Please help - entire batch of chicks dying suddenly - TWICE

[VFamily]

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to reply so far. We are feeling very discouraged but ready to try making changes.

We will try a different heater which may be causing an electrical issue. I could definitely be convinced that the heater could have a short but I don't think it is our house because we had the chicks on two different floors when it happened. The two outlets used were on separate breakers. When we had the brooder tote we had it in our dining room on the main floor where the first batch expired. Once the second batch was moved to the kiddie pool we had to move them to our finished basement.

Also, would there be anything wrong with buying gallon jugs of bottled water for the chicks instead of using our well water assuming it was something to do with that?

Just for the heck of it we will use a different brand of pine shavings since we already have it on hand.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Also, would there be anything wrong with buying gallon jugs of bottled water for the chicks instead of using our well water assuming it was something to do with that?

So sorry for your losses! What a strange (and sad) mystery. I do hope you're able to find out what happened. Like Kiki said, it might not be a bad idea to send one in for necropsy (if, god forbid, it happens again).

I have well water, and I ended up buying bottled water for my chicks (being EXTRA cautious). Now, I still have water delivery for my full grown chickens (I only have 8 girls, so I get (5) 3gal jugs per month from Absopure and it's the perfect amount of water for them. Costs about $30/mo)...

 

[OrganicMominGA]

I'm terribly sorry to hear of your struggles with your chicks! Because one batch was vaccinated and the other was not, we can rule out vaccine reaction. Also, since the chicks came from two different hatcheries, we can also rule out some disease from the hatchery. I have never had chicks or adult chickens convulse like what you described, but since the only similarity was the room they were in, I would suspect there is something in that room. Before you get any more chicks, I would say three things: 1. Sterilize absolutely everything the chicks would come into contact with and start with fresh everything for any new batch. There is always a possibility of contaminants, especially if the previous animals had issues while consuming it. 2. Dust that room, then change the bag and air filter in your vacuum (if applicable) and vacuum that room again. 3. See if there is any possibility of radon or other toxic gasses in your area. You may want to look into getting the air quality tested or see if an air purifyer would help. It's awful to see even one chick pass away, and even worse when you're new at it! Another option (though more expensive at the start) is to buy pullets or cockerels that do not need brooder time and can be placed directly into their coop/run/pen.

 

[VFamily]

Organic Mom, thanks for the reply. One thing is that they were actually in two different areas of the house when this happened. First batch was on the main floor and second batch was in our finished basement.

We do have a radon system installed in the house and had the radon levels tested when we bought it a few years ago and all tests were within normal spec.

A deep clean of the room is a good idea. We will be sure to do that before introducing any more chicks to the house.

The idea to buy pullets is a good one. I have though about that but unfortunately I have not found a reputable source around me for them. Most of the availability I see is on craigslist which I am not totally against. We don't see too many pullets in the breeds we are interested in.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I actually have a different idea. Not sure as to your location, but what are your temperatures currently like? Is the coop already finished and is it close enough to the house to run electricity to? Consider brooding outside instead, that will eliminate anything inside the house as a possibility.

I would also buy bottled water for the chickens for the time being to remove the well water as a possible problem. I don't think it's the water but doesn't hurt to change it.

 

[Little Tala Bug]

My first thought reading your setup was dodgy bedding. Amazon is known to have scam artists selling junk products to unsuspecting customers. I followed the link to the bedding you posted and saw these reviews. Could be that they spray some weird chemicals or scents on the shavings or that they have mould contaminants.

 

[VFamily]

I actually have a different idea. Not sure as to your location, but what are your temperatures currently like? Is the coop already finished and is it close enough to the house to run electricity to? Consider brooding outside instead, that will eliminate anything inside the house as a possibility.

I would also buy bottled water for the chickens for the time being to remove the well water as a possible problem. I don't think it's the water but doesn't hurt to change it.

Rosemary, I live in massachusetts. We have had a very warm but rainy (and muggy) summer. I love this idea but I'd be worried about some of the night temps dipping down too low. How low is too low? Right now they probably don't go below 65 but as we get into the late summer they will probably be in the high 50s at night. Of course I would have some sort of heat source for them.

My first thought reading your setup was dodgy bedding. Amazon is known to have scam artists selling junk products to unsuspecting customers. I followed the link to the bedding you posted and saw these reviews. Could be that they spray some weird chemicals or scents on the shavings or that they have mould contaminants.
View attachment 3594445View attachment 3594448

Wow, thank you for pointing this out. We will be switching bedding for sure to rule that out.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Rosemary, I live in massachusetts. We have had a very warm but rainy (and muggy) summer. I love this idea but I'd be worried about some of the night temps dipping down too low. How low is too low? Right now they probably don't go below 65 but as we get into the late summer they will probably be in the high 50s at night. Of course I would have some sort of heat source for them.

Given what a hard time you've had, it seems weird to say chicks are tougher than they look, but I brood outdoors from the moment I get them, between mid 40s to mid 60s.

The first section here shows my brooder so you can see how exposed they are to the elements: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/short-on-time-recycle-a-prefab-brooder.73985/ They grow up fast, by about 4 weeks (probably even sooner with your temperatures) I remove the heat and the brooder is closed.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Rosemary, I live in massachusetts. We have had a very warm but rainy (and muggy) summer. I love this idea but I'd be worried about some of the night temps dipping down too low. How low is too low? Right now they probably don't go below 65 but as we get into the late summer they will probably be in the high 50s at night. Of course I would have some sort of heat source for them.


Wow, thank you for pointing this out. We will be switching bedding for sure to rule that out.

I brood in the coop. I have brooded in very early spring with snows still happening.
In fact this year we had lows cold enough to freeze the water in the brooder.
Brooder set up....3'x8' and 2' tall, water and feed on one end and heat lamp on the other. Yes I use a heat lamp but it is secured using chain. I did place a wooden lid over the heated end of the brooder and added wooden walls to keep the heat in on that end. Temps were in the low teens.

Have you thought about getting the water tested?

 

[VFamily]

Given what a hard time you've had, it seems weird to say chicks are tougher than they look, but I brood outdoors from the moment I get them, between mid 40s to mid 60s.

The first section here shows my brooder so you can see how exposed they are to the elements: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/short-on-time-recycle-a-prefab-brooder.73985/ They grow up fast, by about 4 weeks (probably even sooner with your temperatures) I remove the heat and the brooder is closed.

I brood in the coop. I have brooded in very early spring with snows still happening.
In fact this year we had lows cold enough to freeze the water in the brooder.
Brooder set up....3'x8' and 2' tall, water and feed on one end and heat lamp on the other. Yes I use a heat lamp but it is secured using chain. I did place a wooden lid over the heated end of the brooder and added wooden walls to keep the heat in on that end. Temps were in the low teens.

Have you thought about getting the water tested?

This sounds like the way to go. I know an extension cord will reach out there because I needed one while building the coop. @rosemarythyme the link you provided for your setup was a wonderful read. Thank you for that. I will give outdoor brooding a shot for the next time.