2-day old chick died - did I do something wrong?

[chickensinthephilippines]

Our hen Luna gets broody every month or so, so I decided to let her sit on two fertile eggs from her sister Lizzy. I didn't have any experience with hatching eggs, but with tips I found on this forum and on other websites I tried to learn as much as possible.

Everything went well, and exactly 21 days after we put the first egg under her, the first chick came out (the yellow one in the photos). That was last Friday evening around 10pm. The chick seemed content and cozy with its mom, and because the other egg was in the process of hatching, I did not want to disturb them. The second chick (the dark one in the photos) hatched on Saturday evening.

Because I did not want to disturb them, I didn't provide food and water for the chicks until Sunday morning when I moved them to a bigger nest. I thought this was fine as I read everywhere that chicks can survive for 2 or 3 days without food/water after hatching because they consume the egg yolk when they hatch. When I provided water on Sunday morning, I didn't dip the chick's beaks in the water as I figured the mom would show them where/how to drink. Again, I just didn't want to interfere too much and let mama hen handle things.

On Sunday morning, I noticed the yellow chick closed its eyes a lot and was a bit wobbly on its feet. To be honest, I didn't give it too much thought. But when I checked again on Sunday evening, I noticed it got a lot worse. Its eyes were closed almost continuously, and it was panting and just standing up without moving. I realized it wasn't normal behavior, and when I Googled the symptoms I saw they can be signs of dehydration. I took the chick out of the nest and fed it water, which it drank. I was really hopeful that would make the chick feel better, but when I woke up this morning (Monday), it was dead.

I feel horrible because it seems like the chick was dehydrated because I waited too long to provide water, and when I finally gave water I didn't teach it how to drink. But I'm so confused because I keep reading chicks should be fine without water for 2 or 3 days!

I hope someone can shed some light here to help me understand and do better next time.

Thankfully, the other chick is doing fine and is eating and drinking.

Both photos were taken on Sunday morning.

 

[Debbie292d]

When hens raise their chicks, they take care of them, and you don't have to show them how to drink.

I'm not sure why she didn't take the chicks to food/water once the second one hatched. Was this her first hatch maybe?

Yes, chicks can go without food/water for up to 72 hours, but I know from hatching hundreds, that most are eating the second they hit the brooder floor where it's sprinkled around, and soon after, they're figuring out the water.

There may have been something else wrong with this chick. Sorry for your loss.

 

[chickensinthephilippines]

When hens raise their chicks, they take care of them, and you don't have to show them how to drink.

I'm not sure why she didn't take the chicks to food/water once the second one hatched. Was this her first hatch maybe?

Yes, chicks can go without food/water for up to 72 hours, but I know from hatching hundreds, that most are eating the second they hit the brooder floor where it's sprinkled around, and soon after, they're figuring out the water.

There may have been something else wrong with this chick. Sorry for your loss.

Thank you for your reply! It was indeed her first hatch, but she was showing it how to eat and drink on Sunday. I just never actually saw it follow her example, but mama hen was definitely trying.

Maybe you're right and there was something else wrong with the chick. That definitely makes it a lot easier to accept!