Baby Chick Died and I Feel Awful

[Renada_]

I just had a chick die several hours after hatching. It wasn’t acting right from the beginning and was super weak. I thought it was just tired from hatching, but later after drying it was sitting on its butt and leaning back. It couldn’t walk properly, it started to get better so I thought it was fine but when I went back a while later it was dead. I keep making this stuff worse on myself when I give myself false hope about it :/ I was sure it’d be fine due to it seeming to walk better, but I guess not. Is it stupid for me to be so hung up on this? I’m not sure if it was my fault for leaving it in the incubator for so long when it was pretty crowded with other chicks, so when I moved them all to the brooder I left this one in the bator for a bit for alone time. When I moved it to the brooder it was better than before, but ultimately I feel like I failed this poor little guy :/

 

[gtaus]

I always do my best with my small animals, but sometimes they die just the same. It's OK to question your interventions, and learn from them, mistakes or not. I'm always trying to access my role in both good health and poor health of my animals.

I have failed many times over 50 years of taking care of small animals. But, I am determined not to let a loss to get me down. Sometimes small animals, especially the babies, die and there might be nothing you could have done to prevent it. If I did something wrong that caused the death, then I learn from my mistake and become a better custodian of my other animals. I try not to repeat the same mistakes.

I would think if you did not feel some kind of personal failure, that your heart might not be in the right place. But, I don't think you have to feel any guilt for having done your best despite the chick did not make it. I try to turn my attention to the remaining birds and make sure they are well taken care of. That's what works for me.

I love raising small animals, but not many people talk about dealing with loss and how it may affect you. We all have to deal with loss and we all have to find our own way to work through it. Don't be too hard on yourself. It sounds like you did everything you could and I hope that will be of some comfort to you. Best wishes.

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

I just had a chick die several hours after hatching. It wasn’t acting right from the beginning and was super weak. I thought it was just tired from hatching, but later after drying it was sitting on its butt and leaning back. It couldn’t walk properly, it started to get better so I thought it was fine but when I went back a while later it was dead. I keep making this stuff worse on myself when I give myself false hope about it :/ I was sure it’d be fine due to it seeming to walk better, but I guess not. Is it stupid for me to be so hung up on this? I’m not sure if it was my fault

brooder it was better than before, but ultimately I feel like I failed this poor little guy :/

Of course not (feeling stupid part). Baby Girl, beings die, stuff happens, no doubt the rest of your flock is thriving . My research found the lil biddies are fine in incubator for a bit like you did for they survive for a couple days from the egg yolk. Think shipped chicks!

Either way I will be glad when you get to feeling better so you can be front and center for the ones looking at you thinking, "But Mamma, ain't we good enough? We are here for ya."

xoxo