Chick with a backwards head

Should I let it die on it’s own or some other way?

  • Let die on its own

    Votes: 1 25.0%
  • Go ahead and get it over with

    Votes: 3 75.0%

  • Total voters
    4

Alyssa_owens

Hatching
Mar 18, 2018
6
0
2
GRAPHIC!!! well I had a chick hatch 3 days late and it struggled to get out. It hatched this morning and I didn’t see it until this afternoon. It’s head is literally on backwards. It’s not going to live but I don’t know what to about not letting it suffer. It can’t even walk.
 

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I’d make 100% sure there is something wrong, if so cull. It could hang on for days or longer and it would be cruel to let it die on its own.

Culling is something you gotta be prepared for when keeping animals. I had to cull a baby a few weeks ago.
 
GRAPHIC!!!! WARNING!!!:


Okay, so sometimes they look a bit weird when freshly hatched. However, being that late and if its been that long you are probably right about it being deformed. The best thing to do is to either cut/twist its head off or drop it in a bucket of water. Preferably the former, but I understand that not everybody has the heart for that. You could just let nature take it's course, but that would prolong suffering. It's up to you - it's not a fun situation and you should take care of it however you feel the most comfortable.
 
Yikes! I’d probably cull if it were my chick. I’ve not had to cull one yet, but when we have kittens born with severe deformities we would wrap them in a towel and place them in the freezer. They’d go quickly and quietly that way, if you can’t stomach doing it manually.
 
GRAPHIC!!!! WARNING!!!:


Okay, so sometimes they look a bit weird when freshly hatched. However, being that late and if its been that long you are probably right about it being deformed. The best thing to do is to either cut/twist its head off or drop it in a bucket of water. Preferably the former, but I understand that not everybody has the heart for that. You could just let nature take it's course, but that would prolong suffering. It's up to you - it's not a fun situation and you should take care of it however you feel the most comfortable.
well I think it also had to do with humidity issues because I only had it at 45 the entire 21 days. Most of the chicks hatched out of the wrong side of the egg. Could the humidity cause that? (I added the graphic part, sorry)
 
It could be that a drop of Poultry Nutri Drench MIGHT bring it around. It had a difficult hatch. It made it out without help? Sometimes it takes chicks up to 24 hours to sort out the "hatching stress" issues from the "congenital deformity" issues. I once had a chick born with curled toes. In the business of life, and the hatch, I delayed dealing with the orthotics for the toes until the next morning. The next morning, I couldn't find the chick, b/c the toes had straightened out. Your chick may be such a one. Though I doubt it. Not being there, and not getting to see the chick in real life, I can't make the judgement call. Only you can do that. But, if you think this chick has a chance, you might try getting a tiny bit of PND to wick into it's beak. Do not put a drop directly into it's mouth. @Blooie uses a q-tip soaked in PND, and wipes that on the chick's beak. You run huge risk of aspiration, but if you do nothing, the outcome looks extremely bleak. If the chick seems to make improvement, follow up with PND 2 - 3 x/day, and offer sugar water to her. If no improvement in 24 hours, then you could choose to cull. I use a pair of sharp garden clippers. Wrap the chick in paper towel and have a paper bag handy. I can cull a chick without ever having to see any blood, or even see the chick. (place the clippers in the correct position, cover with paper towel, clip and drop into the bag.)
 
well I think it also had to do with humidity issues because I only had it at 45 the entire 21 days. Most of the chicks hatched out of the wrong side of the egg. Could the humidity cause that? (I added the graphic part, sorry)

Yes. Humidity too high causes the chick to get too big to properly position herself for the hatch. The egg must loose the right amount of weight, and the air cell must be the right size for the chick to position properly. I run my humidity at 30 - 40% until lock down. Lay eggs flat at day 14 so the chicks can position.
 

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