Horrible chicken accident with my daughter

[Kusanar]

The last sentence made me laugh!
thank you!

You're welcome. That's what people always worry about when things like this happen. "Am I raising a future serial killer??" nah... just a kid... If she's still doing that at 10 or so... yeah.. might need to worry about it at that point but 4 year olds are barely human yet (not out of the brooder as it were)

 

[AntiqueB]

I agree that it takes a while to learn. My 7yo never had a pet until we got our chickens this summer. He terrorized them, chasing them because I guess it's both fun to see them run, and to have that power which a 7yo doesn't have anywhere else. I kept at him, letting the chickens take refuge on my lap, and it finally sunk in that it might be more fun to have them as playmates, rather than hiding under the deck. Now, they run to him because he digs holes for them to scratch in, and possibly dust bathe in.

Kids need time to learn, and the maturity to process what they learn. Your daughter is likely traumatized, never having imagined that her favorite hen could die and be gone forever. She will learn, and be fine.

Accidents happen. No one is to blame.

 

[samsnonna2048]

When my husband was about your daughters age he put a puppy in an outside milk box and it suffocated. Don't stress, she didn't do it on purpose. You're a good mom.

 

[SulkyBantam]

I'm so sorry.
It must be traumatic for you, your daughter and the living hen.
Helping her to understand that it was not the right thing to do, but not blaming or judging her at all, will prevent future accidents of this kind.

 

[path.otto]

My sister when she was smaller was holding a chick and squeeze it way, way to hard... And killed it.
This year I accidentally stepped on a 2-3 month old Pullet. She died.
Maybe your daughter was trying to cetch the hen, not kill them.

I'm pretty sure her daughter wasn't actually trying to kill the chickens on purpose for heaven's sake!

 

[Freie Family Farm]

My son is 5. He was banned from going near the ducks after a rock throwing incident. He claimed to be feeding them rocks to digest their food. Unfortunately he wasn't aware that the rocks are called grit and are usually tiny, not the size of their heads. Hes better now (that was 4 months ago) and hes super gentle with them now. We read all sorts of animal books and try to teach him what is ok to do vs what isn't. Its just a lesson the need to learn

 

[alohamoa]

When i was a child i chopped the head off one of my chickens with a shovel, i was gardening and it just appeared out of nowhere to snatch a worm......... as i slammed the shovel into the ground......... my mum ran down the garden to me screaming, covered in blood, needless to say that little episode haunted me for a few years and nearly gave my poor mother a heart attack.

Wow! Thanks for sharing!

 

[CHlCKEN]

Something terrible happened today. My four year old daughter was playing with the chickens like she always does while I was nearby puttering around the farm. We leave and walk back to our house. When I return to feed about three hours later I open the feed container and inside are two hens that my daughter trapped.
One is dead and the other one jumps right out and carries on with life. I am obviously horrified and know I’m 100% to blame for not supervising my kid more closely. Feeling all kinds of guilt of failing as a mom etc etc....Needless to say she is no longer going in without me watching her closely.
Now that the initial shock has somewhat worn off my curious mind can’t help but wonder how the Australorp died while the Barred Rock was fine? Maybe the BR trampled it? Or it suffocated? The Australorp was definitely lower on the pecking order but it had no wounds.
Also, my daughter doing this obviously has me worried. She loves her chickens and can’t wait to hold them and pet them every day and I can’t believe she did this. Anybody have any stories to share of their kids doing harmful things to animals without thinking anything of it? Thanks in advance.

I’m so sorry this happened. Children don’t know what they are doing is harmful, they don’t understand injuries and death. She loves her chickens and thought she thought she was playing with them... It’s wonderful your daughter spends time with them. As a young child I would definitely supervise her. A friends two year old comes over all the time. We used to host youth group fall parties at our property before COVID. My mare was in the back next to the fence where they were all screaming and yelling. It scared her so much I had to put her in the stall (they were going to use her field so I couldn’t put her out there) One of them stepped on my chickens foot to. She was alright, but it scared me half to death! I’ve seen kids THROW their chickens to make them “fly” before. I can imagine that it’s scary for the birds.

Be careful. Make sure you watch her when she’s out with them. I’m so sorry you lost your bird, but I’m glad you caught it in time to save the other one. Your daughter seems like someone who loves the animals, I believe as she grows up, she start to become more gentle with them. You should teach her how tohandle them. Hold them, Touch them, and Pick them up. Teach her not to chase them, not to throw them, and the right way to hold them.

I hope everything will be alright after this. Just be careful. I’m sorry you lost your hen

 

[LizzzyJo]

I am so sorry for this. I wouldn’t have her avoid chickens all together but instead retrain her on how to be gentle.

My thought process leads me to the hen having been killed and then placed into the container. Maybe too hard of a hug or an accidental grab breaking it’s neck. She then put it into the container. The second was also placed in, but without the poor luck.

Does she remember the process? She should.

 

[DogAndCat36]

There was also this one time that I and my sister got one of the chicks and put it on a stool and forgot about it. Found it hours later cold and sick, it survived.