6 week old chick seriously injured

[reverendmama]

My 3 year old child hit one of our Rhode Island Red chicks with a big stick, repeatedly, before I could get over to the other side of the yard and stop it. I am so horrified, I don't even know what to say. At first, the chick was limp and seemed dead. I wrapped her up and held her for a few minutes and she opened her eyes. She fought out of the wrap, so I let her out and she stood up for a minute.

We normally give the chicks baby vitamins after they come in from playing outside. We started doing this because we lost 4 faverolles to what appear to have been leg problems. So, I gave this injured chick her vitamins and she drank them. She seemed upset by my holding her and keeping her away from the flock, so I put her back into the brooder.

She just wants to lie near the light, with her legs curled to the side. She's shaking. She's gotten up and limped a bit a few times, but only when the other chicks tried to climb all over her to get away from me.

I've banned the children from the room.

I have no experience with chickens and I'm doing a crappy job! Is there anything I can do to help this poor chick? How would I even go about figuring out what she needs? Should I just watch her and see if she pulls through.

This is so awful. I can't believe I let this happen!

 

[mrszlopez]

Try not to beat yourself up about it. If your family has no experience with chicks, then you just have to direct your little one on how to properly treat them. Do your best to prevent it from happening again. Maybe try telling them that they're like little tiny babies & they have to be very gentle with them & show your kids the right way to handle them. i wouldnt ban them from the coop entirely, just without supervision. As far as the chick, i would give it some time, she might still be in shock from the whole ordeal. Keep a close eye on her & make sure she is still eating and drinking. if need be, seperate her so the others dont accidentally trample her and whatnot. If there are any broken bones or if there is neurological damage, you should notice pretty easily. lots of luck & keep updated

 

[TeamChaos]

When one of our baby chicks got a bump on the head, she exhibited stargazing/wryneck symptoms- just a head's up in case you start to see any of that (walking backwards, falling over, twisting the head). I opted to follow a website's advice and dose her w/ meds for brain swelling and she's still with us to this day!

Beyond that, I'm guessing she feels crumby and still kind of shocky. I'm guessing she'll have some bruising and sore muscles and will not like children or sticks (it happens). My heart goes out to you, I bet you're feeling the worst out of anyone in the equation!
Best of luck to all of you!

 

[kemclaughlin]

It's really awful when one of your kids hurts one of the chicks! I know from experience... It's awful because you feel bad for the chick that you feel as though you've failed to protect, and you feel really bad for your child who did not know better, but does know they did something really bad. I am so sorry!

You are getting really good advice from these other members, I just wanted to let you know that you are definitely not the only person this has happened to...

 

[Miss Lydia]

X2 and

 

[reverendmama]

Thank you all so much. I really appreciate it. It's so difficult sometimes to manage my expectations of my children with the reality of their age and development. My oldest is 10 and knows and understands consequences, etc. Watching my youngest beat an innocent animal made me FREAK. I had to step back and reframe it from "my 3 yo child is a sociopath" to "I need to teach my child how to behave around these animals."

He is all about the reactions and the drama, and he couldn't have asked for a more dramatic reaction from his mama! Thank you for letting me know that my child isn't the only one...

Lucy, our RIR, is doing much better. She is alert, eating and drinking. But, she is limping badly. She tries not to put any weight on her left leg. I'm having a hard time figuring out where it is injured and what she needs. She is still using her left foot to scratch her chin... Any ideas or advice?

I'm so glad to have found this community! Thanks again!

 

[TeamChaos]

My RIR is Lucy also! I'm guessing she is sore- if she's still got movement in her toes but just won't put weight on it, she might have some swelling in the joint that will take time to reduce.

 

[mrszlopez]

Quote:
Ditto. Give her some time to show improvement. Lots of Luck

 

[reverendmama]

I'm so amazed and happy to report that Lucy seems FINE! She's walking normally and is back to being the Queen of the Flock. My husband and I didn't fully realize her role until we saw all of the other chicks imitating her one-legged stance. LOL You know, like how the Queen with the broken finger got everyone to stick out their pinkies when sipping tea? Lucy had all of the other chicks standing on one foot! Hilarious.

We are so relieved. Thank you again for the reassurance and kind advice!

 

[mrszlopez]

So glad to hear she's pulling through okay !!