how to cope w/ chick mortality?

[ackie]

i prefer to have a rooster but i don’t hatch eggs. i just think the dynamic is better with one cockerel amongst the flock.

I meant in case my one male chick doesn't make it

 

[CSolis]

When ordering males, I only need one of each breed, but I get two that way worst scenario one dies, but scenerio, I get to pick the better of the two to keep

How about I just send you all the 'extra' male I hatch here at home?

 

[MissE]

To us, natures ways seem cruel at times. Survival of the fittest to propetuate the species. If all survived it would weaken and soon make extinct the species. Know that natures ways are right, take good care of the ones that live on to contribute to the next generation. It has always been that way.

 

[ackie]

Thank you all for your kind words. I know I am quite sensitive to be raising birds! I just love them so much....

nothing wrong with it at all

 

[Carson213]

I'm thinking I might need to edit my chick order for a backup male...

i prefer to have a rooster but i don’t hatch eggs. i just think the dynamic is better with one cockerel amongst the flock.

 

[Carson213]

i prefer to have a rooster but i don’t hatch eggs. i just think the dynamic is better with one cockerel amongst the flock.

if you get your chicks from a hatchery...they’re pretty well sexed. in my experience, it’s less than 5% of the time that you would get a male unless you wanted one. i’d be happy with one per 15 hens...just as crowd control

 

[ackie]

How about I just send you all the 'extra' male I hatch here at home?

haha I have plenty of my own mixed males, but I'm hoping to start a flock with a different breed

 

[chaoticandrew]

I assume that a certain percentage of chicks will die within the first week and chalk it up to abnormalities or defects. This is nature's way of culling weak, genetically unsound animals.

I also assume that when a chick dies that God needed one more perfect soul in heaven.

Both assumptions bring me a sense of peace.

That's a nice philosophy... they are perfect little souls, huh? I believe that my passed chicks and other pets are in the hands of my ancestors, and that gives me some peace. It's still so sad though.

 

[chaoticandrew]

To us, natures ways seem cruel at times. Survival of the fittest to propetuate the species. If all survived it would weaken and soon make extinct the species. Know that natures ways are right, take good care of the ones that live on to contribute to the next generation. It has always been that way.

you're right, thank you. mother nature is all about balance, both life and death. What I can do is take the best possible care of the surviving ones, and wish a peaceful rest to those who don't make it.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

How about I just send you all the 'extra' male I hatch here at home?

That would depend on what you have, honestly . I'm incredibly picky about breeds and I keep them all seperate so I don't get mix ups apart from my mix flock