fl-chicken-tender
Chirping
I got my first batch of day-old chicks this week, and I experienced a loss the first day that could have been prevented. I wanted to share what happened to my bird with the hope that maybe another newbie can learn from my mistakes.
I got a plastic chick waterer from Tractor Supply, and I thought that it was safe since there was less than a centimeter of water in the dish. It's the type that screws onto a quart mason jar. The chicks were drinking out of it with no issues at first, and I went about my day without thinking anything of it.
When I checked on them after work, I watched one of the chicks fall face-first into the water dish. She totally submerged her beak and got soaking wet. I immediately grabbed her and ran to the bathroom to dry her off with a hairdryer, but she was already unresponsive. It happened so fast, and unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to save her.
I was terrified of more birds drowning, so I searched the house for something I could put in the bottom of the dish to prevent them from falling in. I ended up using all the glass marbles from a Mancala game, and that seems to be working. I also raised the waterer with a plastic dish to make it more difficult for them to climb in there in the first place (and as an added bonus, it prevents them from kicking all the bedding into the water).
Thank you for reading. Not looking for sympathy, but please be kind as I already feel awful about this.
I got a plastic chick waterer from Tractor Supply, and I thought that it was safe since there was less than a centimeter of water in the dish. It's the type that screws onto a quart mason jar. The chicks were drinking out of it with no issues at first, and I went about my day without thinking anything of it.
When I checked on them after work, I watched one of the chicks fall face-first into the water dish. She totally submerged her beak and got soaking wet. I immediately grabbed her and ran to the bathroom to dry her off with a hairdryer, but she was already unresponsive. It happened so fast, and unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to save her.
I was terrified of more birds drowning, so I searched the house for something I could put in the bottom of the dish to prevent them from falling in. I ended up using all the glass marbles from a Mancala game, and that seems to be working. I also raised the waterer with a plastic dish to make it more difficult for them to climb in there in the first place (and as an added bonus, it prevents them from kicking all the bedding into the water).
Thank you for reading. Not looking for sympathy, but please be kind as I already feel awful about this.
no one will make you feel worse here, we've all been through learning scenarios.
Is there a chance that your brooder is too hot? I'm hoping others will chime in (well not hoping they lost chicks,) and give experience of this being a known danger. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss.
