Does anyone else cry when they lose a chick?

[IroquoisEgg]

This is my 2nd loss and I am a newbie at raising chicks. I think they have Cocci, at least that's what I'm treating them for with Corid. I know it seems silly for a grown woman to cry about losing a baby chick, but it just gets me that I am trying so hard to get them well and still they are dying. A few more are still doing that sleepy, not really interested in eating/drinking, falling asleep standing up and they've been on the Corid for 3 days already....ugh what else can I do?? Maybe this chick thing is not for me, I seem to get so attached.

 

[joebryant]

I cry if Anne won't dispose of it and I have to.

 

[Karen_at_LittleBrook]

Awwww

Raising baby chicks is fun, interesting and rewarding.... but it can also be a lot of work and somewhat stressfull! We do all that we can do and sometimes someone dosent make it. These tiny, delicate little things are so endearing OF COURSE its OKAY to cry!!! I lost one after a week of dedicated care.... one that really was to small to survive. It was sad for me. I lost a total of two... one the very first day they arrived and the little one a week later. I thought a few time "Oh Lord, what have I gotten myself into"! But trust me... after I got over that thought its been all love

these little girls have brought me so many laughs & joy. I worry every day about them and if Im doing everything right, and I always will. So dont worry, everything will be okay. Try and enjoy your babies. Mine are 6 weeks old and spent their first night out in the coop just last night... and yep.... I teared-up!

We love our animals. That makes you a good person

Just do everything that you can to keep them comfortable and happy.... medicated chick starter, electrolyte water, and comfy warm....

Good Luck!!!!!! And Enjoy!!!!!!!

 

[ekemily]

of course it's OK to cry. They are babies, and when babies die, it's not easy.

 

[MattalynsBarn]

I cry like a baby!!!!!

 

[Patchesnposies]

Quote:
Oh yes, I have cried many times over chicks that I have lost. Especially the ones that you work so hard to save. One time we got a shipment of chicks in and there was a little dead one at the bottom of the box. This chick was deader than dead as far as I could tell. Smooshed, limp and starting to rigor.

I wrapped it in a paper towel and put it in the kitchen waste can. A little later one of my kids came running in to tell me that the little chick in the trash had "woke up!" Well, I grabbed that little bird and did everything I could think of to warm it up, put it under a heat lamp by itself, gave it sugar water with some electrolytes in it and fed him tiny bits of gruel. It took a whole day before I decided he was acting "normal." After that, he did great! My 6 kids christened him Lazarus, of course.

Yep, he did great, right up until one of the kids left the lid to the brooder ajar and the cat came and pounced him.

There were many tears. From all of us.

Hang in there. The joy your chickens will bring you will far out weigh the sorrows you will have as you go through the experience of owning chickens. You cannot have one without the other.

Where did you get your chicks? Hatchery or home raised? How long have you had them?

Have you posted to the Disease, Illness and Injury forum (sorry I know that is not the official name), but there are lots of really knowledgeable folks on there that may be able to help you save your babies.

Best of luck to you!

 

[mrslb333]

I sobbed for hours when one of my un hatched eggs had a dead baby chick in it, and then again when I lost a 5 day old quail. The thing is, if you nurture and care for a little life you grow attached and it's only human nature to cry when it dies.

Good luck with your others hopefully someone can give you some advice on the likely cause and treatment

 

[IroquoisEgg]

Thank you all so much, I am all teary just reading the posts. Yeah, I posted to the disease/emergency/injury section last week when I realized that something was definetly wrong. We came up with the likely cocci diagnosis, so I ran out and got the Cordid and started medicating them right away. That was Friday, but the night before I had already lost the 1st one. So, Ruby the Danish Brown I lost this morning, must have been too far gone when I started the meds. I brought 6 home from a feed store and so far, 2 of the 6 have died. I already had some from a different feed store and a few from a backyard type breeder. Those are all doing well so far. Except, now I am worried about 1 one of the silkies from the cocci feed store and my 2 Polish that I had from before the sick ones got here.

I was raised in a very animal/pet oriented family, my Husband did not they are more or less pretty much "it's an animal, animals die" not uncaring but not as emotional about them as me. My husband does understand how I feel although he is of the "just an animal" thought he gets my feelings and is sympathetic. I stayed home alone from a weekend at our little cabin in the mountains to take care of my babies and it thought I could beat this terrible parasite. My common sense part says survival of the fittest, but my heart just wrenches.

Thanks and any advice about different treatments or diagnosis would be greatly welcomed.

 

[oesdog]

Its ok to cry. This is my first year having chickens and my first year getting chicks. I lost two hens , one I found in the coop dead one morning for no reason at all.
We found out later she had been spooked in the night and bashed herself off the roof of the coop and broke her neck. I cried and cried. - Then remembered she was fat and a chicken! We lost another after that which was really not nice as she was very suddenly really ill with and prolapsed, the vet put her down. Again I cried for a week!
Now we have chicks and we lost a few along the way. Most just didn’t hatch and were dead in the shells. One tried to get out and I didn’t know it was in trouble and it died. I had real trouble with that because I heard him in the night and didn’t know and could have helped. Yeah I cried. We also had to cull and baby chick born with his stomach on the outside. I had to take him away from his mummy and that really crushed me but I knew we were doing the best thing. Now we have 6 baby chicks left all doing well 4 outside with the hen and 2 in the brooder from the hen that was put down so they have no mummy. - Yeah I cry like a baby! It is human and shows that we all care deeply and have a real love for our birds. - that doesn’t mean we stop eating chickens though!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy your chicks and take heart because you are doing all you can for them.

Oesdog

 

[Dora'smom]

I cry when I read on here that someone else lost a chick.