When a chicken seems beyond recovery, do you "end her suffering" or let her die naturally?

[Banana01]

Culling is necessary, but owners do it for their own peace of mind, not for the hen. Not all owners have the time to be chicken doctors and that is completely understandable. The philosophy is to cull the hen because it is just a chicken and people have lives, or other things that are more demanding of their time. As a retiree, what will bring you the most peace of mind? The choice is ending it or spending hours of medical care and perhaps saving her life. Only knowledge can end suffering. If you have time to treat, and are successful, the next time it happens you'll save her without even having to think about it. You may also gain knowledge in how to prevent it from happening, and that is the end of the suffering for you and your future hens.

I sense in my sick they have a strong desire to live longer, not suffering. I run a chicken ICU at my house full time if necessary. Some of my absolute favorite chickens that are alive today are survivors that were on their last breaths, but pulled through. I love seeing the hen with flaccid paralysis I saved using mouth to beak have a brood of babies. I love my wonderful dwarf chicken who lost half her head but is now able to live with the flock. My favorite pet I ever owned is my blind rooster, who should not be alive.

 

[Jenessa_09]

All I can see is him opening his beak quite Wide like he’s trying to get something down. I’m wanting to try some aspirin but not sure what to give to a 10 week old

Oh no, unfortunately I don’t think you can save her. We had A hand like that last year it was super weird she was just sitting there and paint panting we thought she was hot and so we left her in the coop we come the next day and she’s dead.

 

[SusanMc]

Culling is necessary, but owners do it for their own peace of mind, not for the hen. Not all owners have the time to be chicken doctors and that is completely understandable. The philosophy is to cull the hen because it is just a chicken and people have lives, or other things that are more demanding of their time. As a retiree, what will bring you the most peace of mind? The choice is ending it or spending hours of medical care and perhaps saving her life. Only knowledge can end suffering. If you have time to treat, and are successful, the next time it happens you'll save her without even having to think about it. You may also gain knowledge in how to prevent it from happening, and that is the end of the suffering for you and your future hens.

I sense in my sick they have a strong desire to live longer, not suffering. I run a chicken ICU at my house full time if necessary. Some of my absolute favorite chickens that are alive today are survivors that were on their last breaths, but pulled through. I love seeing the hen with flaccid paralysis I saved using mouth to beak have a brood of babies. I love my wonderful dwarf chicken who lost half her head but is now able to live with the flock. My favorite pet I ever owned is my blind rooster, who should not be alive.

I the same way. Still developing the knowledge but the will is there, right on .....

Unfortunately I'm not much help for respiratory issues since they range so much. It could be anything from him accidentally aspirating food/water to a full-on respiratory infection like pneumonia.

I would take him off bedding and put him on paper towels. Bedding, especially something like bark, can cause further irritation because of dust particles and make his condition worse.

You said he's wheezing, but does he have any other symptoms? Sneezing, coughing, runny eyes/nose?

 

[catballou]

Over 3 years of keeping hens, I've had several hens become "egg bound" (I believe) and they wind up dying slowly over the course of a week, the poor things seem so miserable, that I've considered "ending their suffering" and giving them a quick death. But my wife says we should allow them to die naturally.

This is the part of keeping chickens that I don't like--when they get ill, I feel that since they give their all for us, that we owe them medical care when they become ill--but we are retired, we have no extra money to consult vets, etc., so all we can do is give them a dry place to sleep, and enough food and clean water, and if they become ill, they have to either fight through it or expire. How about you? What do you do? Do you attempt medical interventions on your sick hens?

I try everything I can do first. You soak an egg bound hen and if that's not working, you try something else like lubrication
.You give medication when needed. You call a vet. You ask questions here. You do something for them until you can't. Then you euthanize. You can start the car and put them under the tailpipe in a crate instead of leaving them to suffer and die if you can't afford to get to a vet. But I figure all those eggs have saved me enough money to pay the $35.00 to have them euthanized.
I too am retired and living on SS and my savings. It's a moral obligation to me.

 

[catballou]

Is he stretching his neck at all? Or coughing/panting?

Give him medicine for that. Google it. Call a vet.