Need help...putting my hen down

[emvickrey]

I sure sympothize for you. I cna't kill much of anything but insects, snakes and mice. Thank goodness for the hubby. We had an egboung hen once and the other chickens had pecked at her until her whole vent was just an opening in her backside before I found out what happened. When I went out to check on her she was always laying down. This last time she was up and trying to walk around to get away from them and they where just haivng lunch. The hubby took her out and just broke her neck. We soon gave the rest of that flock away. I prefer not to have canibals inmy midst. That is just discusting.

The person I got them from didn't take care of them. She started out with 50 chicks and 4 adults. By the time she was tired of them there where about 8 left all together. She was so bad about not feeding them tht they would eat each other, kill the smaller ones andeat them. It was horrible. I thouht that if I got them and alwys had food available for them to eat they wouldn't resort to eating each other. But I guess old habits are hard to break.

I now have a flock of non cannibals.

Anyway, (I tend to ramble on), When we butcher for meat the hubby will grab them by their legs and put their heads and neck area on the old tree stump and use an ax to sever the head. Sometimes it hangs on by the skin gut it is still severed. Quick and easy. Well for him. I can't do it myself

 

[kinnip]

Sometimes doing the right thing really sucks.

 

[JakRat]

I was considering the worst with my little one, so I called my vet. They will put down birds for 10-15 dollars. I knew I couldnt bring my self to cull.

 

[fowl weathered friend]

Same here I had a horribly sick RIR earlier this year--had a wave of illness followed by an internal lay I think followed by a secondary infection--and i was so afraid that i'd mess up breaking her neck that I poisoned her with a heavy duty cleaner. I don't know why this seemed like a better alternative (could have been so much more worse or painful) but she died in under 30 seconds. She was also really REALLY sick and already on the brink so I DO NOT RECOMMEND this method. But I feel your pain in the whole neck breaking dept.

*RIP Alice*

 

[HennysMom]

I'm so sorry about your bird.


OMG I so couldnt do any of the poisoning methods *looks outside at her birds*

Just yesterday I swerved in my car to miss a freaking RAT running across the road

I didnt want to kill it.

Looks like I'm going to be calling the vet for euthenasia methods and spending $ to do it. I just couldnt chop their heads off or spin them either to break their necks.

oh man..now I want to give all my birds away...

I dont want to have to kill them when they get sick.

Pets...

 

[Lorimary]

If you decide to cut off her head, take a dark sock and put over her head first, and wait a minute to let her calm down in the darkness.
It's the 'struggle' I wouldn't be able to handle, makes me dizzy just thinking about doing it. Ick. But when I was little, my grandpa did this with a rooster we had to kill. Worked great, and that was one MEAN rooster.

Lori

 

[rogerf]

Well the deed is done.
She was only getting worse and the other hens were starting to attack her. Last night she slept outside because she couldn't jump into the coop.
not wanting to spend the $50 the vet wanted to put her down I did it myself.
I'll spare the details but it was quick and painless. She was so weak she never moved.

It wasn't easy but needed to be done.

Thanks all for your suggestions.

 

[noisycottage]

I'm so sorry

I am glad there wasn't a struggle though....

 

[chicklady63]

Sorry you had to face this inevitable ending. So difficult to deal with and your angst was obvious. You made the right decision. I'm really sorry.

 

[fowl weathered friend]

I'm so sorry that happened to you and your hen. Hopefully this is not something you'll have to go through again.
<3