What is the worst your baby chick has survived?

[Lewis Farms]

We tried our first hatching and only one egg surprised us at about 4am with a shrill screeching coming from the incubator. She was the one survivor of 8 eggs. It could be a he at this point, but for the purpose of ease, she is a she and not yet named. I wasn't prepared for it because I thought all eggs were lost, so I grabbed a towel and a heat lamp where she could get some rest after a stressful night.



In the last week this little tough peep has flown off the table four times, been grabbed in the head by one of the grown leghorns accidentally getting at her, has to just hang out with us most of the day because she is too small to integrate with the 3 week and 20 week olds. Even the 3 week olds peck her mercilessly. Her tiny wings are barely feathering out, but she is growing at least.... slowly. She follows me around in the garden when the other girls are locked up and won't let me get more than a foot away from her, sometimes I accidentally kick her when she is right behind me. Funny story that only chicken people would understand, but she has so much trouble being alone that she made her way out of her basket and heat lamp into our bedroom and under me.... found her being squashed in the morning under my side.

She eats and drinks really well, has a lot of spirit, and will scream.... loud.... piercing..... if left alone. This pic is one day old when she dried out. Her tiny wing feathers are just starting to poke out now after a week and she is generally a little bit bigger. Seems healthy still.



I am hopeful after watching those horrible factory farm videos that these little guys can survive a lot of thrashing and squashing and eating weird stuff. Just wondering what other stories are out there of chick adversity that was overcome.

 

[kittykitty30]

My second flock in five years was started this February. Two of our three Sebright chicks developed really bad eye infections. I won't go into detail; I'm eating lunch lol!
The male Sebright was picked on, shoved away from the feeder and waterer, developed minor splayed legs (he could still walk and run when he got better), and became immobile. We moved him to an isolated tub and put the female with a less major eye infection in with him. They grew very close.
My mother became the caregiver of these two. She spent hours each day with these chicks and they grew attached to her. They were completely healed by the end of April and went outside with the rest of the flock.
The rooster was killed along with four others when a weasel dug into the run. The female is at a friend's house, waiting to be shown (backstory: the friend wanted chickens to show but didn't have time to wait for chicks to grow up, as the fair is this month).
So, yeah. My Sebright lady continues to surprise me; she's survived attack after attack along with the rest of the flock.

 

[TLJ88]

Hi Lewis Farms, my daughter and I were reading your post and we both got excited because we think the picture you posted of your miracle survivor chick looks exactly like one of our chicks which is an unknown breed. Would you mind telling us what breed your chick is? Thanks!

Your little chick is incredible for surviving such a crazy life so far!