My son killed one of my soon to be hatched chicks :(

[Mommi3130]

So my son and I alternate going out to collect eggs at night, I told him NOT to take the small eggs out of the turkeys nest (she was laying on 5 silkie eggs, now she only has 2). Her eggs are due to hatch tomorrow. So I was going through the eggs in the fridge and noticed a small one that looked black, so I had him crack it open and in it a fully formed baby chick

It had already been in the fridge and had passed away, that poor baby. I am trying so hard not to be mad at him, but at 11 he should know when I say not to do something, there is a reason! UGH!!

 

[Dingo]

Perhaps it wasn't in the nest? I'd think if he just plain wasn't listening to you he'd have taken all of the eggs, not just one. It could have been an honest mistake.

 

[Debbi]

Don't be so hard on him Mommi, I know 50 year olds of that gender that can't follow instructions! Like Dingo said, it could've been misplaced, you never know.

 

[justtoni44]

Please don't guilt him. He probably feels awful already having to open the egg and seeing the chick .
I'm really sorry you lost the chick. Hopefully you can get more if you choose to. If not, I hope the rest of your hatch is perfect.

 

[SweetMotherOfMars]

This year my 11-year-old cooked a whole batch of eggs by adjusting the thermostat... if he is like she was, he's already being hard on himself. It's a hard way to learn. For your sanity's sake it's best to think he just spaced out and grabbed rather than took them willfully.

 

[Mommi3130]

I am upset, but not really mad at him. He asked me to candle an egg he brought in the other day and he caught me at a busy time and I forgot. So it is partially my fault.

Which upsets me more than anything.

And the eggs weren't anything huge, they were eggs I took from my silkies to give to my broody turkey (she has been on the nest trying to hatch something for about 7 wks, so I just wanted her to get a hatch, she is looking haggard right now

But if her eggs don't hatch I will sneak out there and give her a few out of the incubator that are due on Saturday, it will all work out. And I do think it was a mistake, he thought the dog had gotten in the nest so he took out the egg he thought she had dropped in there, I have an odd lab that likes to carry eggs in her mouth, we don't know about her sometimes. LOL

 

[lotz2612]

We are incubating eggs and when it went past their due date my mum got all frantic and bored, so she told me to crack one open and see what was in it..so i did...and turns out...it was a half developed chick!!! So i know how you feel!

 

[FenDruadin]

Sorry for your loss. And I'm glad you're not being hard on him. It's easy to make mistakes, especially when you're 11. It's sweet that he's willing to help--good kid.

I also know how easy it is to blame a child when something goes wrong. My kids knocked my favorite brood lamp (it's the only one that's a real heat lamp and doesn't emit light) down and broke it this morning. I got really mad and sent both kids out of the room and went on and on about how it was my favorite lamp and how hard is it to be careful and so on.

Then, of course, I felt really bad about it. I am the clumsiest person in the world and the way the lamp was set up, it was easy to trip over the cord and bring it down. At least no one was hurt. And it could easily have been me to break it.

So, anyway, don't be too hard on yourself or him. Things happen.