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Raising backyard poultry is a rewarding experience, but also comes with many challenges, one of which is making difficult decisions about end-of-life when birds are suffering from a painful medical condition or their quality of life is starting to decline. Just as we can plan to give our birds a good life, we are fortunate in that we can also plan to make sure they have a good death when their time comes.
The word euthanasia comes from the Greek language with eu meaning good and thanatos meaning death. More practically, it means that we take measures to make birds as comfortable and calm as possible while they are going through the process of dying. In other words, we want to kill them humanely.
One of the things that makes euthanasia so difficult is that we have to decide when it should be done. The decision is sometimes taken out of our hands when birds have serious injuries or illnesses that will result in their death, regardless of the care we can provide. It’s much harder when birds are experiencing a gradual loss in quality of life or you might not be able to provide them with care to fix their illness for financial, practical, or personal reasons. This can easily create a sense of guilt if you feel like should have done more for your birds.
While there is no “right” time to euthanise, we are more in danger of making the decision too late rather than too early. Birds are very good at hiding pain, so if they are showing visible signs of being sick (weakness, not eating, hunched-up posture, not wanting to move), then they are already probably in a lot of discomfort. Providing them with a humane end is an act of care and compassion that will alleviate their suffering.
You don’t have to make the decision on your own. Your veterinarian can help you assess your bird’s quality of life and discuss the different options with you to find a way forward that’s best for both you and your bird.
The main thing that separates euthanasia from other ways of killing is what we do to make sure the animal becomes unconscious very quickly so that it doesn’t experience any physical or mental distress while their body is going through the active process of dying.
There are three methods that are commonly used to euthanise backyard poultry:
This is performed by a licensed veterinarian. They will usually start by giving the bird either injectable sedative drugs or inhaled anaesthetic gas to make it fall asleep just as though it was going under anaesthesia for surgery. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes for the drugs to work. Once the bird can no longer feel anything, the veterinarian will give an injection of a barbiturate (usually pentobarbital) that shuts down breathing and circulation, causing the bird to die. Sometimes birds will have some muscle spasms, make noises, or produce droppings when the injection is given. This is the body’s natural response to losing signals from the brain and not a sign that the bird is suffering.
Chemical euthanasia is generally a very peaceful procedure. Even veterinarians who aren’t comfortable with providing general medical care to backyard poultry will have the skills necessary to perform chemical euthanasia and may be willing to offer this service if you ask. If birds are euthanised chemically, their remains must be disposed of carefully to prevent other animals from eating them.
This method involves pulling the neck firmly away from the body with the right force and at the right angle to separate the spine from the base of the skull. When the joint separates, it damages the spinal cord and blood vessels in the neck. This causes the bird to become unconscious within about 40 seconds and death occurs shortly after as the brain runs out of oxygen. The neck has to be stretched lengthwise to dislocate the spine – breaking it further down or crushing the bones will cause more pain and discomfort, although the bird will still usually die within a few minutes. This technique is not usually recommended for inexperienced people.
For more information, check out: https://www.hsa.org.uk/neck-dislocation/manual
This method involves using a sharp knife to cut through the neck, completely separating the head from the body. Birds will become unconscious within about 15 to 20 seconds as the fluid from around the brain leaks out causing the brain to come in contact with the skull and get concussed. Death then follows from the lack of blood flow and oxygen to the brain. For this method to be effective, the head must be removed completely. If just the blood vessels are cut, the bird will remain conscious for up to 5 minutes. This is called exsanguination and is considered an unacceptable method of euthanasia. When you are performing decapitation, it is important to make sure the knives or scissors are very sharp and large enough to be able to cut through the neck in one single cut.
For more information, check out: https://www.hsa.org.uk/neck-cutting/neck-cutting
Chemical euthanasia is generally performed by a veterinarian, while cervical dislocation and decapitation are ones that backyard poultry keepers can perform at home if cost or circumstances prevent you from taking your bird to a veterinarian. As unpleasant as these may seem, keeping suffering birds alive is worse for their welfare even if you are not experienced with performing euthanasia or something goes wrong.
Check out this video from Sez the Vet with advice and demonstrations on how to euthanise chickens at home:
There are other humane methods for euthanasia out there like blunt force trauma, gas inhalation, and electrocution which are all described in the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. However, these need special equipment and special training to perform otherwise they are inhumane to the animal and potentially very dangerous to you.
If your bird died unexpectedly or you are not sure why it was sick, consider having a post-mortem examination done. Similar to the autopsies that are done on people to work out the cause of death, your veterinarian will be able to thoroughly check everything inside and out. This can help identify problems that may affect other birds in your flock and give you peace of mind that you made the right decision for your bird.
The last thing you need to consider is how to dispose of your bird’s remains. If they were euthanised by chemical means or died from an infectious disease or parasites, it is very important to make sure that their remains cannot be scavenged by other animals or wild birds as this can cause them to become sick.
The three most common disposal options are:
Always check your local council regulations if you live in an urban area before doing this to make sure it is allowed. The remains should be buried at least 0.5 m underground with large stones placed on top to prevent other animals from easily digging up the remains. Do not bury the bird near any wells, ponds, or creeks since this can contaminate the water.
Most veterinary clinics will be able to arrange for the body to be cremated in either a group cremation, where you don’t get the ashes back, or a private cremation, where the ashes are returned in a box for you to either keep or scatter. There is a cost associated with this, and it can be expensive if there are multiple birds.
If the death was caused by natural circumstances, you can bag the remains with several layers of plastic bags to prevent smell and stop animals from scavenging the remains.
Another option is burning the remains in a fire pit or wood pile, which is effective at killing off any harmful infectious pathogens or parasites but has an unpleasant smell. Larger poultry farms use composting, but this is again not an ideal option for backyard poultry keepers because of the smell and the risk of pathogens escaping into the soil.
While it’s never easy making the decision to euthanise a member of your flock who may be more like a member of your family, there are steps we can take to make sure it is a humane experience. If you are not sure about the cause of illness death, it can be useful to get a post-mortem examination to look for problems that may impact your other birds. It is important to choose an appropriate method of disposal for the remains to prevent other animals and humans from getting sick.
