Performing Humane Euthanasia. PTSD-like symptoms

[BluePolish5]

Hello, has anyone had any lingering negative emotional effects from having to euthanize one of your own pet chickens? I’m severely struggling with it currently. I did what I feel was the best for the poor sick chick but I still feel so sick.I’m a Certified Veterinary Assistant and I’ve seen plenty of terrible things, unfortunately, but this hurts so much worse. Anyone else go through this?

 

[Brooks_]

Hello, has anyone had any lingering negative emotional effects from having to euthanize one of your own pet chickens? I’m severely struggling with it currently. I did what I feel was the best for the poor sick chick but I still feel so sick. Anyone else go through this?

I'm sure many have and time heals. You did the right thing.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I feel bummed and a bit guilty, especially if we can't use the bird for food, but it tends to linger less the more you do it

 

[Karm]

Hello, has anyone had any lingering negative emotional effects from having to euthanize one of your own pet chickens? I’m severely struggling with it currently. I did what I feel was the best for the poor sick chick but I still feel so sick. Anyone else go through this?

You are not alone

 

[jamesasb]

yea its horrible but the alternative really was no better. You obviously care for your birds and should remember you prevented a slow lingering hopeless death.

I was recently reminded that you cant have livestock without deadstock. its so true

 

[BluePolish5]

yea its horrible but the alternative really was no better. You obviously care for your birds and should remember you prevented a slow lingering hopeless death

Yeah I feel like I had to, no matter what, put my own selfish feelings aside for their sake.

 

[jamesasb]

Yeah I feel like I had to, no matter what, put my own selfish feelings aside for their sake.

i have one who cant stand, i think he hit his head yesterday, keep holding him so he can drink and eat but i'm not sure if he will recover., another with a swolen knee that hasnt improved. I keep putting it off thinking that it might improve but actually deep down i think im really just enabling him to live in pain, and i need to deal with it before the infection spreads. Its part of looking after them. None of us wants to euthanise our birds but we need to be responsible for them

 

[BluePolish5]

i have one who cant stand, i think he hit his head yesterday, keep holding him so he can drink and eat but i'm not sure if he will recover., another with a swolen knee that hasnt improved. I keep putting it off thinking that it might improve but actually deep down i think im really just enabling him to live in pain, and i need to deal with it before the infection spreads. Its part of looking after them. None of us wants to euthanise our birds but we need to be responsible for them

I dealt with the exact same thing, I kept trying to have hope, and while that’s still a good thing, it isn’t always the right thing for certain scenarios. I kept trying everything I could possibly do and the more I thought about him laying there wasting away, I knew what I had to do but I was barely strong enough to do it.

 

[jamesasb]

honestly, its healthy to dislike killing helpless animals. keep your chin up and try to distract yourself with more pleasant things. you looked after your bird

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I have a REALLY HARD time culling any of my birds. I often like to find somebody else to do it for me. It's really helpful if you know someone locally to cull your birds for you. Sometimes, a bird MUST be culled, with nothing that you can do to avoid it. It's worse to keep it alive, than to cull it. Maybe, you can put an ad or post out there locally to find someone to help cull your birds. Even talking to someone at your local feed store to find someone willing to cull your birds might be helpful. Just see it as like a dog or cat that needs to be put down. Just, you're not driving to a vet, but to someone who knows chickens that'll put down your pet chicken, for cheaper than a vet.