THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR THE INPUT, INFORMATION AND EMPATHY.
I'm with EVERYONE on two issues...
The Vet That put down Lurky's Cat at the least should have their license revoked. In anger, I would have probably clocked the Vet which is wrong, I know. I've had to put down my Father's dog 6 years after he died because the arthritis made it so painful to move even with the medicines (I can't remember the names). The Vet came to our house and to my recollection, used two injections. One to calm him down and the other to put him to sleep. We both gently rubbed his face and body and said calming words. It was so hard to let him go but he was so peaceful during the entire time. I can't imagine what Lurky went through and so sorry for the family and cat.
Gas is out.
The unabashed, clear and absolute best way is to have them injected by a Vet. The problem for me is cost. I believe it will cost about $8-10 a hen (42and the On-Site Vet fee of $68 for a total cost of $404-$488. I wish I could afford it. I will call Monday morning to our Vet and a couple more to get an actual cost.
The other methods are any of the cervical methods which the broomstick seems a great way. In these methods, there's no noise to startle the flock and the brain is instantly disconnected from the nerves which signals pain to the body so if done correctly, there is none. The only thing is, I'm not quite sure what the hen's brain is processing during the final moments because it is still "thinking" (I know, I know... I'm probably "thinking" too much).
So for me, I'm going to stay with the .22 on the side of the head to make sure I hit the brain matter. It will be so fast and the hens won't know what hit them. Since the brain is what processes impulses to the nervous system, the brain is instantly disconnected from the rest of the body where no signals/impulses are going anywhere... which causes pain in the first place. The muscles from the disconnected nerves start to spasm. But if there is no brain matter, there isn't any pain or horrified agitation which is my concern in the first place.
We're going to take the hens from the roost in the very early morning, one at a time. The site is on the caddy-corner where the coop is, on the outskirts of our property so hopefully the shots won't startle them too much. We're going to use a tarp on the ground to capture the small amounts of blood after they're shot. We'll dig a hole in the side of a huge mound of dirt where the bullets will end up and refill the dirt after everything's done.
Then I'm probably going to cry. I'm such a pansy.
