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Sunday, April 13, 2014

Lost a Chick

Saturday morning, I checked on the six chicks the first thing. They were milling about in one corner. Was this the warmest corner? Since I don't regulate the heat as well or to as high a temperature as mandated, I never know. But, all chicks in one place under the light indicates they are trying to get warm. I counted three times and got five chicks each time. I looked all around the box and could not find it.

Finally, I shoved all the chicks from the corner and found the one chick. It was flat! How shocking. With a paper towel I picked it up and was looking at it, feeling sad. THEN, it opened its mouth and eyes. No cheep came out and the eyes were covered with a membrane. I wrapped it more securely and held a drop of water to its beak. The baby seemed to rally. The eye was fully open without the membrane. Thereafter, it seemed to welcome the drop of water. Sometimes, it shook its head as though it knew the water did not go into the beak, just down the side of its head. I wiped that off so it would not get cold.

But, I had to go somewhere. I wrapped it in two more paper towels and put it in a plastic sandwich bag to hold in its body warmth. In the car it went on the seat beside me. The car was very warm so I did not worry about a chill.

I made one stop, took my purse in my lap and took my change purse. When, I returned to the car, I grabbed my purse and put the change purse back in and did not move my purse for a half hour.

When I got home, I looked for the chick. The sandwich bag was gone! NO, it was not. It was under the several pounds purse. The sandwich bag was flat. I was stunned. I zipped the bag and dropped into the trash before I came inside.

I didn't lose it. I killed it. I felt a little numb for a while. The chick may have died before I placed my purse on it, but I will never know for sure. It may not have survived under my best care. But, I will never know.

Your turn
Have you ever felt responsible for killing a pet or animal in your charge?

13 comments:

  1. I am so sorry. No, not in that way but I still grieve for the time I was unable to convince the vet that a cat was really unwell. He sent us home twice - and the cat died (in his surgery) the next morning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EC,
      I suppose the cat could have been saved with the first visit. Or, maybe you will never know. Did the vet think you were just a "mama" who imagined things? I don't think I would ever trust that vet again.

      Delete
    2. The cat probably could have been saved. It turned out to be a spider bite. Anti veneme would probably have saved him. Except that it was a weekend and would have been difficult to source. And when the problem was identified there wasn't time. And he did think that I was imagining/exaggerating things - and later apologised profusely. Which didn't bring the cat back.

      Delete
    3. EC,
      I did not know spiders bit cats! In the case of anti-venom, the weekend would probably have made no difference in obtaining it. At least he apologized. Poor cat.

      Delete
  2. Oh, I am so sorry. Don't be so hard on yourself, you meant well and sometimes that is the best that you can do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Patti,
      Thanks. I figured I learned a lesson: never put a purse on a chick that is less than a week old. Thankfully, I never squashed a newborn baby. They are a little larger and have larger gear...lol.

      Delete
  3. Oh Linda, how awful for you! Yes, I have been a bad animal keeper a few times. Yesterday after the markets I was going to go somewhere else but it was too hot so came home. Thought I might put the sprinkler on for the chickens...go in and they have no water at all, anywhere. And it all looked so dry that it was probably not the first day...They all like it when I turned the hose on but if I had of not come home I wouldn't have checked them until this morning...Sadly/Badly, not the first time...

    Barb.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb,
      I cannot blame it on being ill, but I found a dry waterer, too. Exbf did not come one week or either he came on a Monday one week, but could not come for the next week until a Friday, making twelve days between his giving them water. Like you said, the waterer was so dry, I knew it was not the first day. AND, they had been confined. So, that fouled up their egg-laying schedule. I was so ashamed. You should have seen them drink on and on.

      When you talk about the sprinkler for the chickens, I wonder how mine would react.

      Thanks.

      Delete
  4. Coming back to say that I think it was very brave of you to post about the chicken. I'm sure there are people that will give you lots of flack because of it. Take no notice of them.

    Barb.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb,
      Thanks. I have suited up for the flames and poisoned barbs that might come my way. It hurts some, but I understand they do not understand. A pox on them...lol.

      Delete
    2. Barb, email me since I have lost yours. Thanks.
      pparsimony@yahoo.com

      Delete
  5. One year my sister and I drove to Arkansas. During that trip we came across a couple of terrapins. YES I do know it is not a good thing to relocate non-native animals but our Daddy had successfully brought home and raised many many terrapins so Elaine and I were confident that we could care for them. And we did. We hauled them from Arkansas to Texas....then on home to California. Believe me when I tell you that we cared for them very carefully. We got home to my mountain top an set up a terrapin pen. Lots of shade, grass and water. We fed them fresh fruit and then my sister and I drove into to town. Unfortunately we were gone for too long and the sun had shifted it's position. By the time we returned home those terrapins had baked in the hot sun. We babied them for almost 2 weeks then killed them in something like 3 hours!

    TOTAL FAIL!!!!!

    ReplyDelete

Okay, hoping the annoyances have gone away.