Kindest way to cull

[mrslb333]

Hiya, I had a chick born yesterday with its yolk sack and some other intestinal things still out, I tried wrapping it up and keeping it moist to help it absorb but no luck. This morning its burst and oozing green stuff and the little chick is suffering it's flat on its back panting looking thin and pitiful.

I hate the thought of ending a life but I'd rather not let the suffering continue.
Is there a way to do it that doesn't involve chopping anything off or breaking anything as I really don't think I could do that.

 

[oesdog]

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Oesdog -

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Ether starting fluid and a bucket.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I think the kindest way to cull is the way that is the quickest and most efficient for the suffering chick. It can be tough for the handler, but you must do it anyway for the sake of the chick.

The surest way is decapitation. It can be done with a quick snip of a sharp pair of scissors or poultry shears. Then you know for certain that the chick's suffering has ended right at that moment.

To make it easier to bear I wrap the chick in a paper towel and hold it over an open paper bag or over a hole already dug under the drip line of a bush. I position the scissors over the neck, close my eyes, & snip. Then I let the two pieces drop in the bag or hole, and I don't have to look at the sad sight.

I'm sorry this has happened, be brave & help this chick Cross The Road.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Sorry but decapitation is not quick. It takes around a minute to lose consciousness an over 3 to actually die. Thats why its not used with humans anymore.
There are lots of gasses that can be used but Ether is the easiest to get an use. Or use a hammer or gun to the head.

 

[mrslb333]

thanks for all the suggestions I decided on the warm water method the poor little thing went very peacefully, It's the first time I've had to do it but It felt better to end the suffering than to watch it struggle in pain.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:

Where did you get this information? I don't think it's true, or at least not applicable to chickens, especially chicks. Once the head is severed, that's it, between the blood loss and the separation in the spinal cord there's no life, no feeling, no consciousness. In chickens there is the reflexive flapping of the wings and the moving of the legs, but the head has no awareness of this. I haven't tried any of the gasses available, but I've heard many people say it can be difficult to get the right concentration for a quick sure end to their bird's suffering. And using a hammer or a gun could not be any more effective then decapitation.

Mrslb333, your warm water method must have been as efficient as gassing, I'm glad you had the strentgh to do what must be done.

 

[Criskin]

Quote:

Where did you get this information? I don't think it's true, or at least not applicable to chickens, especially chicks. Once the head is severed, that's it, between the blood loss and the separation in the spinal cord there's no life, no feeling, no consciousness. In chickens there is the reflexive flapping of the wings and the moving of the legs, but the head has no awareness of this. I haven't tried any of the gasses available, but I've heard many people say it can be difficult to get the right concentration for a quick sure end to their bird's suffering. And using a hammer or a gun could not be any more effective then decapitation.

I agree. I've done a little research on this and although there is some speculation that human consciousness could last for a few seconds as the blood flow in the brain completely ceases, there is no feeling beyond that. There were a lot of macabre stories circulated after the French Revolution about the victim remaining conscious enough to react to stimuli for several minutes but all have since been disproven either by subsequent knowledge of human biology (murderess Charlotte Corday's head could not have "blushed" when there was no blood flow to her skin which would enable her to do so) or has been shown to originate at a later date and from unverifiable sources (Lavoisier). So since humans can't feel decapitation beyond a speculated few seconds I'd imagine that chickens, whose hearts beat faster and would therefore pump the last of the blood from the brain faster, wouldn't have the time to be aware of their fate.

I'm glad you found a way you were comfortable with, mrslb333. I know it had to be hard but just think of how much better off the poor little chick was having someone who actually cared enough to end its suffering in the kindest way she could find.

 

[justmeandtheflock]

Quote:
Sorry you had to deal with this

I am in the same position right now and I don't have any baking soda. What is the warm water method?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Weather you think it true or not the science says it is. It has been studied since the 1700s. Both in humans an livestock of all kinds. But mostly sense the early 1900s.

Ive seen enough death in humans an livestock both to know there is no such thing as instant death. LOC always takes about 20 to 60 seconds an death takes about 3 to 5 minutes. Even for a chicken. The only instant off switch is blunt force trauma to the brain its self an that's debatable how instant that is. Anything else is going to be slow an probably hurt unless you use a pain killer/knock out drug or gas like Ether or Carbon Monoxide.