Squashed chick

[shaza7]

Last night I checked the chicks that hatched out 2 days ago. There were 9 out from the 12 I had under my girl and they were all moving around great and looking healthy. I removed the three unhatched and my son and I opened them and they were unfertile. This morning I went down with my coffee to check on them and when the mum came to me for some food I noticed a dead chick. It looks like it had been squashed.

Is there anyway I can prevent this from happening again?

 

[silkielover5]

Quote:
no sometimes it just happens but how much room do they have do you let the hen and chicks freerange or do you seperate them?

 

[quintinp]

Yeah I bet maybe it was the fact that they didn't have enough room. I think a good dog carrier, about the size that holds a lab, or retriever, A BIG ONE. Fill it with Straw or Hay, Would be a really nice nesting box, and put a hanging feeder and waterer, on the cage door.

 

[shaza7]

They have the whole upper level of the hen house which is 3mx3m however I have closed a smaller area down which is 1x1m and mum can jump out into the other area. I have the other 2 hens in the down stairs area where they have access to roam around the property. I let the mum out of the hen house today and she didnt want to go so I put her out for a while and the chicks started crying out for her and she raced back in. They have heaps of room so it definitely isnt that area is too small.

I caught up with the lady I got the eggs today as I went down for supplies and she said it just happens and there is nothing I could have done about it, so thats peice of mind.

I do appreciate you replying, cheers for that!!

 

[PaulaJean]

I have a similar problem, and couldn't figure out how to start a new thread. I had 10 6-day old chicks and one of them died. It looks like it was maybe squashed under a chick pig pile. Is that possible? Can that be avoided? There is a lot of room in there...so, I don't know why this happened.

 

[GuineaFowling]

My guinea hen used to squash one or two of her keets when she had big hatches. She had a big nesting area as well so i didnt know what was up. Guineas are just uncareful but i wouldnt expect a hen to do that. What breed of hen is this? Usually the larger breeds tend to be the ones to squash the babies.

I have a similar problem, and couldn't figure out how to start a new thread. I had 10 6-day old chicks and one of them died. It looks like it was maybe squashed under a chick pig pile. Is that possible? Can that be avoided? There is a lot of room in there...so, I don't know why this happened.

When I would brood large quantities of broilers i would always lose one or two if they were in a box. I dont get large quantities anymore but if I did i would use something with rounded edges so they cant cram into a corner when they are cold. Also maybe you need to put up the heat. My chicks would get cold because there were always too many to keep in the house and they would be in the patio.They usually huddle when its a bit too cold. Of course having said that, dont put the heat too high or they'll die of heatstrokes.

Good Luck!

 

[PaulaJean]

Here is my brooder. It's approx 2'x5' and is divided with 2 older chicks on the left side and 9 (was 10) on the right side. The thermostat is midway in the back and reads 90% (I keep the middle covered with a towel to keep it 90.

If you can see where the babies are huddled up against the fence it isn't as far away as they can be, or as close (in terms of the heat lamp) and that is where I found the dead chick, kind of smooshed down in the shavings and crushed a bit.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I have a similar problem, and couldn't figure out how to start a new thread. I had 10 6-day old chicks and one of them died. It looks like it was maybe squashed under a chick pig pile. Is that possible? Can that be avoided? There is a lot of room in there...so, I don't know why this happened.

A hen who has just hatched out a bevy of chicks suddenly (imho) finds herself in a position of increased importance in either her own mind or else in the mind of most of her flock. If one hen fails to recognize this hens' new status, this can lead to sudden sharp fights between hens that often results in collateral casualties.

Anyway, I have often seen hens just stand on their own children if for no other reason than that the chick was slow getting out of its Mommies' way. You did nothing wrong, remember that chickens don't have emotions, morals, ethics, shame, or a sense of right from wrong, and as long as a hen still has one live chick, it seems to me that she considers herself "Mother of the Year".