I Believe We Need To Put A Chick Down, What's The Most Humane Way?

[kysilkies]

Me and the Mrs have never faced this before and we love animals so much we've found it hard just getting to this point but we have a chick with 2 bad legs, all it does is flail around now and we know it's not happy or comfortable...

Unless someone can tell us how to fix 2 bad legs, I think we need to put it down...If that's the path we need to take, is there a more humane way over another?...We're completely tore up over this and neither of us are sure we can even go thru with it but it's to the point I believe it's the only option as opposed to 24.7 care of her...Please help!

 

[kysilkies]

After finding some threads it seems baking soda and vinegar may be the most humane option....Any ideas on the method process for administering it?

 

[Schultz]

Not to try and sway you from putting the poor thing out of it's misery, what do you think is going on with the legs? There are ways of fixing splay leg if that is the issue.
Sorry, if I had more info, I would like to try to help.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
Please do not kill it by suffocation! The absolute most humane way to put a chick down is a sharp pair of shears. I'm very sorry, it is not easy on the person by any means, but it is by far the most humane thing for the chick. Would YOU want to die by suffocation, no matter how "quick" it might be???

I also agree with the previous poster, is it splay legged? If so, that's extremely easy to fix...

 

[hcammack]

I have had to put chicks down before I have tried several methods. I don't believe in the ones that make is easier for the human but harder for the chick. I think the most human thing is the quickly remove the head from the body. I use really sharp scissors for young chicks or if necessary my hands for larger ones. Remember there will be muscle spasms but the chick is no longer alive when the head is removed from the body. I also think that your making the right choice I never let chick with any type of deformity grow out no matter how cruel that might seem. They can pass on their genes and many just end up dying a slow painful death later in life. Good luck I know its a hard thing to do.

Henry

 

[Schultz]

Quote:
Please do not kill it by suffocation! The absolute most humane way to put a chick down is a sharp pair of shears. I'm very sorry, it is not easy on the person by any means, but it is by far the most humane thing for the chick. Would YOU want to die by suffocation, no matter how "quick" it might be???

I also agree with the previous poster, is it splay legged? If so, that's extremely easy to fix...

I agree with the shears as well, I would not use the suffocation method. If the chick MUST be put down and you can not do it yourself, is it possible someone could help you with this?

Please let us know about the legs, I am sure we will try to help in any way we can

 

[kysilkies]

It was born with one bad leg and since then the other has gone out, it can't stand on either and when not exhausted all it does is flail around the cage...She looks unhappy and uncomfortable...

We looked into making a cushion type device to hold her legs down and straight but she can't put weight on either at all...It's killing us to even consider her end but can't find any help for 2 bad legs...We're WIDE OPEN to suggestions...Using shears, for us, is totally out of the question...

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
I had a splay leg chick, and following advice on here, used a bandaid for a brace, as the pad on a standard bandaid is the perfect width for the legs. (cut in half, as he was a bantam). As soon as the brace was put on, he was able to stand fine, though it took a few hours for him to really figure out how to get around. Once the bandaid falls off after a few days, it's usually fixed, though I have read that some folks have had to use a second bandaid.

If that's not the leg problem, then yes, I absolutely agree that the chick should be put down. If you cannot do the shears method, PLEASE find someone that can help you...for the sake of the chick's last moments.


eta....if you can post a pic, we should be able to tell you if it's fixable or not...

 

[kysilkies]

Give me a few minutes, I just took some video of her and am uploading to youtube...

 

[Schultz]

If this is splay leg, which can happen right away, could it be possible the chick is not getting enough food and water which is causing it to be weak? Just a thought. We had a chick that had 2 splay legs, we used the bandaid method and within a few days it was fixed. The chick, however was a little weak because it could not get to food and water like it should. We had to give her a little warm mash to perk her up but all went well.

As for the shears, I agree with Cloverleaf. If I were closer, I would try to help.