first time ive ever killed something

i didnt expect it to feel so weird :|

so i was outside watering some plants i have when i stumbled across a little dove baby. ive had a couple of them roost in the eves of my house this summer so i wasnt surprised to see it. what did surprise me was the fact that it was missing an entire wing!
im not sure how long it had been like that, there was a little blood on it that was still a bit wet but it wasnt moving much. im not sure what got to it, or why it didnt finish the job, but it was obvious the little thing was on its last legs. when i picked it up i noticed that one of its legs was broken as well.
soooo i did what needed to be done. the poor thing was so fragile that when i tried dislocating its neck i did it so fast and hard that i pulled its head clean off. after that it was a little weird. ive never killed anything before and it was certainly an experience holding such a little bird in my hands while it was in its death throws.

im glad to say that the little thing didnt go to waste. i cleaned it, plucked it, and checked its organs (very healthy liver!) and basically fed all the meat to one of my cats. my other 2 cats were not interested at all lol, i guess they dont like dove meat :lol:

i guess this experience should help me for when i actually start raising rabbits.

It does feel weird--especially the first time you have to do it--but in cases of ending an animal's suffering, it is useful to know that you can handle it. And yes, the experience will help when you are raising rabbits.

:yeahthat:

When I had to euthanise a sick baby bunny I also ended up ripping the head off. I certainly was shocked at how fragile the babies were compared to an adult and felt puzzled. At least I knew he wasnt suffering anymore so that's what matters in the end.

MaggieJ":enjwrwpz said:

It does feel weird--especially the first time you have to do it--but in cases of ending an animal's suffering, it is useful to know that you can handle it. And yes, the experience will help when you are raising rabbits.

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yeah, ive definitely seen all the threads of others talking about the terminal issues their rabbits go through, im glad i know ill be able to take care of it now

KimitsuKouseki":enjwrwpz said:

:yeahthat:

When I had to euthanise a sick baby bunny I also ended up ripping the head off. I certainly was shocked at how fragile the babies were compared to an adult and felt puzzled. At least I knew he wasnt suffering anymore so that's what matters in the end.

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ill tell you one thing, it definitely spooked me a little bit

Psybird":73sthhzb said:

ill tell you one thing, it definitely spooked me a little bit

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Yup :lol: me too. I'm less weirded out by the skinless head then by a furry bodyless head. Part of why I skin my rabbits the way I do XD

I just ended up in the same boat as you. Certainly was a surreal experience. I was sad yes but I say it as more of a learning opportunity. Now i know i can go through with it.

Maleficent":5jhak2o8 said:

I just ended up in the same boat as you. Certainly was a surreal experience. I was sad yes but I say it as more of a learning opportunity. Now i know i can go through with it.

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That's good ^^ I'm glad the butchering day went well for you.

KimitsuKouseki":rx1wb9xt said:

Maleficent":rx1wb9xt said:

I just ended up in the same boat as you. Certainly was a surreal experience. I was sad yes but I say it as more of a learning opportunity. Now i know i can go through with it.

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That's good ^^ I'm glad the butchering day went well for you.

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Yeah, I was tempted to ask her if I could do one of the 11 mismarked dutch babies she had gotten for free as a first try. In the end she did step in to make sure she was gone. Kind of weird to hold a limp rabbit body. She helped me skin the doe in such a way I got the majority of her mane. Of courses she had to be in the middle of molt though. A lot of fur may slip.Oh, it turns out the doe wasn't 4+ years like we thought when I got her. She skinned way to easily. More like just over a year.

Psybird":e8fp9uzl said:

so i was outside watering some plants i have when i stumbled across a little dove baby. ive had a couple of them roost in the eves of my house this summer so i wasnt surprised to see it. what did surprise me was the fact that it was missing an entire wing!
im not sure how long it had been like that, there was a little blood on it that was still a bit wet but it wasnt moving much. im not sure what got to it, or why it didnt finish the job, but it was obvious the little thing was on its last legs. when i picked it up i noticed that one of its legs was broken as well.
soooo i did what needed to be done. the poor thing was so fragile that when i tried dislocating its neck i did it so fast and hard that i pulled its head clean off. after that it was a little weird. ive never killed anything before and it was certainly an experience holding such a little bird in my hands while it was in its death throws.

Click to expand...

I know this is an old post, but I would still like to say I'm glad you had the inner strength to do what needed to be done. I remember the first time I was in a similar situation. I was just out of high school, taking classes at junior college. After class I found a dove that was very sick. I wanted to help it, but after looking over it, I realized that even with the most expensive vet it would still most likely die.

A grounds keeper came by and offered to euthanize (dislocate the neck) the bird. I wanted to tell him that I agreed, that it would be the most humane thing to do. But I was not even able to say the words. I left quickly I'm sure he ended the birds suffering, but I was even scared to be around.

It took many years, but I was able to gain that inner strength. I do have piece of mind that I can end suffering, but it can sometimes come with the cost of sadness.