Kindest way..

[mkpovak]

We have one chick that we have nursed along. His leg is all crooked and we've done what we can for him, he's been separate for a week now because the other chicks were picking on him. Yesterday I noticed he was limping far worse then usual and today he will barely put his bad foot on the ground so I've had to pick him up to move him to food and water. I can't figure out what is wrong with his leg and the splinting I tried with it doesn't seem to have helped. The poor little guy is suffering and I don't want him to so DH is going to take care of him for me -- what is the kindest way? He is about 6 weeks old (we got them at 4 weeks and his leg was like this then and we just didn't notice until we got him home).

 

[Buff Hooligans]

The kindest (i.e. quickest) way is a strong axe to the neck. It won't be pretty, but it will be over faster than suffocating or drowning. I'm sorry for the little guy, but he is suffering, and and he deserves peace.

 

[sparkles2307]

I have a guinea I have to cull tonight when I get home from work. Leg issues. I was going to suffocate... I am not steady with an axe. Should I rest a sharp meat cleaver against his neck and use a hammer? If I chop at him I know I will hurt him, I will be so shaky... O this is awful

I dont like this part or responsibility

 

[mkpovak]

Thank you DH just took care of him now so he isn't suffering any longer. I am so glad I have him to do it for me, the poor little guy suffered enough.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

You and your hubby did the right thing. Blessings on you for your strength.

 

[noodleroo]

I'm sorry you had to go through that decision; I know its hard. But thats what responsible pet/livestock owners do. We pretty much know that any pet we get wiil be a 'tragedy' at some point in our life but to do without them to avoid the pain of that time is depriving ourselves of the blessings and joys of loving. I hope you find comfort in knowing that you did the right thing...

 

[SeaHen]

First, I know how difficult it is to make this decision when you've nursed a little one along and tried so hard to make it well. I can tell you what I did, for what it's worth, but I know others will disagree with my method.

The last of 17 chicks to hatch under my hen was very slow getting out of the egg and eventually had to have the shell peeled off of him. It became obvious within a few hours that one leg wasn't working right, and he was never able to support himself or walk. We discovered that the hip on that side was congenitally dislocated, so my daughter fashioned a brace and corset to hold it in place, hoping his malleable bones would eventually grow correctly. We hand-fed and babied him for about 3 weeks, but his condition got worse as he began to grow. I couldn't watch him struggle anymore.

My chick was still tiny, and after reading about various methods I simply wrapped him in a soft cloth and held his body in one hand while pulling his head straight out with the other. The neck breaks and death is instantaneous, though the body may spasm for a few seconds afterwards as the nerves react. The instructions I read said to pull the head straight out with steady traction rather than a jerking, quick motion. As I said, my chick was tiny, and I unintentionally pulled his head off.

I've had to have a lot of pets euthanized over the years, and I've come to some personal conclusions about which methods are most humane. I probably would not have a vet put my horse, goat, duck or pet rat "to sleep" again in the future because of the length of the procedure and the anxiety involved. I would caution you against using carbon monoxide poisoning because it's painful and traumatizing, no matter what you may hear. IMHO the best way for the animal is the quickest, even though it may not be the pleasantest way for us. As caretakers it's our responsibility to put their needs ahead of our own discomfort and squeamishness.

I'm sorry..

 

[bakerjw]

Not to side track the post but my dad had a black lab that had cancer real bad. He and mom took a ride when the vet came to the house to put him down. I expected it to take time but he went down in a second or two after getting the phenobarbital. There was no suffering at all. Just my experience though.

We had some stray ducks that came to the yard one day and they never left. Something got one and another got bit and really badly infected before it died. That last one got hit by a car and I had to put it down. I can cut the head off of a dead animal but not a living one so I suffocated it. It wasn't too friendly of a duck but it was still hard.

<hugs>