How To euthanize a chicken humanely

[Birdinhand]

I see it as two questions. 1) How to most humanely end a chicken’s life? 2) how to end a chickens life in the least traumatic way for the owner?

The big issue with chickens is that their nervous system is spread out along their spine. There are motor centers/reflex arcs below their head. Even if you completely sever the head you will still see what appears to be very convincing signs that the chicken is suffering. With most ways of euthanizing, reflex centers get stimulated, wings flap, feet make a running motion, chest heaves causing gasping sounds, even with the head completely severed. For someone who sees chicken ownership more like having a pet, with strong emotional bonding, this most certainly caries the potential to create a lasting traumatic experience if they are not prepared beforehand with how to interpret what is actually happening and keep their mind squarely focussed on the single goal of making the chicken unconscious as quickly and resolutely as possible.

Gassing a pet chicken is likely the least traumatic for the owner, no sight of blood, stimulating the least number of running motion reflex jerks/wing flaps/running etc. using an industrial vapor is frankly probably more humane than co2… co2 stimulates anxiety. Hanging the chicken upside down and holding a jar up high enough to keep its head in sounds like it would do the job.

For anyone who is growing chicken as livestock, a different approach is better, certainly more practical, imho. For me, I’ve culled something on the order of 300+ chickens to feed my growing family over the last 8 years. I use a kill come, spend a little time being gentle with the bird, turn it upside down, causing the blood to rush to its head and become disoriented, place it in the cone and with a razor sharp knife, I sever the two arteries in its neck, instantly causing it to pass out just the same as completely severing the head. The cone holds its wings in and allows its feet to kick with minimal overall drama. I have learned to see these reflexes for what they are, they have nothing to do with what the chicken is or is not going though emotionally… the chicken is passed out, the jerking happens the same whether you remove the head or not, it’s all reflexes, incredibly convincing reflexes, but reflexes, nothing more. It’s kind of amazing that a chickens reflex system is capable of keeping it running, literally, in a relatively coordinated fashion for a couple of minutes even after its head has been completely severed. Chicken neuro biology is amazing, knowing just how amazing it is helps put what I’m seeing in perspective, reducing the trauma for me and the overall approach provides minimal suffering for the bird.

 

[Birdinhand]

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 .

Easier for the owner yes, but it definitely causes distress in a fish as well as an animal and humans. Our co2 sensing system is designed to stimulate anxiety and cause us to hyper ventilate as the increased co2 increases blood acidity… dying of co2 poisoning is terrifying, that’s the reason its not allowed to be used in human execution of criminals.

 

[Ifitaintbroke]

Wait.... Is this legit? Do people use this method?
Maybe it's just me, but I've never heard of this and it seems strange.

By "carburetor starter" they mean starter fluid. Also known as ether. Its available at parts store, walmart, and even dollar stores. Ether can render an animal unconscious, and in enough quantity kill. It's also extremely flammable, like explosive. I set my truck's carburetor on fire with it the other night.

 

[Ifitaintbroke]

I see it as two questions. 1) How to most humanely end a chicken’s life? 2) how to end a chickens life in the least traumatic way for the owner?

The big issue with chickens is that their nervous system is spread out along their spine. There are motor centers/reflex arcs below their head. Even if you completely sever the head you will still see what appears to be very convincing signs that the chicken is suffering. With most ways of euthanizing, reflex centers get stimulated, wings flap, feet make a running motion, chest heaves causing gasping sounds, even with the head completely severed. For someone who sees chicken ownership more like having a pet, with strong emotional bonding, this most certainly caries the potential to create a lasting traumatic experience if they are not prepared beforehand with how to interpret what is actually happening and keep their mind squarely focussed on the single goal of making the chicken unconscious as quickly and resolutely as possible.

Gassing a pet chicken is likely the least traumatic for the owner, stimulating the least number of running motion reflex jerks/wing flaps/running etc. using an industrial vapor is frankly probably more humane than co2… co2 stimulates anxiety. Hanging the chicken upside down and holding a jar up high enough to keep its head in sounds like it would do the job.

For anyone who is growing chicken as livestock, a different approach is better, certainly more practical, imho. For me, I’ve culled something on the order of 300+ chickens to feed my growing family over the last 8 years. I use a kill come, spend a little time being gentle with the bird, turn it upside down, causing the blood to rush to its head and become disoriented, place it in the cone and with a razor sharp knife, I sever the two arteries in its neck, instantly causing it to pass out just the same as completely severing the head. The cone holds its wings in and allows its feet to kick with minimal overall drama. I have learned to see these reflexes for what they are, they have nothing to do with what the chicken is or is not going though emotionally… the chicken is passed out, the jerking happens the same whether you remove the head or not, it’s all reflexes, incredibly convincing reflexes, but reflexes, nothing more. It’s kind of amazing that a chickens reflex system is capable of keeping it running, literally, in a relatively coordinated fashion for a couple of minutes even after its head has been completely severed. Chicken neuro biology is amazing, knowing just how amazing it is helps put what I’m seeing in perspective, reducing the trauma for me and the overall approach provides minimal suffering for the bird.

Yes it's true that those things will happen to their body, but as the brain is the center of the nervous system and the seat of consciousness and pain, we can pretty much guarantee that they aren't actually suffering, right? Not that I could watch any of that.

 

[Ifitaintbroke]

Easier for the owner yes, but it definitely causes distress in a fish as well as an animal and humans. Our co2 sensing system is designed to stimulate anxiety and cause us to hyper ventilate as the increased co2 increases blood acidity… dying of co2 poisoning is terrifying, that’s the reason its not allowed to be used in human execution of criminals.

True. Put your head in a plastic bag and see what happens...

 

[Sammster]

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 .

