Silkie Chick got squished, still alive but not doing well

[stacemck]

Yesterday we had friends come over who have unruly children, it was a surprise drop around so I couldn't do what I normally do which is lock the cage and place it in my bedroom (out of sight out of mind) I was in the middle of cleaning my outside pen, so I placed the lock on left them there (didn't want to insult friends by making it obvious I don't trust their children) said to my Husband watch the chicks please.

So I am in the pen and I get the this sick pit of my stomach feeling and thought I need to check the chicks so i immediately went inside to check. My Husband had gone out the front leaving those children with the chicks and the elder one had unlocked the cage grabbed my favourite silkie and had it on the floor and was pushing down with his hand on top squishing the chick. I have never yelled at another persons children like that, those kids were lucky all I did was yell at them.

I grabbed my baby straight away and she was very limp but still alive, she has perked up on and off since but majority of time she has played in the one spot, I have had to pick her up and take her to the water and dip her beak in it or she ignores it. I have checked all her bones which seem to feel normal and in the right places. Im thinking either she is very bruised or worse there is some internal bleeding but her poop is not runny and there is no blood.

I don't want to leave her in pain as much as I love her and want her to pull through, if it is more humane to cull her its what I will do. What do you guys think just severe bruising or more serious?

 

[TamiHunter]

O....my....goodness! That poor baby! I'm not sure what I would have done in your situation. You handled it well! I would give it a couple more days and see if there is any improvement. Don't give up on it! Please keep updating on how it's doing and I am wishing that little baby a quick recovery.

 

[stacemck]

Thank you I have everything crossed hoping right now. I have a homemade electrolyte solution that I'm gonna give the her now to see if that does something, she could possibly be a little dehydrated as well which is certainly not gonna help the situation. I have been keeping up with forcing her to drink but lying there under the heat lamp could be dehydrating her I guess.

 

[TamiHunter]

Is she able to move at all on her own? Yes, defiantly keep her hydrated. Scramble her an egg and see if she will eat that. Also, yogurt is good for them too.

 

[MisfitMarie]

I'm not an expert, but I just wanted to say that I am sorry that this has happened to your chick. I would completely blow up on anyone who recklessly injured (even unintentionally) one of my chicks.

I bet if you asked the chick, it would tell you that it would like to try to live. Unless it appeared in obvious pain or wasn't showing nay signs of improvement (like had obvious broken bones/neck, etc), I wouldn't cull it just yet. I would spend a couple days with it and give it a fighting chance.

I would think that the fact that she is still pooing is a good sign, and even more so that they are solid droppings. I'm not a vet, but I would take that as a sign that at least that part is working correctly.

The chick could be in shock?

I have had good luck with using a dropper over the beak, one or two drops at a time of supplemented water and vitamin drops. Even if the chick seems uninterested in food, keep trying. This is when I like to pull out the plain greek yogurt. The chicks learn early on that it is a rare treat, so you might be able to entice it with some of that. I've been told it's not good to give frequently, but I've never had any problems with it.

Just some suggestions... Don't give up!

Keep up with the supplemented water... and make sure she's not getting too hot under the brooder!

Is she moving at all on her own?

 

[BonRae67]

I am proud of you for just yelling. Sorry about your baby. Sending healing vibs for you and the baby. Please let us know how she is doing. How old is she?

 

[Peepchirpquack]

How absolutely horrible!!!!!!! We are wishing your little guy/gal well and send positive thoughts for its recovery. Two questions... How old was that child and what were the repercussions.......You undoubtedly handled the situation far better than I would have if it were me.

 

[stacemck]

My Silkies are 6 days old today so very young. I have given her an electrolyte and she has started to move a couple of steps so still not much but better then before, It is quite a warm day today so I turned the heat lamp off cause the thermometer was reading too hot. My new hatchling doesn't mind the lamp off she isn't cold, the Silkie drank the electrolyte solution very well so I would say she probably is dehydrated.

