"Hatch a Long" Setting eggs June 7th

[Angiebubs]

Unfortunately, I came home yesterday to find it laying there and appeared to be dead. I picked it up and couldn't feel any breathing or movement. They every couple of minutes it would move its beak in a gasp type slight movement. It was obviously suffering, and I had my SO put it down. I wanted to just leave it but he said it was still suffering. :-( Thanks for all the input though.

 

[emorems0]

I lost mine too And the worst part was that her feet/legs were all fixed! I had taken the chick shoes off the day before and her feet looked great, she was running around with the other chicks, had lots of energy, was eating/drinking/pooping like normal. She got the hobbles/leg brace thing off yesterday morning by herself and was walking/running/jumping all around. She was doing AWESOME.

Then the heat lamp broke yesterday afternoon. It was 74 degrees in our house and actually only 70 outside (which is extra annoying because it's been up in the 80s for the past few weeks so I couldn't even take them outside to warm up). Anyway, it took several hours before we could get a replacement bulb and I didn't realize how sensitive the chicks would be to the cooler temps. I expected they would huddle up for warmth if they were too cold, but they really didn't. They DID make a lot more noise than normal though. Henny Penny was the smallest chick so the cold affected her before the bigger chicks; I found her laying on her side about an hour or two before DH got home with the new bulb. She was totally unresponsive and limp. I warmed up a heating pad and laid her on it and tried to give her some of that electrolyte water, but I was too late.

I was a lot more sad than I expected, I think because I was so proud of myself for getting her feet all fixed up. She was a glowing success for just one day until some other hardship did her in. After Henny Penny passed, I put the heating pad (in a ziplock, covered in a papertowel) in the brooder for the other chicks... they immediately snuggled up next to it. Wish I had done it sooner... it's our first time with chicks and it's a learning process I guess, I just wish it hadn't cost Henny Penny

 

[Angiebubs]

em: I am seriously starting to believe that those that have issues when hatched, maybe have more wrong with them than it first appears. The 3 that seemed to have struggled with hatching all ended up dying. My one with the foot issue-When I had first found her, mom was off the nest with the other 3 and had abandoned her. I have heard that when a hen abandons a chick or egg (shoved out of nest etc) there is usually something wrong that the mom some how senses. I have one other that hadn't completed absorbed the yolk and had that and umbilical cord for awhile. Even though this one seems to be thriving now, it is smaller than the others too!

As far as the heat, it is all a learning lesson and who knows-there might have been something else wrong with her. After all the others made it just fine! I have these little re usable heat pack things I keep around for either injured chicks, transporting chicks etc.....very convenient. Also, you can always put hot water into a Ziploc, double bag it and put with the chicks if your in a fix. So how many do you now have? And again I am so sorry for your loss with Henny Penny!