What is the most humane way to kill a chicken?

[festivefeet]

I have an almost 8 week old chick that needs to be put out of her suffering.

I want to do it in a way that she will not suffer during the process.

I heard of someone mention peroxide and baking soda (but was left with no details).

I also was told by someone to put lighter fluid on a rag in a bucket and put the lid on the bucket and that she would just go to sleep and die within one minute. I don't know if this is true or not.

Please help me.

The thought of cutting her head off is beyond my capabilities.

J.

 

[shaggy]

Quote:
i am sorry that you have to put your chick down


peroxide and baking soda sounds a lot like "the exploding chicken" (probably a horrible way to go)


--- i've been around gasoline fumes and paint fumes before --- it was not a pleasant experience


i would go with chopping it's head off --- it is by far the fastest and most likely the least painful for the chick

sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest

 

[smokeater413]

a stump and a hatchet. It's harder on you than them, but by far the most humane for them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm sorry you need this site. And I'm glad you have the courage to put the chick out of it's misery. That is not easy but it is the right thing to do.

http://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/

This method should work for you. By all means, make a practice run before you try it. I'm not trying to persuade you to try any other method. To me, any way that is quick and sure is humane. If you are practiced with an ax and can be sure, that is humane. A sharp knife or scissors can be humane if you can be sure you'll have a steady hand. There are techniques to break the neck. You can rig up a car exhaust. Any of these can be humane. The key is what you can be sure that you can do.

 

[Vikkisrooster]

You have my pity...Its so hard when you become attached to pets and have to do that.Do you have a guy who can help you out? My brother had to do mine (he raises chickens..like thousands...)my husband couldn't do it.You can just ring their necks or do it over the edge of a bucket. I know it all sounds horrible but when they are suffering it is best. Good luck to you.

 

[MoodyChicken]

Quote:
That is an EXCELLANT source and I will be using that from now on! Thank you so much for sharing! I may have to employ this method pretty soon myself.

 

[festivefeet]

I am not looking forward to this in the least. She is loved and will be missed, but I can't let it go on anymore than it already has.

I will have my husband look at the home euthanasia site today and hopefully we can figure it out.

Thanks.
Jessica

 

[MoodyChicken]

Quote:
I am so sorry. I know it's very hard whatever method you choose. You're doing the right thing though.

If you feel you can't properly do the CO2 method, there are a few other ways. This is totally barbaric, but they honestly don't know what's coming to them so they feel no pain and no fear. Place the bird in a paper bag. Get her cozy and maybe throw a few seeds in the bag so she can eat and will be distracted. Seal the bag... and drop a large rock on top of it. She won't know what hit her.

Again, my sympathies go out to you.

 

[Cackling Hen]

I have found out the best way for me is have my hubby do it. I just cant YET!!! So he has tryed almost every way. The best for us is to take my sons Pellet Gun and he goes out by the fire pit. I run inside and hide

he says he pumps its up a few time and its over before I can blink. Good luck its hard but your making the right choice

 

[greathorse]

I am going to weigh in on the Carbon Dioxide method. This if done professionaly as (very debatably) a humane slaughter technique for chickens and turkeys. There is much debate around whether or not the animals feel the panic of suffocation or not. The processing plants that have done a ton of research and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars getting everything just right indicate that they see no sign of struggle and a slow apparently peaceful way of going. Others contend that if CO2 levels are not correct they observe the signs of struggle and panic.

I would be very fearful of using this very complex method, I think it is fraught with opportunity for error.

If small fire arms are an option a shot in the brain from a .22 is immediate. Second to that I think quick decapitation is immediate as well just harder to do.

In any case it is no fun and a very hard thing. In every case think of what is best for the animal before considering what is best for yourself.

Sorry