This friendship is over because when they came back inside the parents response was "it is only a chick you have 5 others in there" they did not punish their kid which if that was my child, my child would have been punished severely, no child should ever think it is ok to hurt or kill an animal, that is how psychopaths are born. I wanted to clobber the kid and frankly the reason they are so badly behaved is because the parents don't give two tosses what their kids do, especially when it comes to animals they are forever getting new pups and kittens because it ran away or died (wonder why) they treat animals like disposable possessions rather than a living member of the family. I know most people think I'm crazy for treating my chooks the same as a pet dog or cat but I love chickens they obviously don't, I would rather a chicken over a dog anyway, they are very cute and entertaining, can be affectionate if raised that way and they make you breakfast. You will not find a dog that will give you breakfast, it will be sitting at your back door waiting for you to give it breakfast.

 

[TamiHunter]

My Silkies are 6 days old today so very young. I have given her an electrolyte and she has started to move a couple of steps so still not much but better then before, It is quite a warm day today so I turned the heat lamp off cause the thermometer was reading too hot. My new hatchling doesn't mind the lamp off she isn't cold, the Silkie drank the electrolyte solution very well so I would say she probably is dehydrated.

This friendship is over because when they came back inside the parents response was "it is only a chick you have 5 others in there" they did not punish their kid which if that was my child, my child would have been punished severely, no child should ever think it is ok to hurt or kill an animal, that is how psychopaths are born. I wanted to clobber the kid and frankly the reason they are so badly behaved is because the parents don't give two tosses what their kids do, especially when it comes to animals they are forever getting new pups and kittens because it ran away or died (wonder why) they treat animals like disposable possessions rather than a living member of the family. I know most people think I'm crazy for treating my chooks the same as a pet dog or cat but I love chickens they obviously don't, I would rather a chicken over a dog anyway, they are very cute and entertaining, can be affectionate if raised that way and they make you breakfast. You will not find a dog that will give you breakfast, it will be sitting at your back door waiting for you to give it breakfast.

 

[MisfitMarie]

My Silkies are 6 days old today so very young. I have given her an electrolyte and she has started to move a couple of steps so still not much but better then before, It is quite a warm day today so I turned the heat lamp off cause the thermometer was reading too hot. My new hatchling doesn't mind the lamp off she isn't cold, the Silkie drank the electrolyte solution very well so I would say she probably is dehydrated.

This friendship is over because when they came back inside the parents response was "it is only a chick you have 5 others in there" they did not punish their kid which if that was my child, my child would have been punished severely, no child should ever think it is ok to hurt or kill an animal, that is how psychopaths are born. I wanted to clobber the kid and frankly the reason they are so badly behaved is because the parents don't give two tosses what their kids do, especially when it comes to animals they are forever getting new pups and kittens because it ran away or died (wonder why) they treat animals like disposable possessions rather than a living member of the family. I know most people think I'm crazy for treating my chooks the same as a pet dog or cat but I love chickens they obviously don't, I would rather a chicken over a dog anyway, they are very cute and entertaining, can be affectionate if raised that way and they make you breakfast. You will not find a dog that will give you breakfast, it will be sitting at your back door waiting for you to give it breakfast.

I completely agree with you on this... I would be shocked at a comment like "it is only a chick" ... That's a total disregard for life, in my opinion. Children should be brought up to appreciate/respect all life. I was raised among animals and taught this from an extremely young age.

Yes, it is a baby chick. But it's not "just" a chick. I don't care if you want to raise your chickens to lay eggs, to provide you with meat, or whatever. It doesn't matter. They deserve to be treated with respect and appreciation. They deserve to live happy lives, and it if must end to serve one purpose or another, that it is done as humanely-and quickly-as possible.

I don't think you're crazy. I've heard many comments myself... People will make comments like, "So are you going to bring some of those new chicks over for my cat to 'play with'?" or... "If you're joining us for dinner, do you want to bring us some fresh chicken?" They mean it in humor but it always makes me cringe a little. Mind you, I LOVE me some chicken. I hope to have the land to raise my own meat chickens one day...but still. I'm not going to CELEBRATE it or make a joke out of it.

I don't think you're crazy. I think you have a big heart and a healthy respect and appreciation for life. I think children who are taught that crushing chicks with their bare hands is "not a big deal" are going to have problems later.