humanely culling young ducklings or chicks please !

[Terri O]

I made a bachelor quarters in my barn for all my roos for the winter. In the summer there is enough room for them to get away from each other but in the winter the regular coop is too small. I have 15 or 20 roos of all different ages living together in the "man cave." THere is NO fighting at all! It seems as long as they dont have any hens to impress they chill out with each other. I am so glad that I discovered they could do this...I just love my roos! Terri O
(PS) yes, the kitchen shears is very quick. Do what is best for the chick not for you!

 

[SeaHen]

I've only had to cull one baby chick so far, and that was after 2 weeks of attempting to nurse it back to health. I AM a nurse, so I suppose it's in my nature to try to heal everything

I decided on the neck dislocation method, but the head actually separated from the body when I did it. It was instantaneous and there was very little blood. I'll add that I wouldn't write an animal off for any reason other than pain or suffering. I've had animals with all sorts of maladies - birth defects, blindness, amputations - and I know that their quality of life has been good. When it starts being something other than good I'll be responsible and do something about it.

I also have 13 roosters, of different breeds and ages, and they all get along just fine. It wouldn't be practical in the city limits, but it works where I am. I just got an idea from someone on a homesteading forum to build them a bachelor pad, so that's my current project.

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Please don't drown or suffocate you chicks, how would YOU like to die that way?

The sheers are fast and as several posters have said, do what is best for the CHICK, not you. Yes, it's unpleasant to kill a chick but it's better than letting a sick of malformed chick suffer.

It's part of responsible animal husbandry, sometimes you have to make hard choices in the animals best interest.

 

[michelle b 1972]

hey guys,
wow ! thanks for every comment ! i would opt for the quickest way... i couldnt possibly drown or suffocate anything so i will opt for the scissor trick... you have all made my mind up for me and will buy the shears that i posted a pic of !
thankyou all so much for taking the time out to reply and if this house and land works out i will keep you posted on any roos i keep !
regards
michelle x

 

[HoglundH]

I have had to get rid of a couple of turkey poults that had leg problems, and snaping thier neck was the quickest way. But it is a little more awful when it is a baby animal. I have processed our chickens, ducks and turkeys for the past few years without problem, but the small birds always is no fun.

This past spring we had a chick that was suffocated by the rest and my girlfriend decided to try and save her. Well she was successful, but the hen was never right in the head. She has never layed an egg, and just goes around the chicken coop trying to catch imaginary flies out of the air. We named her "Special Ed". Needless to say we will not be trying to save anymore chicks that seem defective.

Harold and Wendy

 

[TreeHugger]

I've had to cull a few chicks and use shears. I would never do the drowning thing - I have a fear of it myself...

 

[Katy]

FYI: The ether does not suffocate them.....they go to sleep and don't wake up. Ether is what they used to use on humans during surgery......you are just overdosing them on it. There is no struggling and distress for the chick.

 

[dsqard]

I had to cull a chick yesterday. It was a first for me. I have to agree it is harder when it is a baby. The poor chick had a badly crossed beak. I tried using Penetran and clipping it's beak a little bit to try to align it better so it could eat. Nothing was working and the poor baby was constantly trying to eat but I don't think it was getting enough food. I used kitchen shears only because I knew it would be quick for the chick. It was not pleasant for me but it was quick. I hope I never have to do this again but I would rather cull the chick than watch it slowly starve to death. I might look into those "scissors" that you posted. If it immediately dislocates the neck without the bloodshed, I think I will get a pair myself.

 

[kvmommy]

Isn't snapping the neck the same as using shears? I haven't even hatched a chick yet, but thought that snapping would be good. And where do you get ether?

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Ether is starter fluid.....any auto parts store or farm store sells it.