I get it. I haven't been there yet, but I can imagine

 

[NatJ]

It’s kind of amazing that a chickens reflex system is capable of keeping it running, literally, in a relatively coordinated fashion for a couple of minutes even after its head has been completely severed.

I've seen hundreds of them, but never seen any headless chickens actually run in any kind of co-ordinated fashion. The headless chicken tends to tense both legs at once (like jumping) and flap both wings at once. The wings and legs may or may not happen at the same time as each other. This causes it to jump or hop around, in semi-random directions. If there is any amount of slope, it will end up at the bottom of the hill in any available mud or puddle.

Source: personal experience when young, where typical butchering-day included chopping off the chicken's head with an ax, then releasing the body to flap around until it quit.

 

[Birdinhand]

I've seen hundreds of them, but never seen any headless chickens actually run in any kind of co-ordinated fashion. The headless chicken tends to tense both legs at once (like jumping) and flap both wings at once. The wings and legs may or may not happen at the same time as each other. This causes it to jump or hop around, in semi-random directions. If there is any amount of slope, it will end up at the bottom of the hill in any available mud or puddle.

Source: personal experience when young, where typical butchering-day included chopping off the chicken's head with an ax, then releasing the body to flap around until it quit.

Not sure if it varies from breed to breed, or what other factors might come into play, but as you, my source is butcher day on the farm as a kid… chickens literally ran around with their head cut off. It was rather traumatizing to me, frankly.

 

[BDutch]

I have been searching for more info on the ether method. You don't need special equipment or a CO2 box for it. Just a little patience.

I found good info on a Dutch site. Source: https://brahma-houseofbrahma.jouwweb.nl/euthanasie-of-het-doden-van-een-kip

Ether
Putting your animals to sleep using ether, ether is no longer available everywhere, but it is often still sold freely abroad.

Ether is a sleeping aid that was already used in Roman times as an anesthetic. By breathing in ether you slowly fall asleep. The more ether you breathe in, the deeper you sleep and eventually your heart will stop.

This method is humane and is very similar to having the animal put to sleep by a veterinarian.

How do you use it
Take your chicken out of the flock and find a quiet place, take a cloth and put the ether on it. Place the cloth with ether over the animal's nose and beak and allow the animal to breathe in the ether calmly. You will need to moisten the cloth regularly with ether, and then place it over the nose and beak again and again.
After a while (it is different for every chicken) the chicken becomes sleepy and sinks further and further.

By adding ether again and again, the chicken falls asleep peacefully.

Important: With this method you have to take your time, falling asleep is not a rush job and the calmer you are, the better it is for your chicken. It may take a while for the heart to stop.

Advantages > You do it yourself, so less stress for the chicken > no transportation stress > chicken is in its own environment > No blood is shed > The animal falls asleep peacefully
Cons > It takes longer for the heart to stop, it takes more time > Ether is hardly or hardly for sale in the Netherlands anymore, you have to look for something which contains ether or obtain it from abroad.

 

[Donna-NC]

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.

Euthanasia is not something I like doing, but I disklike watching a hen suffer even more. The 3 best options don't work for us - I don't know how or have the hand strength to wring a neck (and YES you should know how to do that first); I cannot decapitate - I already have predators that haunt my hens so the blood would only attract them even more; nor do I have a place to do that where my dog cannot get to the blood; I cannot shoot with a 22, I live within the city limits. We have vets in the area that would consider it - at about $400 to $500. I've got multiple hens, a dog and a cat, my vet budget is limited and I have to take that into account.

I read the above referenced article and several others as well. Here are my takeaways:

1. Get an appropriately sized, air-tight/watertight container - we chose a 25lb. pet food storage container. The top is affixed, it's translucent so I can make sure the bird is still by shining a light through from the other side. It could be drilled into and modified fairly easily.
2. Use a CO2 tank - we purchased a 5lb capacity one and a regulator and tubing. We went to a brewing store and they supplied us with all the correct equipment that would work together. We can also get it refilled there for less than $25.
3. Create a 'bleed' hole (toothpick size is sufficient) on the opposite side and end from the gas end to allow oxygen to escape as the CO2 is pumped in.
4. Wait until after dark if possible and do it in a darkened space, this will keep the hen calm and quiet.

Our box works like this: We also tested it empty as much as possible to find the problems and the solutions.

• Laid container on it's back so the lid would lie flat on any surface
• Drilled small hole in the bottom of the container-ours has wheels and it's between the wheels at the back and I put in a two part 'hose barb' (1/4" Hose Barb Thru-Bulk Bulkhead Straight Hex Union Stainless Steel Fitting) into that hole and made sure it was siliconed to stop leakage of the gas. Hole was on the bottom because CO2 is heavier than air so it would be concentrated at the bottom.
• We had large binder clips that we also used to keep the top sealed around the edges as we found during testing that the pressure would make it leak the CO2. The clips stopped that.
• We attached everything and then I brought our girl out of the coop at dusk and into the darkened garage, put some toweling into the container and put her in with her head at the back of the container near the wall barb, closed the lid, put on the clips and let the gas in and put a flashlight on the opposite side of the box so I could see her movement stop.
• CO2 entered VERY lightly at first, she stopped moving within seconds. I took out the toothpick from the bleeding hole and turned the gas up a bit to flood the container. We let it run until empty - about 5-10 minutes. She died unconscious, no panic, no pain, just gone.

We just buried her this morning. I've had several folks who claimed they'd done it before and were willing to help put some ill hens down in the past and each time it went badly and my birds were put through trauma before they died. Never again. I have my solution and it worked out well.

If you all want to attack me for this feel free, I did what I had to with the circumstances I have to deal with. If you want more info or photos of my gas chamber, reach out.