests and we put an implant in hoping it would help. A couple weeks later she broke her beak and the swelling got so big she was wheezing and her comb flopped over. We made the very, very difficult decision to put her down and unfortunately, we had to do it ourself because the vets were booked. (I've never killed anything in my life and I no longer eat meat after having them as pets.)

I felt guilty for months, even though I knew in my heart it was the right decision. I know that I tried absolutely everything I could, but sometimes it's out of our hands and that's difficult to accept.

We buried her under her favorite tree with a little head stone. She gets to watch us as we work in the garden and be at the center of all the action, which brings me some relief.

It gets easier with time- just be gentle on yourself.


Sending you hugs.