How To euthanize a chicken humanely

[ChickyWhicky]

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?

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.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I imagine the stress of having it's head crammed in a jar would make this method far less humane than the vet makes it sound. Though if the chicken were upside down it might work well.

 

[ChicFil- A]

Over my lifetime and many raising chickens - I found that the best way to kill a chicken is with a shotgun - you aim at the back of the head - it dies instantly - never knows what happened - put some feed down on the ground so the chicken is eating it and then shoot it - one thing I have found out is that people often try to help a sick chicken and while doing that are only making the chicken suffer - putting the chicken down is the best thing for the chicken - actually people are unintentionally acting on their own feelings rather than the chicken's when they try to keep it alive - that goes with any animal -

Sadly I agree, I never want to see another suffer

 

[ChicFil- A]

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.

This is something i’m not prepared for, I fancy myself as a make believe homesteader(.ie) I can my home grown food, and try to be self sufficient as can be, But i’m not ready to put something down, I would be at a loss, So i’m watching this topic closely.
following

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Over my lifetime and many raising chickens - I found that the best way to kill a chicken is with a shotgun - you aim at the back of the head - it dies instantly - never knows what happened - put some feed down on the ground so the chicken is eating it and then shoot it - one thing I have found out is that people often try to help a sick chicken and while doing that are only making the chicken suffer - putting the chicken down is the best thing for the chicken - actually people are unintentionally acting on their own feelings rather than the chicken's when they try to keep it alive - that goes with any animal -

Low brass #6 bird shot. Grandmother used a H&R .20 gauge single shot which I still have. Fore her it was just matter of fact. The same for me.

 

[Chickensrule69]

honestly I would go the gunshot way like everyone else is saying. I’m sorry you had to deal with that by the way.I just break my chickens necks but there’s a certain way to do it thats why most people don’t recommend doing it unless you 100% know how.But if I was you I’d just go with shooting it.I’m just not a personal fan of the broomstick method

 

[The Birb King]

I have never had to put a chicken down yet. I just let them live out their days and die naturally when their time comes. Many methods of killing chickens seem inhumane and painful to me.

 

[Sussex19]

I have never had to put a chicken down yet. I just let them live out their days and die naturally when their time comes. Many methods of killing chickens seem inhumane and painful to me.

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.

 

[ChicFil- A]

Low brass #6 bird shot. Grandmother used a H&R .20 gauge single shot which I still have. Fore her it was just matter of fact. The same for me.

I know you are correct and I realize there may come a time where I might have to make the decision to terminate a suffering creature. I will do everything I possibly can within reason to keep them safe and healthy, We don’t have a vet who will accept chickens as patients. so I need to learn as much as possible about preventive maintenance.

 

[NatJ]

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.)