week old chicks dying one by one

[TLWR]

You have 7 left with a brooder that is too warm if you are using a light.
How big is the brooder? I'm guessing on the small side if a light is only giving you a 5 degree difference between warm and cold locations.

If you are concerned about them eating the pine shavings, put in an old towel for now (also lets you see droppings easier).

Have they been outside at all? or just in their brooder?

Does the one opening/closing its mouth have anything you can see stuck or is it maybe just panting because it is a bit toasty?

 

[mandarin1]

I took the pine shavings out just to be on the safe side. I have brooded many chicks with shavings and never had it be an issue, but figured if they've got another problem maybe this was compounding it or maybe the dust was compounding a respiratory problem? The feed store didn't have anything specific for treating cocci, so I got them the medicated chick starter and then they had oxytetracycline hcl, which is to treat three different illnesses including infectious synovitis, chronic respiratory disease and air sac infection and fowl cholera. I checked my brooder after adjusting my lamp and it's at 92 on the warm side and 71 on the cool end. They have not been outside at all, they are in my laundry room in a brooder. They went straight from incubator to brooder and have had no contact with other chickens. They're feathers are not fluffed up at all either and I did not see anything obvious in the airway of the chick that has been gasping. All the chicks I hatched from eggs of my own have had no problems at all, these chicks are one's I hatched from some hatching eggs I bought locally, so I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't something from the parent birds?

 

[Eggsoteric]

In addition to some of the advice you've already been given, you mentioned you have a "clear" bulb in your heat lamp. You may want to check to make sure it's not one that gives off toxic fumes that will affect your birds:

http://blog.mcmurrayhatchery.com/20...nt-bulbs-a-potential-danger-to-your-chickens/

I'm assuming that you're also checking the chicks for pasty butt?

So sorry to hear of your losses.

 

[mandarin1]

Yes, I have been checking daily for pasty bottoms since the day they hatched and not one has had that issue. I don't have the box my light came in, but I found it online and I can't read anywhere about it being coated. Here is the link to the bulb I have been using, maybe someone knows something about it... http://www.ruralking.com/heat-lamp-bulb-250w-clear-2pack.html I have been using this light and have already done 3 other batches of chicks (from my own hens) and they had no problems. I'm devastated and just at a loss. I have removed all pine shavings and put down paper towels hoping I could see their droppings easier and if it was an issue with them eating the shavings or the dust causing problems so I could eliminate that, I adjusted my heat lamp, and then I got them started on medicated chick starter and then the oxytetracycline, so hopefully something gives and this solves my problem, I just hate to lose anymore. Also, I appreciate the sentiment over my losses. I have a couple pics of their droppings if anyone can see anything that maybe I'm not, it looks normal to me.

 

[donrae]

I can't offer more suggestions, just sympathy. I've hatched lots of chicks, my own and some others, and lots of shipped hatchery or feed store chicks. Over the years I've had some batches that just make a hobby of up and dying. Exact same brooder set up that dozens of other chicks have thrived with, some batches just die. I do believe sometimes it's either the parent stock or just unthrifty chicks. It stinks

 

[mandarin1]

I definitely appreciate the sympathy, it does stink. Hopefully one thing or another will be what turns these guys around, but we'll see.

I understand if it's unthrifty chicks that's just part of it and not really anything you can do, but I'm still hoping something I've changed helps these guys out. I just feel terrible for them having such a short life. I just want to tell everyone another huge THANK YOU for all the prompt advice, it's nice having people that care as much as I do!

 

[mandarin1]

Here are the chicks, all the birds have been walking around eating, drinking, and doing what chicks do and then there is the one that has been gaping, (that is the one laying down in the corner in one of the pictures) which this one will lay down for a while, do the gaping or gasping every once in a while and then it'll get up and go eat, drink, walk around a minute and then goes and lays back down.

 

[3riverschick]

Do you see how all the chicks are holding their wings out from their bodies? That means they are all much too warm. Forget about what the 'rules' for temperature are for chicks. Yours are much too warm.

Yup, junebugga,
So they are dying of heatstroke?
Hum
Karen

 

[mandarin1]

I thought they were hot at first too, but they aren't going over to the cool side of the incubator to get out from under the lamp. When they lay down to sleep they lay down under the heat lamp all together (in this picture they're all under the heat lamp minus one at the water). I figured that since they're all laying under the lamp together they weren't hot since they lay next to each other and they're not sleeping over in the cool end. I will move my lamp up even more and see what happens. Thank you again for everyone's input!

 

[junebuggena]

I thought they were hot at first too, but they aren't going over to the cool side of the incubator to get out from under the lamp. When they lay down to sleep they lay down under the heat lamp all together (in this picture they're all under the heat lamp minus one at the water). I figured that since they're all laying under the lamp together they weren't hot since they lay next to each other and they're not sleeping over in the cool end. I will move my lamp up even more and see what happens. Thank you again for everyone's input!

You have to take into condideration, when using plastic storage totes like that for brooders, and you use a head lamp, there is no way to just hear one spot. Those sides actually bounce the head off and the whole kind of has an oven effect. They don't have a cool spot to escape to. First things first, get those chicks in a larger brooder. One that enables the chicks to have enough room to really run around. That way, you can have one corner be warm, and the rest of the space will be room temp. Storage tubs are just too small to provide a proper cool zone and chicks outgrow them quickly. Also, the bulb that came with the head lamp is likely too powerful. You can switch the bulb out for a regular 100 watt bulb, to reduce the amount of heat being out out.