I have to destroy my entire flock. I need a very humane way

[crtrlovr]

Quote:
That sounds like a vet that is an idiot. A good Vet front loads the needle with stuff to make the animal sleep before they inject the stuff to stop the heart. A good Vet will end the animals life Painless and peaceful.
I'm sorry.....but you should have never had to experience that

agreed 100% ^^

 

[EweSheep]

Me too! No vet would let an animal die like that.......

 

[kickinchicken]

Former vet assistant here.
Whomever put your cat down did NOT do the injection correctly. There should be TWO injections. One is a sedative to calm the animal and the second is what will eventually stop the heart. Its should ALWAYS be stress-free and painless to both the pet and the pet owner.
I am so sorry you had an INCOMPETENT vet. But it is a very humane way to end suffering when done by a competent professional veterinarian.

 

[BWKatz]

Ditto for Lurky. Please Please please try the Denesar. Use bleach to clean the coop . It will kill anything.

Several Mycoplasma spp have been isolated from avian hosts; M gallisepticum , M iowae , M meleagridis , and M synoviae are the most important. Mycoplasmas are fastidious bacteria, 0.3-0.8 µm in diameter; they lack a cell wall and require a rich growth medium containing serum. They do not survive for more than a few days outside the host and are vulnerable to common disinfectants. Each has distinctive epidemiologic and pathologic characteristics.

per Merck's Veterinary Manual

 

[leahthor]

Quote:
I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with putting your cat down. I think you need a different vet next time. I've had to have quite a few cats and a couple of dogs put down because of age or cancer and it hasn't ever been as you described.

Unfortunately it sounds like her cat's vein may have collapsed and caused the injection to go into the muscle or skin instead. The euthanasia agent can sting alot if not properly administered. With cats we always preferred to put a catheter in their vein first to make sure the agent was administered properly. I'm so sorry for your experience.

To the OP, I truly am sorry for your situation and it can happen to any of us at anytime. I hope you find a solution that works for you and is quick for your birds.

 

[VioletandBodie]

Quote:
That sounds like a vet that is an idiot. A good Vet front loads the needle with stuff to make the animal sleep before they inject the stuff to stop the heart. A good Vet will end the animals life Painless and peaceful.
I'm sorry.....but you should have never had to experience that

yes when i put down 3 beloved pets they fell asleep then they gave them the second injection and they were no more, that vet was stupid and uncaring for magic in her final hour

 

[Boring Farm]

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.

 

[PurpleChicken]

I had to cull my entire flock (50+ birds) last year because of MG. The strain I had was very destructive and only the standard layer hens managed to overcome it. My choice was to cull especially since many of my friends have chickens.

My choice was the old fashioned hatchet method. Yeah, it sucked pretty bad but in my opinion it was still the easiest on my birds. If I had known of that broomstick method I may have tried it.

 

[Chevis]

I know exactly how u feel!! I had to but down 3/4 of my flock last night.... it was horrible. My prayers r with u.

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
You're not a pansy. You're a caring person with the capacity to comprehend that even though these are silly creatures with a brain the size of a pea, each is distinct and special and caring and wonderfully unique. You are invested in each and have attachments to them. If you didn't have a good cry to relieve some of the stress involved in this, you'd be hardened and callous in a way I'm not sure is important.

Give yourself permission to be hurt by this. It's the way we're designed, and it's okay. I feel horrible for you.