I am bad chicken mom and now my babies are grieving I think

[MrsChickenTender]

ADVICE! I have 3 - 8 week old chicks that hatched around same time and now roam the yard together. Well one (americauna/easter egger) I accidentally killed last night cause she was roosting on the track of garage door around 9pm (I keep the younger ones in the garage until I can sort out the space in my barn so my older ones don't bully them to death) and I didn't see until she flew down but I'm assuming it ran over her neck/head cause she had seizures until she passed away around 2 am in my hands after a final seizure... I let her 2 flock mates see her and they tried moving her with their beaks making the softest sounds I've ever heard from a chicken...
Well- her 2 flock mates (I have around 20 but this was a little gang) have not been as loud as usual, soft little chirps... I've noticed the small little hen just been laying around all morning... she ate a bit from my hand and drank ... but she seems very sad... is that possible for a chicken to mourn their friend like this? Or could she possibly have fallen ill in 8 hours? She looks good as day before, just so.... sad...
Picture is of the 2 left (cochins) , cuddling with me this am as I cried over the fact I murdered my first ever hatchling and let her suffer instead of putting her down when it first happened. I tried a small syringe of water mixed with electrolyes when she became unresponsive right before the last seizure...thought she was just in shock....

And just to add, they do have their own pen inside my garage. It gets dark around 9:30 and I go out at 8/9 to lock them up when I feed my horse .
I attached pics of the 2 remaining - cuddling me this AM as I wept in guilt....

 

[nuthatched]

Sorry for your loss, accidents happen and you shouldn't beat yourself up.
if it is grief and not an illness, they'll be fine in a few days. if it is an illness, is there any other symptoms beside lethargy?

 

[MrsChickenTender]

Sorry for your loss, accidents happen and you shouldn't beat yourself up.
if it is grief and not an illness, they'll be fine in a few days. if it is an illness, is there any other symptoms beside lethargy?

Sorry for the late reply, holiday weekend and chickens keeping me busy but now since it's been a couple days I've noticed the little hen and roo are starting to lose weight. They have a mix of cracked corn, omega 3 free range purina, and medicated chick starter all mixed up and I have one i soak in water since we are reaching triple digits. She lays around a lot still , clear eyes, Nice poop, regular breathing... but I noticed she has a stolen toe joint and it's HOT to the touch. She doesn't like it touched so I'm assuming she may have a broken toe ... but doesn't explain the weight loss in the both of them. Only noticeable cause they were plump underneath, now I feel that bone under them. Maybe they really are greiving or could it be the heat? I put electrolyte powder for My horse in a separate water for the chickies, and they have regular water. ( yet still chose to drink from the mud or drains by the house ) we also are on 3 acres and they are all free range. Locked up in evening soon as they all mosey on in their coop, and let out around 5-8am.

 

[MrsChickenTender]

This is baby bell bottoms today... if I am outside , she prefers to be on me or under my chair. If I'm not, or walking around.... she stays laying just in the open or against our house watching her brother roam around and chase bugs. I think her toe may be really bothering her. I don't want to stress her any more by trying to get pictures. I do see her eat and drink throughout the day.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

They have a mix of cracked corn, omega 3 free range purina, and medicated chick starter all mixed up and I have one i soak in water since we are reaching triple digits. She lays around a lot still , clear eyes, Nice poop, regular breathing... but I noticed she has a stolen toe joint and it's HOT to the touch.

Please get some photos of her foot, of her standing and of her poop.

Cut out the corn and layer feed, at 8 weeks old, the layer feed has too much calcium and is low on protein, the corn is filler. Feed them the chick starter. Provide grit free choice.

It could be heat stress, so ensure they are drinking well and have shade.

Even with a loss of a flockmate, chickens may seem a bit down for a day or so, but they should not be lethargic.
Heat stress is a possibility, so watch to see that they are both eating/drinking o.k.

 

[MrsChickenTender]

Please get some photos of her foot, of her standing and of her poop.

Cut out the corn and layer feed, at 8 weeks old, the layer feed has too much calcium and is low on protein, the corn is filler. Feed them the chick starter. Provide grit free choice.

It could be heat stress, so ensure they are drinking well and have shade.

Even with a loss of a flockmate, chickens may seem a bit down for a day or so, but they should not be lethargic.
Heat stress is a possibility, so watch to see that they are both eating/drinking o.k.

They have the medicated kind down, they're all out mixed together but in separate bowls if that makes sense. They have options i guess, since my big girls come and eat it all too if I don't have the regular stuff down too. But I do see a swollen toe today! And a boo boo under it! I am posting pictures.

 

[MrsChickenTender]

And I realized we have been mixing medicated with regular starter grow. It's a yellow bag and a tan bag , they're in tote mixed .

 

[MrsChickenTender]

After watching her this am, it appears to be the foot. She's alert, will go and look for bugs, but will have to lay down every minute or so then continue. She's barely using that foot.

 

[MrsChickenTender]

And the feed I mix in water is all 3 but ground up with some oat meal and electrolyte powder. I should be more specific. It's mainly my big girls ( all 1-5years) that eat all that . The chick feed would get ransacked by them until I started putting some together in a bowl for the older ones

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The foot may be infected. I'd soak in an epsom salts bath to see if that will help reduce the swelling a bit. Dry, then apply a little triple antibiotic ointment to the wound. Wrap. Keep her on clean dry bedding. Check and tend to the foot daily.

See that she's eating/drinking well.

If I have a mixture of youngsters and adults, I just use an All Flock feed for everyone, this way everyone can all eat the same feed and there's no worry about mixing, buying different feeds, etc. Makes it's easy. Just provide oyster shell free choice, the ones in lay will pick up what they need.