Some people recommend the freezer method (what it sounds like) but this method is cruel, and the chick can feel itself freezing to death.
My mom has used the engine starter fluid method, too. It worked quite well, with no apparent suffering from the chick, which had genetic defects. Here's a description of how to do it from @briteday :
An alternative is engine starter spray, available at any automotive store. It is ether. I just fill a baggie with the spray, wait a minute to let the fumes build up in the closed bag and then put the chick into the bag holding the bag closed. It literally takes 1 second for the chick to die...just one inhalation of the fumes and it's over with. I just can't do the cutting thing. My daughter also uses ether and hides the whole process under a towel so she doesn't have to watch. FYI, you can use this for a full grown hen as well, but only the head will fit into the bag and it does take a bit longer(less than a minute though) for the hen to expire. But they do become unconscious after the first breath. Just be sure that the heart has stopped beating (you can feel it with your hand) before you let go.
Best of luck to you. Dealing with a suffering animal is never easy. We're here for you.
WORD OF WARNING- If you're going to do the first method, make sure the shears are VERY sharp. That method is used for <3 week old chicks, so older chicks will have more neck tissue to cut through. Sorry for the graphic description, I just don't want you to accidentally cause more pain than necessary.
WORD OF WARNING- If you're going to do the first method, make sure the shears are VERY sharp. That method is used for <3 week old chicks, so older chicks will have more neck tissue to cut through. Sorry for the graphic description, I just don't want you to accidentally cause more pain than necessary.
Thank you, Honestly I don't know what I would have done with out you guys. Once you said she was suffering I saw it right away. My husband isn't home for hours so I couldn't wait either. It's done. You're correct. I get it. Still sad but, at least she's not suffering. Thanks again.
I'm squeamish so I covered her in a tea towel and with an axe aimed for the neck as hard as possible, on soft ground it worked well. I mean... feels better than putting her in the freezer I can't belive that was an option.
