I went out this morning to check my babies and 2 of them had died in the night I had dropped the level of their heat lamp a little (still well over 2 feet off the ground) last night as it was to get to about 30 degrees and they were lying directly underneath it dead. Are chickens really so sensative that they won't move if they're getting too warm? It's supposed to drop down again tonight and I'm terrified to use the heat lamp... suggestions? The coop is 10'X5' and they're tiny so they have a lot of room.... why didn't they move??
Sounds like you have to set it lower. I start mine at about 10 inches. If it is too hot they will move away, too cold and they will move in. I have hatched about 90 chicks and never had any die from too much heat. Also have some bedding for them (not shredded paper) and have the heat lamp on a day or two ahead to warm things up. It sounds like you just had them on cold ground. I have about 3 inches of wood chips as a bedding. Also make sure there are no drafts. Use a thermometer under the lamp to make sure of the heat level. About 95 is recommended for the first week then drop it by 5 every week.
If the little ones got too cold during the night, they would have huddled up and the ones on the bottom of the pile get smushed that way. could be that's what happened. I'm sorry for your loss though.
Suppose I should have been more specific... my "babies" as they are like my kids are 8 weeks and it was 2 of the biggest ones, one chantecler and one red leghorn... the banties that are in with them and 5 weeks ol;d are just fine as are the chanteclers litter mate and leghorn seemed to have failure to thrive... that's all I can think of, why else would they have not moved from the heat?? I think the problem was too much heat not too cold... *sigh*...
How many chickens survived? I am surprised that 8 week old chickens could not survive 30 degree temps. Odd.
There were 6- 8 week olds and 6- 5 week old banties. The banties haven't feathered out fully yet so it was more for them then the older ones, but they never moved from under the light.
