Baby Chicks Dead :'(

[biddybird]

Chicks that young do pick on the weaker ones. The red light will help keep others from joining in if they draw blood, but won't stop it in the first place. I would separate the culprit. You don't need anymore problems. I put Vicks on any spot they are picking on, but I have not done it that young.
I really feel like you encountered a stressful trip. They may have gotten too hot or cold and may be too weak. I would make that phone call, I'm sure they will credit or replace.

They love the eggs and they seem to encourage weak chicks to eat.

Good luck!!!

 

[heyjude1]

My chicks are dying by the hour!! they arrived on Wednesday and had been since Monday in shipping... three were not doing well and by yesterday morning, one had died/ last night two more. this morning, one that had looked fine was gone and just an hour ago, another one... The temp is fine, I also double checked, everyone was eating and drinking. I am quite shocked at this development. I did feed hard boiled eggs the first day to get them to start eating, I am also changing the water every two hours and have added a small amount of sugar for energy. I am butt wiping and washing on a regular basis..What on earth could the problem be? I am desperate for some insight.
I know that they can get stressed, but they had all seemed fine at 1630 hours and now? I am just at a loss, I guess in more ways than one...No pun intended...Please help if you have any ideas///
thank you
Jude

 

[allpeepedout]

Sorry about your loss. I found that 95 degrees was WAY too hot for mine. I speculate that at least some new or weak/dehydrated babies may not be savvy enough to know to move away from heat, since they are instinctively attracted to it. One of mine just collapsed under the light and cooked. Others stretched out really long, I think to try to dissipate heat (yes, this is also a natural way for them to lie). Only after I saw a couple panting later did I figure it out. Several other threads have talked about too much heat. I'd take it down to 90 and see how they behave. Realize that the chicks may be several inches closer to the light than your thermometer, too. If they stand up under the light, they are trying to get warmer, so then take it back up a degree or two at a time. Experiment and observe.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Excessive heat kills far many more chicks than those being brooded at 85-88 degrees. Brooder boxes are often not large enough to provide adequate escape territory, allowing the chicks the ability to self-regulate their body heat.
All that said, consider how shipped chicks get stressed. They get plucked from a 99 degree hatchery trays, boxed up and shipped. They probably traveled in unheated mail trucks for two days getting to our homes. Plunged into 95 degree heat is tough. All this adds to the stress.

I am very sorry for your losses. Take good care of those that remain and we all wish you well.

 

[sourland]

Shipped chicks frequently die. Sadly enough it's a fact of life. You had no control over the stresses they were subjected to in transit. I'm willing to bet that it is nothing that you did wrong. The weak have succumbed and the strong will survive. Good luck with the survivors.

 

[Nicole01]

I'm so sorry.

 

[allpeepedout]

Is there adequate ventilation? Could ammonia fumes be building up?

 

[MeowCluckBark]

I am not an expert at all. I just started with 2 light brahma pullets purchased from a feed store that gets theirs from a local hatchery. They have good experiences with their chicks and the staff cares for them well there. I think that is where it all started out good for me. I was nervous about having any shipped. It sounded scary for the poor little souls. I wasn't sure I couldn't handle their needs from that type of trauma after. So I took my baby chicks home. Set them up comfy in our bathroom in our brooder we setup from a very large rubbermaid tote and red heat lamp. I checked the temp every hour or so to see if it was staying stable and looked where they were. I couldn't ever get it to be around 95. A few times I got it above 90 and got it to stay there, but the chicks didn't seem to want to be in that much heat. So they are only 2 weeks old now and I've already got them down just above 80. They are often jumping out of their box and roosting at the top or walking around the bathroom like they own the place.

My point is, without any professional knowledge. I think some chicks just know when it's too hot to handle but with having so many I bet it's hard for them after such a long trip to figure it out to move or even have somewhere to move cooler.