When do I humanely put hen down?

[hlang2]

My hen stopped moving 4 days ago. She won't open her eyes. I have separated her, given her a heat lamp, fed her oatmeal, and given her Tylan50. She is no better today than four days ago and hasn't eaten or drank for three days. Has enough time passed for me to put her down? I don't want her to just slowly starve to death. I don't think that is humane.... Thoughts in if it's time?

 

[Bridger Davis]

Welcome to BYC! I'll tag some people but I think it's time... Sorry to hear about your sick girl! @chickens really @drumstick diva

 

[lazy gardener]

Absolutely. If she was going to improve, she would have by now. YOu will do her a kindness by ending her suffering. For the novice, I recommend the broomstick method. Realize that any movement you see after you have "done the deed" is simply nerves firing. They will continue to fire randomly for some time, even if the bird's head is completely removed from her body! If you're squeamish about it, have someone help you.

 

[chickens really]

Yes....Sadly it's time....
I get my Son to Cull my Chickens for me...He shoots them in the head...Sad but quick...

 

[Kusanar]

Absolutely. If she was going to improve, she would have by now. YOu will do her a kindness by ending her suffering. For the novice, I recommend the broomstick method. Realize that any movement you see after you have "done the deed" is simply nerves firing. They will continue to fire randomly for some time, even if the bird's head is completely removed from her body! If you're squeamish about it, have someone help you.

I second that. Dead animals can do an impressive amount of moving due to nerves firing. They can even react to stimulation to some degree because a lot of that comes from the spinal cord not the brain.

 

[Smuvers Farm]

Chiming in and agree.... it's time... at this point she is just suffering.... help her by ending her suffering.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I agree with the others. It is time. But I would add that you should send the bird off to your state poultry lab for necropsy and lab tests so you know what was killing her. Then you'll know if you need to treat your other birds and possibly the housing as well.
Here is your lab in CO.
http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/vdl/Pages/default.aspx
An even better option is to take the live bird there for humane euthanasia, that usually doesn't add to the cost.

If you do so, be sure to tell them you had given tylan because that can skew the results.
Never a good idea to administer antibiotics without a diagnosis that the animal is actually infected by a bacteria that can be cured by that antibiotic..

 

[chickens really]

I agree with the others. It is time. But I would add that you should send the bird off to your state poultry lab for necropsy and lab tests so you know what was killing her. Then you'll know if you need to treat your other birds and possibly the housing as well.
Here is your lab in CO.
http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/vdl/Pages/default.aspx
An even better option is to take the live bird there for humane euthanasia, that usually doesn't add to the cost.

If you do so, be sure to tell them you had given tylan because that can skew the results.
Never a good idea to administer antibiotics without a diagnosis.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

So sorry about your hen. Agree that if you can find out the reason for her illness, it may save others in your flock! You have gotten lots of good information here, good luck with a hard job, just remember it's part of good animal husbandry.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

My hen stopped moving 4 days ago. She won't open her eyes. I have separated her, given her a heat lamp, fed her oatmeal, and given her Tylan50. She is no better today than four days ago and hasn't eaten or drank for three days. Has enough time passed for me to put her down? I don't want her to just slowly starve to death. I don't think that is humane.... Thoughts in if it's time?

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Sorry for your trouble.

I agree that if she were being treated correctly she would be showing signs of improvement by now if she were going to. Thing is, it may be time to put her down now.. but there are so many things you don't tell us...

You say hen, how old is that? Does she lay, if so when was the last time? Have you seen poo, before she was dosed and hadn't eaten for a while? Were they regular? Ever had fecal float done to check for worms? Beside from the oatmeal that your tried to feed, what does she normally get to eat including treats and supplements? How many birds, in how much space, free range? How long have you had her?

Stopped moving... in the middle of the yard, in a lay box, on roost, standing up, laying down, hunched, eyes closed...? Was there signs of difficulty prior like stumbling or sneezing?

For future reference, oats is probably OK to try... but scrambled egg is good or maybe even some yogurt. Sometimes wetting the feed a little help. And hydration is key as they are more likely to die from dehydration than starvation. You can use an electrolyte mix (super simple homemade recipe), which in addition could have probiotics or vitamins added.. and would be my go to before tossing unverified cures that might actually do more harm than good. Please note we are all friends here (mostly), and I mean this as support. So for a bird who isn't drinking, I would administer a drop of water on top of the beak just below the nostrils.. they will usually instinctively gobble and swallow as it flows around into their mouth. For those who really need the help I will even do a drop of the liquid vitamins (I got bird ones from the pet dept.) straight to the beak like that. Oh but one of my favorite things to offer to try and help a bird, sometimes as a last resort would be an egg yolk, raw and from my own flock. Loaded with nutrients and micro nutrients that are so easy to digest it's what chicks are born with to sustain the for the first few days of life.

I have had to make these very difficult decisions. Even culled a 3 day old chick, just this week that I could tell was having failure to thrive. Sorry that you are faced with this. Even though we have processed our own meat/cockerels, it's much harder to cull a hen emotionally. But once I make that decision, I now that I made the best decision I could for the quality of life for myself and for the bird. But also by not allowing illness and disease to come live among the weak and spread to the flock, so for my other birds as well. I can't second guess myself. I know I made the best decision I could with the information I had available at the time. I wish I didn't have to, unfortunately if we keep pets or livestock, losing them is way too often part of the deal.

Here is a link on how to pack a bird for necropsy and they will take it with it's head off if that happens...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures.799747/

By the time they quit eating it's often much worse than we realize since they are prey animals and will hide it as long as they can.

Hope for a speedy recovery or quick (humane as possible) passing. And for you to be at peace with your choice even though it hurts.

I agree with the others. It is time. But I would add that you should send the bird off to your state poultry lab for necropsy and lab tests so you know what was killing her. Then you'll know if you need to treat your other birds and possibly the housing as well.
Here is your lab in CO.
http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/vdl/Pages/default.aspx
An even better option is to take the live bird there for humane euthanasia, that usually doesn't add to the cost.

If you do so, be sure to tell them you had given tylan because that can skew the results.
Never a good idea to administer antibiotics without a diagnosis that the animal actually in infected by a bacteria that can be cured by that antibiotic..

I emphatically agree with this post. Antibiotics for one will not kill a viral infection and for two also kill beneficial bacteria in addition to the bad ones, and three will takes it's toll on an already weakened bird.