- Thread starter
- #11
WhatTheCluck89
Chirping
Thank you so much! This is what I feared but at least you guys are here to help ❤If you decide to cull this chick, here are some methods of doing it:
Snipping the head:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-for-squeamish-people-slightly-graphic.74734/
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.
