lost our first chick

[sm0kin]

So my wife calls me at work tonight. One chick she says was just laying there like she was sleeping. Except unlike all other times they just lay there she didnt wake up. So i had her try some sugar water. she drank it and it didn't help. less than an hour later she was dead. She went from peeping and fine to almost dead in about ten minutes. All this happened when my daughter, 8, went to show my niece the chicks. There are orders for them to leave the brooder closed and not pick them up. She said this one was sleeping and thats why she picked her up. My wife said not 10 minutes before they were all eating and fine. So i guess my questions are:
1) do you think my daughter was responsible?

2) if not should i worry about the others?

 

[JenMT]

I really don't think that it was your daughter, I bet she feels terrible. Poor little girl! We had several...maybe 4 or 5 do that same thing for the first 2 days (fine one minute and gone the next). They are really stressed after the long postal trip. I wouldn't handle them any more than absolutely necessary unless they need assistance with fluids.

 

[Delta2 23]

It probably wasn't your daughter's fault. They know not to hold too tightly by the time they're that age. It was probably just the stress from the journey,. Some people have had the whole load come dead.
There could be the possible cause of disease, but that's not very likely if the others are fine.

Very sorry for your loss.

 

[Padre]

Go home and give that little girl a big loving hug, it is not her fault in the least, as was stated earlier the a plum stressed out from the trip thriugh the mail and some just don't make it. Good luck with the rest!!

 

[Mahonri]

I lost 11 of my 26 from McMurray last year within 4 days. They all just got sick and died.

 

[natalie1136]

Quote:
I doubt your daughter is responsible. We handle our babies from day 1. They are fine.
Have you ever seen a video of how the hatcheries handle the babies? It seems cruel, but the chicks seem fine afterwards.

Natalie

 

[sm0kin]

Well we lost another chick through the night. I knew it was coming. She really did just kinda lay down and go to sleep. She drank water last night but never perked up. My poor wife and daughter are so saddened by this. i figured 2-3 would die within the first week. Now when i go home i have 2 birds to bury. On the bright side my daughter feels better about having not been at fault for the first chick.