I dig a grave for them in a nice place in the garden, a place they'd like to be. Then when I am certain, really certain that despite my efforts to make them comfortable, that they are not going to survive and are no longer having a life worth living, then at night I wrap them in a towel or a napkin for chicks, hold them close so they are quiet and comfortable. They don't really notice when I stop holding them and put them in the ground because of the warm cloth or napkin. I remember exactly where their head is, and then using a brick I make sure the time between the impact on their head and the moment their thinking is obliterated entirely is the shortest time possible. That way it may be that they never notice at all. I make sure it is done with extra blows, but the first is the one that does it, and I see nothing because of the napkin. I often have put some soil around them beforehand, which probably feels like I am still holding them. And they are away.
