One of my silkie chicks hatched with a lame/un usable leg I splinted it and hoped for the best !!! Well its 3 days later and I have now removed the splint, well he keeps it straight but still unable to use it much, I know that when he gets older he wont be able to support his body weight, so I'm thinking the best thing for me to do it put him down now, but I dunno !!! Any ideas on what you would do ? also what's the nice's way to cull them ???
I'd cull the chick also - I've tried growing out a couple like that and it never ends well... :| At that young age, you can hold the chick with it's head inside a bag and cut off the head with a sharp pair of shears/scissors. Not the most pleasant for us humans, but very quick and humane for the chick.
Quote:I think its the right thing to do, i tryed to fix it !!! But in the back of my head maybe he will live a some what normal life, Ohhhhh I hate this !!!! I know he's ok like this for now, but when he gets bigger I dont know how he will be able to walk and get around !!!! He uses the leg very little and hobbles around !!!
Yeah, I'd just take a hatchet to him. Or I've also heard of folks freezin 'em, say they just sorta go to sleep.
I know you guys are more expert at this than I am, but am I the only one who thinks he should let it try to grow? Why not give it a chance and then cull it when it's really in trouble? I don't mind killing the chick, I just want to know why you all think it's best to kill it now.
Trust me I really want to let him grow, but seeing him the way he is just breaks my heart, ive heard storys of baby chicks like this and when they cant support there weight anymore (about 4-5 weeks) they just lay there, and what about when its time to go outside ? Is he just going to drag himself around ??? It truly sucks !!!!
Quote:Well, ya could give it some time if ya want, just to make sure, but if theres no chance it'll get better, why not just get it over with before ya get to dern attatched to it? From experience, there was a calf born last year that was badly crippled, his front legs looked like they had been cut off at the knees. Well me bein stupid I gave him a name and petted him for a while (actually, I put him in a stall and slept out there with him... for 2 weeks) and of course, I got to likin him. So it came time to put him down and I was sick about it for the next month. So what I'm sayin is, kill it before ya get to likin it that much, it'll be easier in the long run!
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is what is really right for our animals/livestock. Part of owning an animal is taking responsibility for it's life. When you have come to the realization that his future is of suffering and unable to live a quality life like another chick, then you know what you have. As humans we put our own views of life on animals that really have no opportunities we do. Our health care alone is beyond what can be done both physically and financially with most other living creatures. We have to learn the fine line between being able to save a life and being able to let one go when it is time. If other breeders/experienced chicken folk have tried and not suceeded, then take their experience and save yourself and the chick from the suffering. Being a livestock and pet owner most of my life, I had to learn this very early on. And I can reassure myself when I do have to put down an animal, that I have done what I could and hope that the animal knows how well cared for it was to the end.
