How To euthanize a chicken humanely

[neo71665]

Just use a sharp hatchet. One swift chop and it's over.

 

[Carymcmillin]

It's unfortunate that you must dispatch a bird that has become a pet. The best method that I know is to use a cone. It is a cylinder type device that you place the chicken upside down in. The head will protrude through the bottom and then you will dispatch the bird by cutting its neck. The bird will not be able to flop around and will pass almost instantly. This method is how meat chickens are dispatched and has less of a visual display of the act, which is what will be the biggest challenge for you.
Once again sorry you must do this.

 

[ChicFil- A]

It is great when you can just let them live out there days, and die at peace.
But the problem is, it doesn't always go like that.
I had a goat that was 12 years old, and she was one of my best friends. She had a very good life, but on her last day the thing I wanted most for her was just for it to be over.
If I could have, I would have put her down with my own hands, but I didn't have any way of doing it.
She died later that day; taking her the hours drive on bumpy roads to a vet would have been even worse. I now have a captive bolt pistol for it, if it ever happens again.

It is the same with chickens, I put a BO down last week because it seemed she had a brain problem, and wasn't 'all there' and not coming out of the coop any more.
I had to leave for a few days, and couldn't physically take her out every morning.
Instead of letting her starve by herself in the coop, I chose to give her any easy way out.

So do think about it, would you prefer to die in a dark coop all by yourself, of thirst and hunger, or in a sunny paddock with full tummy and a breeze on your cheek?
I know what I would prefer.

I suppose if we’re going to raise chickens we should know these things, It would be difficult but I can’t stand pain and suffering so I would do what is necessary.

 

[SueT]

Ether, (starter fluid)
described here in this BYC article
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-sick-babies.72140/?page=2#ams-comment-519456

 

[Bertie-Merle]

I was so upset yesterday I was talking to a veterinarian online. And she was telling me that a very humane way to euthanize a chicken and I’m not sure if this is correct or not is to go and get some Carburetor starter. Spray it on cotton balls and put them in a mason jar put your little chickens head in there and wrap her up with a towel let a little air in there so she doesn’t suffocate she’ll just go to sleep. What’s your opinion on this? My husband said he didn’t like it because he’s he’s forcing the poor chicken to put her head in the jar.I just had a really bad experience yesterday and I don’t never wanna go through that again ever.Shelley was my pet chicken I had her for seven years. She started getting sick in June I tried to take her to the vet but they told me they couldn’t take her because of the bird flu. Then she seem like she was getting better she was having a hard time walking she lost a lot of weight and her voice changed. But she was still eating and eating. I actually made an appointment and was taking her to the vet and my husband heard her in the backseat in the cage making really strange noises and said she’s not gonna make it. I will put her out of her misery. So he read online how to put a chicken down humanely and it was neck stretching. You just hold her like you’re petting her and just stretch her neck a certain way. Well he did it and then she was moving her body not her neck and threw up white stuff you know I couldn’t stop crying it was breaking my heart I thought she was suffering. In the meantime I did read a lot and talk to the vet online and says sometimes their body does move a little bit but she also made a loud noise like she was suffering. But how in the world is people know this the chickens don’t tell them lol. So any input on what I put up in the top please that would be great like I said I never wanna go through that again. Thank you for helping

I know how it is supposed to be done, but I can't do it myself. That's why I have to ask my male U.S. Navy guy to do it ... who does NOT want to do it, but he will if need be.

If I HAVE to do it, I will. I prefer to be a woman, but if I didn't have a man to do it .... I'll take care of what I have to take care of and make it swift and gracious under God.

May God hold in the palm of his hand those creatures who are in his care.

Enough said.

 

[rod5591]

The way I do is is I have a “killing cone” made of metal with openings on both ends , one end is wide and the other is narrow. The cone is nailed to an oak tree with the narrow end down. I carry the chicken to the cone, thank the chicken for its service, and and drop the chicken head first into the cone so that it’s head comes out the bottom. Then I take a pair of very sharp pruners and quickly cut the chickens head off. The chicken dies immediately, the blood runs down onto the ground, and the chicken is restrained in the cone- no nerves or flailing around. It’s a little bloody but very sure to provide a humane and quick death to the bird.

