How To Humanely Euthanize A Chicken..

[Smoochie]

Hmm... This thread has lots of bad ideas. The best method is the one the least stressful for the chicken and not the person. I think a very quick death is much better than a slow one even if it's sad or gross.

 

[DeepFried]

I don't think anyone should go with euthanasia from a vet. We had a dying pet rat that we wanted euthanized but it costed $150 to do so. We refused and she died in her cage.

   This thread would have been handy earlier today, when we found a wound on our naked neck rooster. It was infected, and full of dirt and poo and the chickens were pecking it and, well, eating it! My dad dispatched him via shotgun, but it was NOT pretty. The first shot he was shot right through the chest. It should have killed him: it didn't! The second shot, in almost the exact spot, and he was STILL alive! Finally, my dad shot his head off. It was NOT a pretty sight! By that time, there was hardly anything left of him. There were 2 feet, and some of his body. There was a hole right through him. Oh, it was HORRIBLE!!! 

  I would not recommend death by a shotgun unless you shoot the head off. It was horrible!  

For those who are emotionally able, but do not want to cut the head off nor want the mess of the traditional shotgun aftermath... I had to put a bird down that was beyond recovery. I used a .22 pistol with rat shot at point blank range to the head. Due to the tiny pellet size, the big mess is not made; but the close range it ensures a quick kill unlike a single bullet that might "miss" an instant kill that would create a horrible experience for both chicken and human. Since putting a sick or lame bird down does not require the bleeding out that meat bird slaughter does, no/ very minimal bleeding would be a positive thing.

I know that some people emotionally cannot do this, and I respect that. Hopefully a friend can assist.

 

[helios]

Quote:
Engine starting fluid. Place a garbage bag inside a rubbermaid container. Spray engine starting fluid on an old rag. Use A LOT. Place the rag inside the container. Place the bird inside, cover top.

ditto...I used a clear plastic tote and paper towels sprayed with ether to euthanize a duck with leg injuries. The bird will just fall asleep (the ether displaces oxygen).

Ether was used as surgical anaesthetic well into last century, and is painless (human tested!!)...no longer used because of residual buildup in the brain and difficulty in (over)dosage, which is not a problem in euthanasia.

Try to get a can of starting fluid with the highest percentage of ether...some brands have a lower percentage (to reduce fire risk?). The most stress the bird will feel is being confined to the tote.

 

[wvbcroosters]

As a backyard chicken raiser I recommend the following.
Number 1. You created the chicks and you know the risk of incubating or naturally hatching chicks.
Number 2. Ask a vet. or go to a local feed store and buy the recomended vaccines for the area that you are keeping chicks. Mereks is a very common one for example, before you start or after your first run.
Number 3. The immune system for a chick develops during the first 10 days after birth. so, be prepared early.
Number 4. If you have to kill a baby chick because of a deformity or disease the best way is with a sharp pair of scissors. The chick will be close to you just as it was before it was hatched and the it will feel little to no pain. You have to gather strength and know that you are saving this chick alot of suffering and needless pain. So get a hold of yourself and concentrate on the task. It takes a clear mind to execute quickly. Hold the head in place and have a shoebox or open ground ready. Cutt the head off, after that it's mainly your feelings that will struggle, the chick has moved on. Bury the little guy and learn from the lesson that 90% of the needless kills will be from preparing before you start even on day 1 of hatching.
Number 5. Even in endless measure there will be a missed or unavoidable step. So enjoy your flock. celebrate for the ones you have and have mercy on the ones who cant make it. Judge not yourself for what you have to do but judge yourself if you did not.

Hope this helps you.
Take care.

 

[JLeigh]

I'm currently faced with possibly euthanizing a chick, and the way I plan to do it is by ax. There is no way to do it without the bird experiencing some fear. Even if you take it to a vet for a painless injection, it's stressed by the catch, confinement, car trip, vet handling and injection, so I choose to have everything ready and do it quickly. I'm always very sad when I've had to do it, but that can't be avoided, so I don't try - the bird comes first at that point. I just do it and worry about myself later.

But ultimately it is up to everyone to choose the way that works for them. No one here seems to be cavalier about how to go about it - - everyone wants to be as humane as possible, and that's a good thing. Other than painlessly in their sleep, is there a good, better or best way to die? I can't think of one.

We care about our birds, and euthanizing them is never easy. I wouldn't wish that it were.

 

[redhen689]

Thank you to all who have contibuted to this thread. It was very helpful.

If my sick hen is still alive tomorrow, I think I'll wrap her in a towel and put her in a cooler with baking soda and vinegar. I can't do anything violent to her.

 

[Smoky73]

I have not been on this forum, or any for that matter, and was just browsing when I saw this thread. I think that when you are planning on raising any animal aside from domestic dogs and cats, before you get into it, you should be aware that this is always a possiblility and plan for the inevitable "what do I do if?" If you know you cannot, and you cannot afford to have it put down, maybe you should not be getting into it.
But, thats all hindsight, if we knew then what we know now kind of thing.

