Am I killing my chicks?

[sscaria]

Not saying this is a case of drowning, as I’m no expert, but is the waterer too deep for them? I put some stones in my baby quails’ water dish to mitigate this risk. And like someone else mentioned, every time I get new members to my bird family, I always provide them with save-a-chick water to drink for a few days. Can’t hurt, and it’s cheap!

she/he said that they hand watered them. there's no waterer. also save a chick electrolytes are a good idea

 

[sscaria]

after u fed them water/food, how did they appear? maybe they choked, as they are weak and probably can't swallow

 

[MysteryChicken]

Yes, it is from my own chickens.

Australorp

What's their diet like?

 

[Sublight]

I had some once that was doing the exact same thing dropping left and right. They started doing better after the corid. Also I use a heating plate with brooder/heater on the switch. The brooder option on mine doesn't keep them warm enough I noticed they would huddle up out from under it. If I leave it on heater they stay under the plate.

Mine stays on the plate sometimes, then off it sometimes. It has worked fine with other plates.

I use a injector without the needle, and drop water on their beaks. This cant be the reason they are dying right?

 

[MysteryChicken]

@Eggcessive

 

[Sublight]

What's their diet like?

Laying pellets and then they free range.
They wife is too liberal with the scratch, but not crazy with it.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Laying pellets and then they free range.
They wife is too liberal with the scratch, but not crazy with it.

Reduce the scratch feed, switch to a Higher protein food, like 20% flock Raiser, or all flock pellets? Serve free choice oyster shells in a separate container? This might help.

Layer feed only helps with laying, not much with breeding/hatching.

Sometimes it's just a nutrition issue when it comes to hatching weak chicks that eventually die early.

 

[Sublight]

Reduce the scratch feed, switch to a Higher protein food, like 20% flock Raiser, or all flock pellets? Serve free choice oyster shells in a separate container? This might help.

Layer feed only helps with laying, not much with breeding/hatching.

No kidding?
I don't server oyster shells, ever. That's just if they don't have enough calcium for egg laying thought right?

Ill keep that in mind about the food, and tell the wife to woah up on the scratch. I have told her, but she doesn't listen. She just smiles and says "But they are my babies". This will change her tune.

In the future, if I plan on hatching eggs, perhaps I can change to the flock raiser a week before I start collecting eggs for incubation?

 

[50-45-1]

I think putting newly hatched chicks in with three week olds is a problem.
The three week olds will be more active and rambunctious. sometime trampling and suffocating new chicks, that need quiet time to recover from the exhausting work of hatching.
I never mix chicks of over a week in age.

 

[MysteryChicken]

No kidding?
I don't server oyster shells, ever. That's just if they don't have enough calcium for egg laying thought right?

Ill keep that in mind about the food, and tell the wife to woah up on the scratch. I have told her, but she doesn't listen. She just smiles and says "But they are my babies". This will change her tune.

In the future, if I plan on hatching eggs, perhaps I can change to the flock raiser a week before I start collecting eggs for incubation?

No, kidding.

Oyster Shells is for extra calcium if the hens feel like they need more.

Yeah, scratch is mostly fats, & sugars. Not a whole lot of nutritional value to it.

A couple really good brands is Purina, & Nutrena feeds for All Flock, & Flock Raiser.

I'm thinking feeding at least a few months before hatching may work best, just to supplement what they're not getting.