unfortuant incident

[gomer]

Feeding the birds this morning,Heard a flaping noise in a avairy.Further investigation found a diamond caught in a tussuck of grass.I untangled the poor sod.but unfortuantly,Had to dispatch it,As it leg was facing the wrong way and serverly damaged.Well thats a negative about split rings.I wonder if it would or could still happen with a closed ring.I would say i find about one a year caught in somthing in this manner.But what else can you do to keep track of them.I am sure there is many more positives to banding then negatives.

[GregH]

What a bummer. I don't know that was a risk. I did find a Star in the aviary once with a withered dead leg and no ring so I wouldn't blame it on the ring always. As you say there's more positives than negatives in regard to rings.

[Mickp]

as much as it hurts to lose any bird I would prefer the odd loss (like yours Gomer) to having no idea as to when the birds were hatched or who the parents are

[toothlessjaws]

thats a real downer gomer.

which makes me wonder - how did you euthanase the bird?

i'd be keen to know the most humane way to kill such a small bird should i ever need to do the same thing.

[Mattyboy]

What's the best way to quickly and humanely kill a bird, with the least amount of trauma to the bird and the keeper?
It's one side of the hobby I could never stomach. I tried it once and never again.

[Mickp]

using helium is quick and painless to both bird and keeper.
an upturned container with the bird placed on a wire floor roughly 30mm up into the container. then a gas line from the helium bottle into the container. the helium dispels the air in the container. it is all over within seconds, a quick pain free death. not that that makes it any easier to do

[jusdeb]

Didnt want to ring mine but in order to keep check of my original birds its a neccessary evil , rather ring them than sell a breeder by accident or have inbred birds.
I used the plastic split rings and the birds are hating it but the pros outwiegh the cons .
Sorry you had to go through this, it is sad to have to put a critter out of its misery but again another part of birdkeeping and the right thing to do.

[Will_36]

Sorry to hear of your loss gomer.
I've loss birds to getting caught in things without split rings on. Once lost a bird just in the fork of a shrub, so it can happen to any bird also the small gap between the seed catcher and hopper. . Sad to lose a diamond though.

[Diane]

What a shame.

[gomer]

Thanks all,
Yes it is very sad to see a bird in pain that way.As far as puting a bird out of its misery.With a finch I ring its neck,As you could imagine with such a small animal with a small neck,What the out come would be.But I think this is the quickest less painfull way for a small animal.And that is what i am thinking of while having to do it.I have had to do it to many hundreds of animals coming from a farm.And i cant say its any easyier the more times you have to do it to a living thing.Being a farm animal, pet or vermin.Thats the way it is on a farm.And i could well imagine how someone from the city would feel having to do this.But as i said putting the animal before yourself is much better for it,Than putting it off, or even taking it to a vet,And having the poor thing in pain for a longer period of time then needed.