Lost a chick and probably another one today!

Went out this afternoon to refill the chicks feeders and I found a chick lying on the floor of the brooder shed.  Picked her up and thought she was dead, but she moved, so I called Brian o take her while I checked the rest of them and he said what you gonna do with it?

Shall I try to revive it I asked?  So I bought her indoors, but I'd also found another one defo dead.  Looked like when they had they afternoon siesta, they laid on top of them and crushed them, but it wasn't cold in the brooder, quite warm actually!

Anyway, I spent all afternoon feeding her with a dropper.  I dissolved a bit of sugar and salt in some hot water, then cooled it down, and giving it with the dropper I did manage to get some down her.  then tonight, she woke up a bit and walked up my arm and actually took some food and water on her own, I tucked her up with a warm water bottle in a box, but just been down to see her and I think she's dying. Wouldn't wake up or stand and wouldn't take any water.  she also hasn't pooed since I tucked her up.

Not looking good! :cry:   :cry:

I sat up with her until gone 1pm, but she had started to go downhill again.  Which was disappointing after her standing up and eating and drinking a bit.  Then this morning she was laying down, still breathing, but in the death position.  I got a little more water down her, but she died about half an hour ago.

Still, they are going over to the big house today, so they will have loads of room to escape one another!  I bet they still crowd together when they have a nap!  The Babcock's are 14 weeks now, and they still sit on top of each other at night!!!!

i think it hurts most cos the lil one made an improvement... had she died in the first place i think it might have been a bit less painful, albeit not much.... am sorry to hear your news grannie...  

Oh dear thats so sad but you did your very best for her nothing more you could have done I don't think.

Thanks everyone.  I know these things can happen, and when we set  the sheds up, we try to think of everything, like no corners they can get squashed into, no large expanses of water to drown in warm enough, cool enough, but something always happens.

That's why the hatchery always give you a few extras, because they expect a few to die, but its still upsetting, especially like you said CN, she made an improvement, she was even calling out to her sisters who are recovering in the hospital box last night.

But hopefully now, they will be okay, as we have just spent the morning finishing preparations for their move to the BIG house!  And they are all down there now.  they didn't like being picked up out of the brooder shed, but it didn't take them long to start rushing around the new house and eating and drinking.  So they will stay in the big house for a week or so until they get big enough not to be able to squeeze through the netting down there!!!  And as some of them are still a bit marked on their tails, I'm taking Poulet's advice of keeping them in the dark with their red light on.

He sent me a comment on my blog to say that the tail pecking could be because my brooder shed has windows, and we have the doors open when it gets too warm for them.  He said if they are kept in dim lighting with a red light, everything looks red so they can't see the bits of blood and leave each other alone!  And the windows in the big house are painted over, then I open the door when they are eating, as they don't eat so much when its dark!

Brian told me to unpaint the windows before, but Poulet has been in the chook business for many years, as has Munty and others, so I will bow to their superior knowledges!!!!!!   No windows!!!!