Doing what needed to be done- first euthanasia

[Duckduckgoosie]

Thank you, I appreciate everyone’s kind words.

 

[Mrs. K]

the coup de grace!

 

[gtaus]

Not sure what forum to put this in but I just euthanized my first chicken.

That was hard, but I did it, and when I have to do it again some day again I hope I will be even quicker.

I’d promised myself I wouldn’t get chickens again unless I was willing to do this part too.

Sad. Relieved I could do it, a little.

Caring for animals means sometimes you might have to put down a creature under your care. If you can get over that hurdle, then you come to realize that it is better for the animal, and you. You can't enjoy a lifetime of raising animals if you can't accept the notion that you will sometimes have to euthanize a creature. Sounds like you are handling the situation very well. Good for you.

 

[3KillerBs]

Well done.

Highly responsible of you to cull the genetic issue instead of passing it on to someone else.

 

[aldarita]

The hardest thing about keeping animals is having to make the decision to euthanize them. It is never easy, especially if they are pets and you have a kind link to them for whatever reason. Death is part of Life and I truly believe that easing their way from long time suffering when it is very evident there is no other choice, is the best solution. The hardest part for me has always been to decide when is the time to do it.

 

[Duckduckgoosie]

The hardest thing about keeping animals is having to make the decision to euthanize them. It is never easy, especially if they are pets and you have a kind link to them for whatever reason. Death is part of Life and I truly believe that easing their way from long time suffering when it is very evident there is no other choice, is the best solution. The hardest part for me has always been to decide when is the time to do it.

Yeah. I went with the get-it-over-with-asap approach once I just realized I was certain about what I needed to do.

Hopefully I can rehome the other (not related) Roos.

I’m not sure I want to hatch again, I like feeling bonded to friendly birds but this part is hard.

But ultimately- I can do it. I feel like I grew in my skills this week, and the quality of my flock and care feels really special, if that makes sense.

 

[gtaus]

But ultimately- I can do it. I feel like I grew in my skills this week, and the quality of my flock and care feels really special, if that makes sense.

Yes, you can do it. And it sounds like your animal management skills have graduated to another level. I know I take great pride in caring for my animals, and being able to handle everything from birth to death is an important part of my skill set.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

The kindest and most mature thing we can do is to put a suffering animal down. They do not understand anything other than food, flock attachment, and pain. By the time they show health issues, they are suffering deeply, because they are wired to hide pain, but they don't understand any emotional "big picture" or saying "goodbye to the flock." They just know they hurt.

It is also cruel to allow a genetic fault to continue forward or make it someone else's headache. The small kindness perceived by allowing them to breed forward is soon followed with much misery in the flock. Nature would cull it out quickly.

Give yourself time. While euthanasia is hard, it is part of chicken keeping. I find overall the joys greatly outweigh the pain (as I watch my broody hen with her 8 new little chicks today).

Sorry for your loss.

LofMc

 

[allen wranch]

I do not post as often as I used to, but I do follow posts that are close to my heart (or are about Spitzhaubens).

I am very sorry for your loss, and I understand how hard it is.

Several years ago I posted this on another forum. I go back and read it to myself every once in a while as a reminder.

”Nobody ever said having animals would be easy. Most of the time it is, but you have to deal with reality. The reality that nothing lives forever, you can't cure all illnesses and injuries, sometimes you have to let nature take its course, and often you need to end suffering for the sake of the animal.

During the many years Henry and I have had chickens, we have experienced all of the above. I have found healthy birds dead for no reason and cried as I held dying birds on my lap so they would have comfort and peace in their last hours. Chickens form relationships with other birds, and I have also seen them mourn when a buddy dies.

The hardest part is ending an animal's suffering, especially if it is a favorite. Euthanasia by my vet is often the choice I take, but sometimes an animal is so ill or injured (Chickens can hide their problems very well until the end.), that I know the right thing is to do it now, and do it quick.

Henry is the one who "does the deed" for me. He takes the bird behind the barn out of my sight. When he is done, he puts it in a bag and in the freezer while I am conveniently someplace else. When we collect a lot of wood on the burn pile (and there is no county Burn Ban) we cremate our dead birds in the freezer. Henry is kind and gets the birds while I am not looking, then lets me know when the pile has burned down to un-recognizable ashes.

Henry is not here today, and I had to "do the deed" myself. I found an old hen on the floor of the coop this morning. I thought she was dead. When I picked her up to put her in the freezer, she moved slightly, raised her head, and looked into my eyes. She was very thin and had hidden her condition well. It was time for her suffering to end, and my time to deal with the realities of owning animals.”

 

[saracarver3]

How to you do it? For any future situations I pray don’t happen. I always wonder what I would do with a deformed chick or a serious health condition.