I have a developmentally disabled hen, her legs are twisted and she just flops all around. Being that she can only "flop" to get around, she is getting poop all over her and basically living a miserable existence. I feel that the only way to deal with this is to put her out of her misery, but I want to do it the quickest and most humane way possible. Also, I am unable to handle her without her getting upset. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Eric
I would take her to the nearest vet if I couldn't manage to put her down myself. Her quality of life is definitely very low. Good Luck.
Most humane way, IMO, is ether, in the form of "starting fluid". The stuff in the spray can that you spray into the carburetor is just ether. I keep it around to finish mice that survive the trap. I had to use it on one of my chickens several months ago. I wrapped her in a towel and comforted her on my lap, had my son get a washcloth and saturate it with ether. I laid it over the part of the towel that covered her head. I had to have my son bring a plastic trash bag to lay over it to hold the fumes in. It took a little while, but it was quite peaceful.
