Yesterday one of my Silkie girls decided to help a chirping egg, she opened the shell and a tiny scrap of a chick fell out of the remainder of the eggshell. Luckily I was there to witness the happening and I promptly put the chick under another of my broody hens... this morning it was alive and chirping.. great I thought!
This afternoon, the hen that had been nurturing the chick was nowhere to be seen... the "dead" chick was in the nesting box .... very cold body, legs out backward and stiff... I lifted the dead chick from the box and held it in my hands... apologising and tearful at the loss of such a young life ( as you do...!) I was about to dispose of the dead body when one of the wings moved slowly... I was not sure that I had in fact seen this happen as the chick was dead...
I held the dead chick in my hands and rushed up to the house.. lit the oven and warmed it up.. Yes... really! I had been holding the lifeless and floppy headed chick in my hands and it opened it's beak. I put it in the oven at a low temperature and after an hour it was chirping... amazing! I have given it water and chick crumbs... tonight it is under one of my broody hens and it may survive.. I do hope so!
Never give up hope until a dead chick is dead....I am still in awe at the miracle of this chick... it deserves to live a happy and healthy life here - hopefully it will keep thriving.
Be sure that there is no hope before you dispense of a dead chick... I have learned something today that I would never before have thought possible....
This afternoon, the hen that had been nurturing the chick was nowhere to be seen... the "dead" chick was in the nesting box .... very cold body, legs out backward and stiff... I lifted the dead chick from the box and held it in my hands... apologising and tearful at the loss of such a young life ( as you do...!) I was about to dispose of the dead body when one of the wings moved slowly... I was not sure that I had in fact seen this happen as the chick was dead...
I held the dead chick in my hands and rushed up to the house.. lit the oven and warmed it up.. Yes... really! I had been holding the lifeless and floppy headed chick in my hands and it opened it's beak. I put it in the oven at a low temperature and after an hour it was chirping... amazing! I have given it water and chick crumbs... tonight it is under one of my broody hens and it may survive.. I do hope so!
Never give up hope until a dead chick is dead....I am still in awe at the miracle of this chick... it deserves to live a happy and healthy life here - hopefully it will keep thriving.
Be sure that there is no hope before you dispense of a dead chick... I have learned something today that I would never before have thought possible....
