Help Emergency

[eggybritches]

A baby just hatched and I have to cull it, but I've never done anything.

The picture is graphic so I'll post a link. I think his brain is exposed? These are crested ducklings.

What do I do? I'm heartsick.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2648/4115857176_e1841d8067.jpg

 

[TriciaHowe]

Oh I am so sorry. Unfortunatly that sometimes happens with crested breeds. I don't have a good way to cull babies except for ether (starter fluid). Put some on some cotton balls and put ducking and saturated cotton balls in airtight container. Duckling can be kept snuggled in a washcloth or handtowel so he's not scared. It should be over soon. With his brain exposed he will not live either way...

 

[herefordlovinglady]

I am sorry, I always hate this part

 

[Wifezilla]

oh crud. Sorry to hear that.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Awww, I'm sorry to hear that. It's always heartbreaking, but if this happened to a duck in the wild it would just be food for someone else. Sort of the duck's way of paying taxes to Mother Nature.

I use different methods for culling adult birds and for dispatching meat birds. But for chicks & ducklings I do this to ease the heartbreak for me:

Dig a deep narrow hole under a bush or tree.

Wrap the chick in a paper towel.

Carry it & a sharp pair of poultry shears/scissors to the hole.

Snip all the way through the neck with one cut.

Let the wrapped head fall in the hole, drop the body in after.

Fill in the hole, cap it with something heavy.

This method kills the chick instantly with little pain or trauma. I do it after dark because it's just so sad to see. I bury them under a bush or tree so it will at least provide nourishment for something else to grow, and in that way, they continue to live.

 

[Kovalciks Chickens]

my dad has told me you are able to push down between their wings on their back and it suffocates them. I have never done it myself, personally I have never had to cull a bird though. That is for chickens though. I have never dealt with ducks. You can always try if Sunny_Side_Up's was is to graphic for you.