Last June, I had 10 out of 13 eggs hatch. The last one to hatch came out with curled toes, but I managed to correct them with bandage splints, but it didn't grow as fast as its hatch mates. I gave it some Nutri-Drench every day for the first 10 days. At that point, it was about 1/3 to 1/2 the...
My brooder is a plastic tote that's at least 16" deep. Even with walls that tall, I've usually gotten away without a cover on my brooder for no more than 10 days. I've had two different hatches where one bird got out before I put the cover on, so now I do it by day 7. I didn't see a mention of...
I agree with @Nabiki that your problem was likely too much heat. However, about the feed, is it pellet or crumbles? If crumbles, I wouldn't bother grinding it any smaller. I feed 28% protein game bird starter crumbles and have never had a problem. Even the smallest bird can find pieces that will...