Lost my first chick today...heartbroken

[Kadjain]

It's breaking my heart because they were the first chicks I've hatched (well the Thai hen hatched'm but...), only 4 out of the 10 eggs hatched and it was my favorite chick! It was a L. Brahma - Easter Egger cross and was looking so beautiful and cute with it's green little feathered legs. The three survivors are a RIR/EE cross and what I think are two more Thai's and they are about 2 months old. I know it kinda silly but I feel so bad like I totally let them down. I thought I was doing so good by checking on them all through the days and I rescued 2 (seperate occasions) from drowning in the duck pond. One I thought was dead but I wrapped in paper towels and put in front of a heater and about 30 mins later it was back on it's feet.
All I found was a bunch of feathers. No bones or body parts. What could've done it? A hawk? Do predators ever continue to pick off the chicks day after day? I'm so afraid of that happening!

 

[jmtcmkb]

I am so sorry for your loss, I am sure it is hard...

 

[bobbieschicks]

So sorry for your loss - we get so attached to our chicks

I don't know what predator could have done it - but you may want to post the question in the predator section of the forums. I do know that once a hawk finds a food source it's not likely to move away unless it's threatened by another animal.

 

[greenegglover]

Sounds like a hawk....they are really bad this year....Ive seen 6 hawks...3 different types. Last one was yesterday... a Redtail with a 6ft wingspan looking in the chicken tractor...if they're out there run is covered in avian netting.

Sorry to hear about your loss. I lost one a couple of months ago, the reason why I beefed up security...netting!

 

[TownhouseSeramas]

Quote:
I'm so sorry!

I know how you feel I just lost one of my Silkie babies to an unknown illness and she was one of my favorites. She was fine one day and the next she was sick and in two days she died. As to predators, predators go where the easiest prey is, so I'd definitely keep an eye on them, if they know there is easy pickings there they'll come back. As to whether it was a hawk or not, it could be anything. It could have been a fox, coyote, hawk, eagle, owl, raccoon depending on when and where it happened. I would definitely take them in at night if you don't already do that, during the day you may want to put them in a pen some where, still outside, but where they have a roof over their head till they get big.

 

[Mama duck 8]

Im sorry to hear that, I remember the first time I lost my chick

 

[SteveBaz]

I recently lost 5 of my girls to a raccoon attack!!!

I felt so bad bc I fell a sleep and in the morning I to woke up to a slaughter!!!

I too felt I failed them and it was my fault!! It happened the first and only time I forgot to close them in OMG.

I kept saying I will never do it again. I could not believe it and cried

for days about it with my grand baby ,

wife , kids and my next door neighbor cried bc her favorite was one who got killed and she came over 5 times a week with her little boy, Aaron.

I was so guilt ridden but, I replaced them with more babies. Now go sit down with all your new babies and let them run around you in the box (I bet you will still cry about your kids) but you cant help but smile

with these cute little fuzz butts running around you in the box!!

 

[LoveNewChicks]

i lost 3 chicks

eowyn

goldberry

quick-feet

and all 20 little quail

all hatched from the incubator

 

[crawfordmama]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I'll never forget the first chick I lost. She was my sweetest EE's baby, so I was immediately attached. She was from my very first hatch and arrived with a slipped tendon. The kindest thing was to cull her. I was upset for weeks.

You'll feel better, I promise!

 

[new2chickens2011]

I'm sorry for your loss