How to euthanize a pet chicken?

[tamelroy]

If you come to that, I also read something about dry ice.

I am so sorry that you have to do this!

 

[Opa]

I have my birds identified by using numbered bandettes so when something happens to a particular bird, or a bird need treatment I can know just which one it is. Old number 15 had impacted crop 3 times in the last year. The last episode I discovered just before I had to leave to meet with a potential customer. Had I not be leaving I might have been able to save her once again, but this time all I had time for was to express as much fluid as possible from her crop and pull out as many of the wood chips she add eaten. I then placed her in a cage and planned to do more when I returned. All the way home I kept wondering if she would be alright and would she do this again. When I returned she had sucumbed to her distress so I didn't have to decide, but I am starting to believe that sometimes a particular bird is predisposed to crop impaction. Are they really worth all the effort?

 

[JCoogle]

I hate it for you but I found this website a long time ago incase I had one I need to put down. Its sounds really humane.
http://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/

 

[PeepsInc]

Quote:
If you do that you mise well just suffocate it with a plastic bag. It takes a long time to work. It's as bad as freezing an animal to death.
The ax is the most humane way.

 

[Godiva]

That is what is troubling me so much about Sonnet. I have no idea as to cause because they all have oyster shell, grit, diatomaceous earth, kelp powder a couple times a week, and they also have a run with short grass and loads of space. I don't have anywhere to put her that is bare floor - and anyway, she would be miserable on her own with no flock. I really don't think it is fair to her especially as she is really weak and constantly bobbing her head etc etc... anyway, I think I am going to have to go with the hard choice... just so much harder when it is a pet.

 

[Stonerowfarm]

So sorry you are going through this. When they are pets it is so much harder. But in my very limited experience I'm beginning to realize that my efforts to try to save a bird only causes more suffering for them. Perhaps the hacket is the quickest, best solution for your sweet little bird.

 

[smithhouse]

I didn't realize it would take so long. Thanks, Peeps, for the info.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

So sorry to hear of the problem with your chicken's crop. If you've come to the point where you believe euthanasia is necessary, I sympathize with you as we have had to do it for the first (and second) time this month. My brother showed my DH how to do it as my brother has a lot of experience with preparing meat birds. I could NEVER do this, but it was FAST and drama-free for us and for the chickens.

My brother held the chicken under his left arm very firmly & securely and took the chicken's head in his right hand with the thumb of his right hand just under the head, around the neck and pulled very firmly and very quickly STRAIGHT OUT and then bent the neck down (for good measure, but likely not necessary). The objective is to dislocate the spinal vertebrae so the death is instant. There was only very minor movement of the birds afterward and was strictly from nerves discharging. They were gone at the point of the dislocation.

To be clearer about the technique: Envision holding your own left wrist with your right palm facing the floor and your right hand on TOP of your left wrist. Now envision trying to PULL hard on your own hand so that you dislocate the joint, but don't pull hard enough to remove your hand. THAT is the technique he used for culling our feathered friends.

I'm sorry it has become necessary to know this, but I hope it helps if you need it.

 

[A1 Steak Sauce]

Don't freeze her, stick her in a sack with vinegar and baking soda, or attach a box with her in it to the tail pipe of a car! That's just disgusting. The broomstick and ax (or machete) are humane and lightning quick, but those first three are horrible. Ever put a bug in a jar as a kid with some sort of stuff (baking soda and vinegar, rubbing alchohol, etc) and watch how sick they get before they finally die? Doesn't look pleasant to me. And I had several that took 5 hours or more to kill in the freezer, and that's just with bugs. What seems better for the owner's not always what's best for the animal (and vice-versa,) that's for sure. Sorry for the rant but that just makes me cringe when people say those are good ways for animals to go. I have no problem with killing an animal, wether it's for food or it's sick, but making them suffer more than they have to just doesn't set well.

Bet you anything, most people are going to read the first two or three lines only and go ape, well go ahead, I'm just glad I'm not their livestock/pet is all.

 

[smithhouse]

Just to be clear, I would not endorse anything inhumane. I have never tortured even bugs and certainly wouldn't want to torture a chicken. I just read about this method recently and the post made it seem easy and simple. I didn't realize it wasn't as instant as the author implied. So please, scratch that idea. Thanks for letting me know that it is not a good way to do it! Hopefully I will never have to explore the topic further with our pet chickens.