Two day old chick is Blind, and possibly deaf.

[MiniBeesKnees]

So my broody hatched out eight chicks the day before yesterday and I noticed that one stayed in the nest box (on the ground but waterproof) screaming it's head off. She took the rest of them out to eat and drink and scratch around (in the little pen she and they are confined to that is built of wire the chicks can't fit through) but that one stayed in the nest. It acts like it is deaf...and I know for sure it can't see.

She will get frustrated and call to it, but it does not run to her, it seems to be ignoring her calls. She will leave the others to scratch, get all puffed up, go in the nest and try to coax it out...no deal. As of this morning she is now just ignoring it and it's cries. It was just crammed into a corner of the nesting bin facing that corner and crying. I took it out of the nest box and put it in with the incubator chicks that hatched the same day.

When I picked it up I noticed that it's eyes are completely covered by an opaque greenish...grayish covering. The entire eyeball is covered, and it is a dry disk with even margins that exactly fits the eye. Both eyes are the same. There is no seeping, pus, or anything like that. No swelling, or injury...nothing. Just those plasticky-looking 'contact lenses'...

Anyone have any idea what this is, or if there is anything I can do?

I dipped it's beak and it would not drink...and it doesn't eat but it did go quiet in the warm broody tub. I suspect it was screaming outside because it was cold. Chances are I'm going to have to cull it...question...

I've read on here how to mercifully end the life of a chick and I do have big, sharp scissors and could clip off it's head...correction, I know how, I'm not sure I could do it. I've read about putting them in the freezer and I could do that...but that seems like a long slow death to me. I've 'heard' that drowning is one of the better ways to die and I'm thinking I could just flush it down the toilet...get it over with.

Does anyone have any thoughts on that?

 

[charmed one]

If you are going to cull it, cut it's little head off. Don't flush it down the toilet. That's cruel.

 

[chicmom]

Be strong, just nip the little head off....it only takes a sec. And no suffering for the little one. Just done quickly....

 

[MiniBeesKnees]

Seems to me that a quick inhale of water would do the job too.
It is not like it knows it is 'drowning' and will have fear and terror.

In either case it will be quickly dead. And the toilet will be a lot easier on me.

 

[thechickenchick]

Quote:
I agree. It is over in a second and you don't have to wonder how long it took to drown/die.

 

[MiniBeesKnees]

OK, I'll consider the scissors.
Have you guys actually ever culled one this way?

 

[charmed one]

Quote:
No I haven't but it would be no different than butchering for meat. At least you know the chick is dead. If you flush it, you really don't know what happens.

Use a hatchet. I don't think I could do the scissors either. One quick whack with a hatchet would be easier on me I know.

 

[MiniBeesKnees]

Well, the problem with that is I do not butcher for meat. As long as Walmart sells anonymous chicken quarters for less then a buck a pound that is where I'm going to get my chicken.

The scissors I'd use are ten inch Gingher dressmaker shears that must weigh a pound and a half. Great big things as sharp as a razor blade. I have about six pair of them...I get them on sale, but they are fifty buck shears. On my tiny two day old chick I can't see taking a hatchet to it.

I know what happens when I flush it...it dies a long time before it hits my septic tank. It drowns. It does not know to hold it's breath so within seconds it will inhale water, and be unconsious within ten or twelve seconds. It will not know what is going on, and will peacefully die of oxygen starvation.

 

[MiniBeesKnees]

Well, it kept getting weaker and weaker. It would not eat when I tried to get it to. It would drink but only when I dipped it's beak...it would swallow, but not go back for more. It didn't react to sounds so I'm pretty sure it was deaf too. All it would do was stand in one spot where ever you put it down. When another chick bumped it, it would fall over, struggle, and get up again and just stand there. When you'd hold it in your hand, it would just lay there.

Flushing was my choice and that went better then I expected. My plan was to start the flush, then drop it into the whirlpool. Did that...and it floated!! So I pass on the hint if you are ever going to do this, wet it down first. I had to wait for the commode to fill again...but the chick just took a deep breath of water, it's wings went straight out, and it relaxed and didn't move. I think it went unconsious in like five seconds. The end.

 

[heatherindeskies]

i would have laid it on it's side and smacked it on the head with something if i couldn't do the scissors thing. that is instant. drowning, freezing & gassing.... just can't handle the instinctive struggle the animals must suffer through.