The Poultry Keeper

Ottwell · Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 16 Location: North Cheshire

Hi All,

We will be setting our eggs on Thursday in our new incubator (Whoopeeee!).

As it’s our 1st attempt we have been sponging as much info as possible from the net and various forums but have not come across anything covering the most humane way of dispatching sick or deformed ickle chicks .

If we have any problems it will be up to me to “do the deed” which I have no problem with otherwise we wouldn’t have agreed to start breeding, we feel it comes with the responsibility. I just want to have a few different options to try if put into the situation.

I can’t see the broomstick method working well....................

Looking forward to your learned advice.

Cheers

Ottwell

[6 x Ixworths 2 x Blue Comets 2 x Black Comets 1 x Amber Rocket 1 x Golden Rocket]

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1178 Location: Manchester

I know this doesn't sound pleasant but but this is what I do and it works really well for me.

it's quite simple and requires no skill at all - it's never easy though.

I sit quietly with the chick, holding it's body in my left hand and head in my right, take a few deep breaths, apologise to the chick and then when it's calm I firmly pull my hands apart. The chicks head ends up in one hand and body in the other. There's little blood and I keep hold of it till it's reflexes . By pulling the head all the way off (which on a chick up to about 3 weeks old requires very little effort) I can be 100% sure I've done the job. That's how I dispatch bantams for eating too - large fowl are too tough for that though!

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1325 Location: Leicestershire

I was going to suggest a similar thing. . . .

I had a deformed chick hatch out a few days ago - its neck was bent over its back and it couldn't stand, I snipped it's head off with a pair of kitchen scissors.

Itsybitsy

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3014 Location: Monmouthshire

I have a pair of semark pliers to do the job having disgusted myself by pulling off a chick's head when I only intended to break it's neck. Simple and bloodless - and with autosexing breeds you just know there'll be some day olds to cull.

debcat · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:01 pm Post subject:

I've got a pair of surgical forceps, the sort that lock together when closed
simple, easy and quick

Ottwell · Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 16 Location: North Cheshire

Magpie · Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 541 Location: Norfolk

I had to do a 7 day old chick last week but as the vet wanted it for a PM I had to use neck dislocation - hold the neck against the sharp edge of a table and press hard with your thumb, it takes surprisingly little effort to make the neck "pop" and you know it's gone, it will still flap though.

Tim

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1178 Location: Manchester

That sounds like a good way of doing it for very young chicks.