Baby Chicks Are Dying

[Erica]

Chicks should move away from heat sources if they're too hot. They go to the corners and stand panting. It's fairly obvious. Too cold and they huddle tightly under the lamp, all close together. That's fairly obvious too. However if they've been severely chilled they may not be very alert and may tend to stay put under a too-hot lamp.

Unfortunately when chicks have been chilled in transit, it can take a few days for all the deaths to show up. If your brooder is the right temperature (sorry but here we go in Celcius, around 36C at the edge of the lamp at chick's back-height for the first week... not sure what that is in Farenheit) and food and water are fresh then you've done all you can do.

I would personally put boards around at least 2 sides to minimise draughts. But be careful if you board up the sides not to let the temperature skyrocket inside (that can easily happen when you change the enclosure walls). If the shed isn't open to draughts you may not need to do this at all.

I hope you've had all the deaths you're going to have. Good luck with the remainder, it sounds like you're doing the right things.

Edited for typo.

 

[beetlebob]

The lamp is a heat lamp. I put a beach towel around the two long sides. The top and ends are open. My pine shavings are blocking one end. The temperature in there is staying at a constant 90 degrees. When they do take a nap, some will huddle together and some just sleep on their own. I have noticed that the ones that do die, start out drooping over and then go to their sides, then the rest of the flock will go right over top of them. then it's just a matter of time before that one dies. I have lost a total of ten over this weekend and I hope that's the end of it. I plan on buying more this week locally to replenish what i've lost. should i seperate them or keep them all in the same brooder? I have RIR, White Plymouth Rock and Americaunas. Like I've said, I don't know and I'm at a loss.

 

[SassyKat6181]

I'm sorry you are having such a bad experience. When I got chicks back in Sept, I used a kiddie pool for a brooder. I put 12" high cardboard all the way around to prevent drafts. I also kept the area directly below the lamp at about 90 degrees....they didn't like it warmer than that. (250 watt red heat bulb) I put electrolytes in their water for the first week and fed them medicated chick starter.

If you are buying more chicks this week, I would keep them quarantined from the ones you have now. Until you know if your chicks are sick or just stressed from shipping, it is better not to mix them.

 

[jujubee]

I really do not believe the issue is with your brooding area or the heat source. You stated in your initial post that upon arrival one chick was already dead and another in bad shape. Then a rapid succession of deaths has followed. That makes a case for bad handling either from the shipping process or heaven forbid issues at point of origin. I once picked up an order of chicks at a major postal center that had them sitting on a sorting table outside in covered back dock, while raining! The box wasn't wet but very damp from the moist & cold air. Several chicks died. I ripped the post office a new one.
I do make a point of providing electrolytes to every chick upon arrival. Just dip their little beaks in it a few times. If one seems weak use a tiny dropper, open their mouths gently and dropper feed it to them. It will work wonders on a stressed out chick." Shipping Fever" is a term we use with our 4 legged livestock and most producers take huge measures to prevent it when transporting animals. I think because little chicks are hatched with the ability to servive 72 hours before requiring food or water (under very good conditions) we forget all the stress that they go through at the big hatcheries and post office. From the moment they crack out of their shells untill they reach their home, they are sorted, plucked at and dumped from bin to bin. Sometimes squeezed if sexed that way. If Marecks vaccine is given (it should be) then a needle goes in their neck for a brief second just before the box lid is taped down to ship out. Then more shifting and and being bumped around. Gee what a bad way to start your first day of life! Usually everything goes just fine and they come though just it all without incident, but from time to time things go very wrong.

I try to cut out part of the stress by purchasing from "backyard" chicken lovers. I feel more TLC goes into thier care prior to shipping.
I wish you the best with your survivors. They will become very special to you

 

[beetlebob]

My wife and I do think it all started with the post office. They were suppose to have called my in laws when they got them, instead the stupid post man had them in his truck. well he tried to deliver them but my in laws weren't home. so he kept them in his truck until he was able to deliver them in the afternoon when my in laws got home. i'm going this week to pick some up locally. this morning when i got up to get ready for work i had another that had died. I'm down to 19 chicks now and I started with 30. When I get more this week, should I seperate them from the ones I have now?

 

[carladababe]

My heart goes out to you and your chicks. The more I read about chicks being delivered through the mail, it seems the transit time in these cooler late Winter, early Spring are way too long. Maybe better to wait until the weather is a little warmer, or if anyway possible to drive and pick up chicks directly from the hatchery or farm supply centers. I did this for my chicks and for my bees for that matter because I just don't trust the mail system to take care of my precious babes.

 

[kvmommy]

It sounds like you did everything right and then some. Probably just shipping or something out of your control.

 

[beetlebob]

Yeah, I believe we did it all right. I'm going this wednesday to buy more for the ones I lost and get them locally. I will probably seperate them from the ones I have now. I have another brooder, I just need to get another heat lamp, shield and waterer for them. I really hope they survive as well as the ones I currently have. I left them this morning full of food and water. I won't know any outcome until I get home today from work. I'm just tired of losing birds that I ordered which I feel the deaths were out of my control.

 

[goatsoap]

This may not even be relevant, but I hatched chicks that died the same way - droop, then just fall over and die soon after. Never did figure out exactly what happened - lost about a dozen in four days. Scrubbed the box, fresh litter and sprayed brooder as well as the chicks with Poultry Protector in case it was mites, then went with a name brand of chick starter instead of the local mill that we were using. The deaths stopped that day. Any possibility they came in with mites? I never saw any, but just wanted to cover all the bases. We had been putting some older chicks outside during the day and putting back under the light at night for a few days.

good luck

 

[Erica]

It's a good idea to separate them at first, Beetlebob. Firstly the younger ones will be at a disadvantage but secondly you can't be sure the original chicks aren't dying from a disease. I reckon it's unlikely but still better to be safe.

After the newcomers are a week old, and as long as the original chicks are still doing fine, they could probably be integrated.

Good luck.