I do not butcher my birds, my husband does the butchering if we are doing meat birds, and I help after they are dead. When we have a sick or injured bird, that is adult sized, we shoot it with a .22 point blank, to the head. It does the job quickly and easily. I have done this myself if my hsbands out of town or whatever, but the hardest part for us is what to do with the semi adult chicks a month or two old I mean, that are too small to shoot. As babies born with defects, and can't walk or so forth, they can be dispatched pretty easily. But breaking hte neck is a bit more difficult with chickens that have been around for a month or so, bones are more solid.

I personally would take the bird to a place to have it put down if you cannot do it or find someone to do the deed. If my husband was not around, I would learn to take care of business myself. Its something as a animal raiser, livestock especially, is a way of life and something you must deal with or don't do it.

 

[ShayBaby]

I have fortunately not had to think about humane euthanization for any of my chickens or ducks yet, but I have used the baking soda and vinegar method for one of my beloved pet rats and wanted to share that experience. It is the only method I will ever use for the birds when the time inevitably comes.
My sweet old girl (rat) grew a tumor so large she could not function anymore, so I researched the bs/vinegar method online and found very helpful, specific instructions for a rat. I used a 10 gallon aquarium, though I will probably use a larger storage tub for the birds, and a smaller wire cage with a couple-inch lip on the bottom to keep her feet dry. I imagine a cooling rack or some other kind of raised wire platform would do well for the birds. I put her in the internal cage and put treats in it for her to nibble on and gave her a while to get used to being in there until she wasn't nervous anymore. I then dumped some of the bs on the floor inside the tank, and slowly poured the vinegar onto the bs. I had specific amounts which I can't recall now, though I would at least double the amount for a LF. Bantams probably would use the same measurements for a rat. I poured very slowly so she fell asleep before it became fatal. I had my hand in the cage petting her the whole while, so she was calm and comforted. The gas that builds up is colorless, but is heavier than oxygen, so sits near the bottom of the tank, so I didn't have to worry about it spilling out into the air and affecting us or the other nosy pets spectating.
After she fell asleep, within a matter of a couple minutes, she let off a couple of reflexive gasps and although it was awful to see and only made my tears stronger, I knew she wasn't conscious and didn't feel pain. Within another couple of minutes, her breathing and pulse ceased.
She went peacefully, dignified, most importantly, painlessly, and calmly with my comforting her all the while.
Again, this is the only method I will ever use for my feather babies.

 

[eyeluvmikyds]

I've only been around here for a while, and I don't own chickens yet. I've just been learning as much as I can from everyone here, so I'm more than prepared when we are all ready for our chics. This post broke my heart, and gave me a lot to think about, I've never dealt well with animal death (and I'm a huge gore fan). I read true crime books, with pictures and never have a problem falling asleep, but I once cried for days after accidentally hitting a squirrel. This is the only aspect of chicken raising that I am terrified for, I always root for the underdog and have drug home more than one hopeless case of some random animal to try to nurse it at home. There's some people raising chickens not far from me, maybe they can be helpful here because I really wonder if I would be capable here, and I have wanted nothing more than a farm with a little land and an assortment of animals my whole life.

 

[kaylee gee]

I have just read through this, and now know how I will handle it if I need to put down one of my feather babies myself. Last year a fox got into my run and killed 19 birds, didn't take a single one. One bird was still alive, a young rooster. I brought him inside, in hopes of getting him healthy again. After a day or so he could sit up and eat and drink. He was alert and talkative. He had no injuries that I could see. However, he could not stand up. He could move his legs just fine, but had no balance to stand. Anyone know what causes that?
Anyway After a week of waiting to see if he would regain balance (he did not appear to be hurting) I had my husband put him down. I did not ask how he did it because I did not want to imagine it.
I know I could use the baking soda method. I will look up exact measures and everything. I want to be ready to do it myself if and when it is needed again.
I like the idea of being able to say goodbye and I think being able to stroke and soothe them would be good for both of us. Closure, if you will. I cried for days when my husband had to kill my little rooster. I will never again allow someone else to put down my birds, as I think it is best for ME that I do it myself, like I said, for closure. It won't be so bad if I can see with my own eyes that they did not suffer.
I can't see it as any different than when you have to put down a dog. A lot of people like to be there, petting and comforting the animal. I want that. My hens and a few roosters are pets to me, as far as my attachment to them goes. I don't care what people say is their technical title. A horse is a farm animal too, but people have a hard time putting them down. A chicken is no less wonderful than a horse or a dog or a cat to me. My laying hens are my girls, my feather babies. If I want to raise animals for eating I interact with them as little as possible so that I do not get attached.

Here is a question that may offend, but I want to ask it anyway. If I were to raise roosters for eating, could you eat a bird that was killed with the baking soda method? I can do whatever I need to after the bird has died, but not before. The only thing I feel I can do is the baking soda method. I bought a couple turkeys for thanksgiving last year and had my brother kill them for me. I heard later that they screwed up and one of the turkeys died slowly and painfully. I will NOT let that happen again. I am raising a turkey for thanksgiving this year, and have been considering how to do the deed. Interested to know if they are able to be eaten after using the baking soda method.

Sorry such a long post.