 

[HenKeep]

If you have a hatchet or similar tool that you are comfortable using, cutting off the head is also a humane way of killing the chicken. With the head completely off the body, I've read that they lose consciousness right away, so it is not suffering while the brain finishes actually dieing from lack of blood flow.

The body definitely struggles and flaps afterward, but seeing the head completely off is helpful to me: I know I did it right, and the body is just moving from reflex, not actually suffering.

But this method only works if you can do it right. A "gentle" chop is bad (injury instead of death), and chopping any part of yourself is a very bad idea as well.

For a healthy bird, you can hold both feet and both wingtips (long feathers) in one hand, then lay the head on a chopping block. They may struggle for a few second, but after they they usually hold still pretty well. For a sick or injured bird, you might adjust that (if it's laying completely still, or if it has a broken leg so you don't want to grab that leg, or various other reasons.)

Good instructions.
I am a bawling mess I just can’t do it .
I shouldn’t have chickens obviously as I don’t have the balls to do right by them when the time has come .

 

[BDutch]

Ether, (starter fluid)
described here in this BYC article
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-sick-babies.72140/?page=2#ams-comment-519456

I have been reading the thread, but I don't understand why they use starter fluid. I can buy liquid ether at the pharmacy / health shop. Has anyone ever used this to euthanise a chicken ?

How much ether do I need? The shops sell 100ml bottles. Is that enough?

And I wonder if I can simply put ether on a handkerchief and keep it before the chickens nostrils. Will she die when she it ‘out’ .

To me this killing with ether seems a reasonably humane method. All the impact and bloody acts don’t appeal to me. I know most (softy) people struggle with a cone too the first time they use it.

I'm so sorry... I've personally never culled any of my hens nor am I a big advocator of euthanizatia, though sometimes it has to be done. I would suggest trying Arcenicum Album 30c. Crush 2 pellets and administer it orally. If they're ready to go, it'll help them pass quietly. If not, they it may actually help them get a bit better. Again, I'm so sorry about your baby... one of mine died today after throwing up a bunch... it's hard to watch

This could be interesting too. But I doubt arsenic is painless. And I believe it would be a mean struggle to administer it to a sick chicken too.

Another method would be a ketamine injection. Vets use this a lot. I thought it would be handy to now where to buy the things needed for that , and get info about the needed dosis. But ketamine is not legally available.

Of course I would only euthanise when I think my chicken is in pain and has no chances to survive.

 

[Major_in_MS]

This method is approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) as the only method that could be used safely at home.

http://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/index.html

I have used the method linked to above for a paralyzed parakeet from a ceiling fan injury. I did not need to make CO2 with the baking soda/vinegar method because I have a CO2 cylinder for my kegerator. But it worked very well. Small amount of CO2 at first caused the bird to fall asleep and then I increased the CO2 as noted in the page linked to.
For a chicken you would need to use a 5 gallon bucket as the euthanasia chamber, but it should work just as well.

 

[Evadig]

This method is approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) as the only method that could be used safely at home.

http://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/index.html

I have used the method linked to above for a paralyzed parakeet from a ceiling fan injury. I did not need to make CO2 with the baking soda/vinegar method because I have a CO2 cylinder for my kegerator. But it worked very well. Small amount of CO2 at first caused the bird to fall asleep and then I increased the CO2 as noted in the page linked to.
For a chicken you would need to use a 5 gallon bucket as the euthanasia chamber, but it should work just as well.

I believe this would be the easiest way for someone who is softhearted (and that’s not a bad thing, just saying). I put my betta fish down like that (except it was a clove mixture instead of C02) and while it was still sad, it was a lot better than cutting its head off like some sources said to do. I think it helps mentally if you know the animal is still intact, if you know what I mean .