Most humane way to dispatch baby chick??

[Bizzybirdy]

I have a one week old chick that is not doing well, think it may die as it stopped eating and is crying.

What is the best way to humanely dispatch this baby? I am not good at killing things and it is soooo young....just cannot seem to get up the fortitude to cut it's head off. Is there some easier way...for me and it???

Have no problems killing racoons...just fragile, little babies.

 

[Katy]

On chicks that young I use starter fliud (ether). Outside put chick in a container with a tight fitting lid. Soak a rag with the starter fliud and place in the container with the chick. Put the lid on tightly. Make sure you use starter fluid for cars and NOT charcoal starter.

 

[ChooksChick]

Once they lose interest in eating, dehydration is your worst enemy- if you want to try to save this baby, you can go to the pet store and buy Exact Baby Parrot food and mix it with water- they like the taste, and you feed them with a syringe, so you can see how much they eat. It's wet, so you get moisture into them. It has extra protein, vitamins and probiotics, so it's good for strengthening them to the point they can get an appetite back and eat normally.

If it's a lost cause, you can make a gas chamber for euthanasia. It takes a two-gallon ice-cream container, some tubing, a gallon ziplock, and baking soda and vinegar. There are instructions here: http://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/

This works, so long as you remember not to have the tube tight into a hole in the container with the animal, as the pressure change will upset it very much.

I hope you can nurse your baby back to health! I've managed with some very weak chicks using the parrot food.

 

[ChooksChick]

I just saw that you raise parrots! This is good, as you may have the Exact- the natural feeding action isn't there with chicks like it is with baby parrots- no bobbing. You syringe it out in little 'worms' and dangle it in front of the beak, brushing the beak- if that doesn't do it, open the beak and squish a little in- it doesn't take much to get them stronger, which brings back the appetite.

The ether method does seem much easier- should it come to that. I've never tried it.

 

[Bizzybirdy]

Poor chickie died on it's own earlier today...it was too weak to even drink. I tried giving it some juice with a dropper. I should have paid more attention to it yesterday but it was up and about...just not as lively as the others.

I do have Kaytee handfeeding formula....didn't think to handfeed the baby but I did put some of it (powdered) on top of their starter. I do believe this chick and one other that died (both were day olds in with 3-4 day olds) could not eat the pieces of starter. I read on another thread to grind it up for a few days (the starter, not the chickie, lol) which I will try next time.

Thanks for all the advice. I always learn something here.

 

[threehorses]

What I always did with my babies who couldn't get the starter is to dampen some and let it sit a few minutes. That makes it easier for them to pick up and swallow. And it's less dusty. After they get enough fuel in them, they more easily can pick up the bigger starter. I do that a few days at least once a day utnil they get the knack.

I'm sorry to hear about your lost baby. Hopefully you can get the other one up and running. And yes, the probiotics in the formula are awesome. Use that even on your healthy babies once a week all through their 'starter" period (1-8 wks) for greater thrift and health.