Baby chicks dying

[swiftchick]

Thanks! I'll try that

 

[bcfd2004]

We have also had problems with chick loss. Lost 16 of 16 the last order. Received replacements today and they are much healthier. The first batch took 3 days to arrive in the coldest temps of the year. The second batch arrived in 2 days. We already lost one but they are looking and acting good. Using the grogel for the first day then switching to the vitamin pack. Not using medicated feed, read that a lot of people were losing a lot of birds using it. Warmed up the water before giving it to them, seemed to help. Made a mash of their feed in a saucer and they had a field day with it, Loved it! Using a 250 watt bulb on one end of a rubbermaid tub putting their water container near the light to keep it warm they have the whole other end to escape to. They seem to be quite comfortable scrambling all over the container. We do have a barred rock that likes to peck the eyes of the Buff Orpintons. Guess she thinks they are bugs. Doesn't bother the other B.R.s at all. We are looking forward to hatching our own eggs in the near future, either by brooding or incubating. We have a couple of game hens, a couple of black astralorps and a barred rock rooster. They are trying to get back in the groove of laying after some trauma of the neighbors dogs killing 4 of our previous birds. We are going to try and hatch a couple eggs in with the new chicks and see what happens. The light is gonna be on for more than the next 21 days anyway and we can spare the eggs. Won't know if we don't try. It's been a good day, hope it stays that way. wish Ya'll a good one as well.

 

[nicole63021]

Hope it all works out for everyone! This past summer was the first (and the first for any really close family) with chicks. We read a lot, but mad some decisions of our own accord having kept such a variety of animals. We gave them a large temp range without any steep increase/decline, used a red bulb to accomplish this. Checked with an infrared temp gun (we keep A LOT of reptiles, and it helped I think). Used Sani-Chips as bedding (again, thanks to keeping herps we had a bit around ) Used a stainless steel chick feeder with organic non GMO certified food (meaning, non medicated), and from day one used a nipple watering system to keep the water clean no matter what. At 1 week of age they were put into the protected raised garden beds to learn to forage when we were home in the evening. It wasn't until the first predator attack that we lost an animal. I know quite a few may disagree with how we went about raising them, but it worked for us quite well. We used GroGel and Sav-A-Chick at the same time since we had shipped in the heat of summer and they were stalled by more than a day. All made it (again, till the first predator incident). Point here being, sometimes, you just have to do what feels right. All the best to you guys as you raise your little fluffies!

 

[jjaazzy]

I am new to all this stuff too and I have had my share of losses. Started with Silkies and had some losses with them. This time I incubated and have my own three silkie babies. I am on day 3 here and getting nervous as today I know they are coming off of whatever the egg yolk was providing and now it's up to them to eat and drink. Silkies I find are not that thrilled with treats or fun stuff so that makes it even harder. They do like taking gatoraid from the end of a syringe and I go in every couple of hours and make sure they get a dose of it. I am using plain water for the bowl figured the gatoraid as enough sugar. I mixed up the grow gel but like I said they are not interested. I would give my reg large breed chicks (rr, ee, bo) a midnight buffet of chick feed mixed with water to make a mash and they went nuts for it, then I knew they went to bed with a full tummy. So I'm stuck with the non impressed personalities of the silkies, I just ordered a product that was talked about on the boards called Poultry Nutra Drench people were raving about how it saved their chicks so I just placed an order... maybe try that. One thing I do so I know the chicks are getting hydrated is I make a game out of the liquid by putting droplets of Gatorade or water on the sides of the tub.. they love to attack it and drink it up... gives them something to do..

 

[seminolewind]

I learned my lesson with my first batch. I began to realize that the crumbles were not really being eaten. The chicks were always hungry. Turned out that when I ground the food up finer, they ate like vultures. So now I always ground the food down for the first 10 days. It's happened 3 times to me. Now I just do it with all the new chicks. chick crumble mush is good too.

 

[jjaazzy]

You know something I was thinking the same, that I should run the food through the food processor, I just never acted on it. So glad you said something... The Silkies are so much smaller so it makes so much sense. Thanks!

 

[seminolewind]

Let me know.

 

[mingusn]

Reminder for those raising baby chicks. Do not use Teflon coated bulbs in chicks living area. It is toxic to them and they will die.