Oh wow, did not see that coming

[Frosty]

The kid is lucky it wasn't me. I would have probably screamed it him.

I think you are doing all that you can, and I think the fact that it's eating and drinking is a good sign. The poofy fuzz and light weight probably slowed the decent and softened the landing. Keeping in mind that it is a chick and not a duckling, I will still mention that wood ducks and mandarin ducks often nest high in the trees - sometimes more than 200 feet up - and after hatching the mother flies to the ground and calls the babies. They jump down to her on their own. Chicks can be surprisingly tough sometimes...

 

[WingingIt]

I have three boys and I disagree with your DH that it's boy nature. One of mine is just a little older than the child you're talking about and while he's the most caring and sweet boy he still doesn't have the full capacity to think things through versus the impulse to do something.

I could see a child who's never been around chicks thinking:
Oh, chickens are birds and birds fly, I wonder if this one can fly yet. Then throwing it in the air to see. If you'd have been there (I'm not blaming you at all, just trying to explain why he maybe did it) he probably would have asked you if they could fly yet. You'd have said no, then shown him that they don't have all of their feathers yet, they are still fluffy, they are babies and they have to learn things just like people have to learn to walk, etc. He'd have had an "oh!" moment, because, oh yeah, it doesn't have all it's feathers yet. At six, he most likely doesn't have the ability to do that whole process himself and get to that conclusion on his own.

Like you said, I don't think he did it to be mean, just didn't realize he could really hurt it. I'm glad it sounds like the chick is doing OK so far. I'd make sure to take the time to explain to him that they can't fly, we have to be REALLY careful how we handle them because we can hurt them by accident, etc. I'd tell his parents what you've discussed with him and why, too, in case he brings it up at home.

How is your DD today?

 

[Sphinx]

First off, I don't blame you at all for what you were doing. You had a sick and vomiting child, and that had to take priority. Plus, if the other child was actually being sweet and gentle prior to that, I can see how you'd assume he would be gentle with the chick in an emergency like that.

I would absolutely talk to the boy's parents. That does seem extremely rough for a 6 year old. I think accidents happen, but that seems more than just an accident. It's hard to say though, and I hate to see a 6 year old be branded as an animal killer just yet.

I hope your chickie is ok.

 

[jswalker]

My 5.5 year old would never do that and neither would my 3 year old for that matter. Something is going on with that kid for him/her to do that.

 

[SourRoses]

For some reason.. as I was reading your initial post, I was thinking the friends were girls. I was dumbfounded as to why a child would do this. Then you said it was a boy, and it all makes perfect sense. Boys have no empathy, the end. Some parents have wonderful young boys who are TAUGHT to be polite, show compassion for others, ect... and it may even seem part of their nature. But as soon as they think no one is watching, or something has no personal consequences, they do whatever they please. He wanted to make it fly, and when it wouldn't fly, he got mad and tried to force it to fly.
My brother to this day, doesen't understand why I got years of riding lessons and he wasn't allowed to go after ONE... he thought horses were machines, and if the button on the machine didn't work the first time, you just hit it harder. Of course he grew up to think the same way about women too, despite my parents efforts, which might be the reason I sound a bit errr

If I were you, not only would I speak to the parents/kid... I would finish the conversation off with banning him from my home/property/My Kid. But thats me

Im really sorry about your baby chickie

 

[goldeneggtees]

Hope your little chickie is ok and your daughter too.

 

[WingingIt]

Quote:
Yeah, right.

I'm sorry that your brother has some serious issues and is a jerk to you, but that does NOT mean that every male in the world is like that.

 

[SourRoses]

Try to read a little deeper than just what you expect to see. I said "boys" not "males". The maturation process does have a way of teaching learned empathy, in many. And I didn't say my brother was a jerk to me, I said "women" ie- Girlfreinds, fiances... that would be in relationships where no parental authority was involved enough to disapprove of him/his behavior. Except his sis... who was around later to witness the black eye

 

[WingingIt]

Quote:
I did read it, you said boys then said your brother is that way, because he acted like that as a child and yep, you said 'women.' Women would include you, girlfriends, your Mom, his fiancee, etc. Now you are saying it's people he dated or intended (?) to marry only. You can't say that all boys have no empathy, will always do whatever they want if they think they won't get caught, list your brother as the perfect example of that (now) and then try to change it and say age changes it. Then you said that your brother mistreated his fiancee. Having a fiancee would generally mean you're not speaking of a 10 year old, so age didn't change that too much in his case, it seems.

Regardless, I hope your brother has learned his lessons one way or another. If not, I hope you stay away from him and stay safe. I hope someone informed him in no uncertain terms how out of line he was (whenever that happened with the black eye you saw).

Do you have any boys (children)? I can see how your view would be tainted the way it is from what you've seen, but that still doesn't make it true for every boy, and it's not.

 

[CluckyJay]

My 4 year old boy WOULD do something like that. A lot of boys can be mean and impulsive and they do like to kill things. Usually it is bugs or you just never catch them. Kids are even meaner when other children are around. They try and show off. As far as being a sick "animal killer", I truly doubt it. My husband was the same way growing up and now he cares deeply for living things. Just do like suggested and use this as a learning situation.

Chicky would totally go out the window here if my kid was vomiting or in pain. Kids before chicks!

I am sorry about your chicky though.