How to euthanize - have a newly-hatched Coturnix chick with problems

[Sequel]

That’s just awful. It might have given her some ‘distance’ but at the probable expense of the small pet. Being blindly bludgeoned in the hopes of the first blow doing the job is not a humane method of euthanization. And to do it to a healthy animal just because the kid had to go to college? Way to teach the kid to honor a commitment - not. Different people have different values, I guess.

No sorry that's what we say when the animal needed to be euthanized. A sharp blow is the fastest. Sorry if that sounded horrid!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

In the future I will build one of those CO2 devices to be ready to handle these tiny animals.

No, OP stated that in the future they'll be prepared to suffocate an animal. That's not humane, any more than it would be to seal the chick in a plastic bag. Suffocation is even LESS recommended for newborn things than for adults.

Poultry Council does show CO2 as an "approved" method of euthasia if you want to get picky.
I don't advocate for home methods of ether, co2, vinegar/baking soda, etc. BUT when you get down to it, it is the caretaker's decision to determine the method.
Quick is always my goal for any of my animals. So no matter how much my heart hurts afterward, I try to do what's best/quickest for them.

Again...I ask you @Fishkeeper how many chicks/chickens and/or quail have you actually held in your own 2 hands and culled yourself?

 

[Sequel]

Poultry Council does show CO2 as an "approved" method of euthasia if you want to get picky.
I don't advocate for home methods of ether, co2, vinegar/baking soda, etc. BUT when you get down to it, it is the caretaker's decision to determine the method.
Quick is always my goal for any of my animals. So no matter how much my heart hurts afterward, I try to do what's best/quickest for them.

Again...I ask you @Fishkeeper how many chicks/chickens and/or quail have you actually held in your own 2 hands and culled yourself?

And I forget sometimes when commenting online that I'm not speaking to my first responder/farmer family and friends that know me. Whether you're having to euthanize a chick or get an IV into a screaming toddler you need the emotional distance to do what needs doing quickly to avoid further suffering. I haven't had to do either, but I wholeheartedly respect those who do!

 

[paneubert]

I have always used the "ether" method for my quail. Always pass out within a few seconds and then their heart stops. Ether works in part by depressing the myocardium, which in normal words means it causes the muscles of the heart to slow and stop. I use a clear container so I can monitor. Never have I seen any gasping. For that matter....very rarely any movement at all after about 10 seconds. Even the involuntary spasms you might expect.