I have no idea what I'm doing...

[EggSighted4Life]

I have had many chicks I feel like I may have prolonged suffering for by trying to save, and that’s a worse feeling for me, with even more guilt.

Same!

 

[Kris5902]

So sorry for your loss
I believe you did the right thing, I tried to fix a slipped tendon in one of my chicks from my first hatch... it was more than a week old before I finally accepted that it was beyond my ability to save and that the chick wouldn’t have any quality of life (when it slipped the second tendon too, I knew it was time).

A quick clean death is always better than lingering suffering, and if mama wasn’t going to accept it, there was maybe more wrong with it than first apparent.You made a hard decision, and in a timely manner. You did what was best. Trust yourself.

 

[JenJae]

Thank you all so much for your kind words and advice. Hearing each of your stories and wisdom makes it a little easier to accept. I thought I was doing a good job marking the incubating eggs and removing the new ones each day. I'll have to be more diligent in the future.
I'm attaching a pic of Joan Jett, the mama hen, with 2 of her first 3 babies. The third was hiding under mama. #3 is a gray little one with feathers on their legs, and #4 looks like the chick on the left. Will be keeping an extra special eye on the last egg whose chick should be emerging soon.
Again, many thanks to you all!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I thought I was doing a good job marking the incubating eggs and removing the new ones each day.

I had issues with pencil rubbing off and collected a viable egg, not realizing until the next day once. Now I use Sharpie and put a line all the way around the egg in both directions... length and width.

Grey is often and technically called blue in chickens, just for informational purposes.

Your broody has to be one of the cutest Silkie crosses I've seen.

 

[Willowspirit]

I just want to tell you i think you showed great courage in doing the right thing for that baby chick. Ultimately mama and the other chicks need you more.

 

[jolenesdad]

Thank you all so much for your kind words and advice. Hearing each of your stories and wisdom makes it a little easier to accept. I thought I was doing a good job marking the incubating eggs and removing the new ones each day. I'll have to be more diligent in the future.
I'm attaching a pic of Joan Jett, the mama hen, with 2 of her first 3 babies. The third was hiding under mama. #3 is a gray little one with feathers on their legs, and #4 looks like the chick on the left. Will be keeping an extra special eye on the last egg whose chick should be emerging soon.
Again, many thanks to you all!

Broody hens with babies are the CUTEST. What a pretty mama.

 

[jolenesdad]

How are the chicks??

 

[JenJae]

How are the chicks??

thank you for asking! all seem to be happy, healthy little chicks thriving and growing like weeds. and i'm happy to report joan jett is a great momma who takes her job very seriously!

 

[jolenesdad]

yay!!!!! Proud of Joan.

 

[meglynnie]

That’s wonderful to hear!