hatched a chick w/ one eye, slight crooked beak.

[glowworm]

Not sure if I am posting this in the right section...it's kinda a mix between three forum topics....

I just hatched a one-eyed chick from a bunch of mixbreed chicken eggs from someone on this forum.

There's one normal eye, and one totally missing eye (no eye socket). THe chick's beak is slighty crooked (about 1/4 off).

It's only been out of the hatcher an hour or so, so at this point I'm not sure if it will act like a normal chick. It's moving to the correct warmth spot, but besides that I don't know yet.

If it starts to eat & drink, there's no reason to cull it, right? Does anyone have experience with a chick born like this?

 

[gabrielle1976]

Nope no reason to cull it, as long as it can eat drink poop and walk its fine.

 

[Katy]

It may be fine now, but it probably won't be in the long run. I had one hatch like that last summer and against my better judgement I didn't cull it right away. As time went on the beak got worse, which I knew it would from past experiences, and I eventually had to cull it when it was much bigger and harder to do. It got so bad it couldn't eat at all and I wasn't going to let it slowly starve. Much easier to cull when it's a day old.

 

[MissPrissy]

Missing and eye and a cross beak often is a cursor to more severe problems. Those chicks usually die. When they do manage to live it is rare for them to make it to adulthood without a lot of help on the owners part.

The chicken world is cold and cruel. If it makes it to an age where it is put in to live with the flock they will most likely cull it. Nature has programed chickens to cull their own for the better of the flock as a whole. Weakness and handicap leaves the flock vulnerable and defenseless. Not a pretty site to see one that has been culled by the flock.

You will have to tend it for most of its life making sure it has its own little coop and deep water and feed troughs.

I urge you to prepare yourself though, if it weakens and lingers, you may have to cull it yourself.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

I have hatched two just like that. Seems there is a connection between the crossed beak and missing eye. I didn't cull....one died the next day, one died after about a week. Sorry you are having to deal with this.

 

[PQ]

If its eatting and drinking let it live if it wont cull it wait for 2 days and see what it does.

 

[glowworm]

Thanks.

I'm secretly hoping it doesn't want to eat & drink because culling it will be a lot easier for me. I won't have that "what if" feeling involved.

I also feel like I could cull it easily before I get attached. I'm a vet tech so I'm used to euthasania when it's needed; but if I get attached to an animal it's a whole different ball game.

 

[BawGock]

Quote:
We had the same experience. The beak got worse and there were a lot more things wrong with the chicken other than the beak, too.
You may be making your life and the chick's easier in the long run if you cull.
Thats my 2 cents.
But that's a decision only you can make.
Carolyn

 

[PQ]

Quote:
Agree fully, same feelings here when it comes to animals!

 

[farmgirlie1031]

I had one hatch like that It only lived 4 days. I think it was just a fluke because I have several other very healthy normal chicks out of the same hen. I thought about not hatching anymore of her eggs but I love all the chicks I have gotten from her so I am going to hatch more unless they end up deformed also and then her eggs will be just for eating and she will just be a pet.