Baby chicks keep dying

[hysop]

Are you putting them inside your house?

Do you have teflon cookware? Teflon is deadly to birds.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You say they get weak. What else? Do they pant? Stand with their wings out? Huddle together? Stand crouched with their eyes closed? Shiver? Run around? Peep?

Do you have a thermometer in the bottom of the brooder so you know what the temperature is where the chicks are? It needs to be about 95°F the first week. At least part of your tank needs to be that warm, part of it can be a little cooler so they can choose how warm they want to be.

Do you change their water at least once a day and give them fresh food daily? Don't give them cold water at first. And when you first get them be sure they drink before feeding them so they're well hydrated first. Are you feeding them anything else besides the chick starter? Don't, at least for the about the first week. Provide chick grit in a separate dish before giving them anything besides chick feed.

Keep their bottoms clean. If they get plugged up with pasty butt they can die. Wash their bottoms with warm water as soon as you see any sign of it. Check them daily.

Keep them warm at night as well as during the day. If you use a red bulb, be sure it is rated safe for livestock and reptiles. As another poster said, some red bulbs have a Teflon coating and is deadly to birds because it produces gasses.

Don't handle them too much. Baby birds need lots of rest so they can grow, and they are fragile.

 

[bjurbrat]

Please dont be over whelmed by all the questions we're all just trying to help ❤ also do you use medicated food

 

[BigBlueHen53]

^^^true dat! I'm afraid I will fall asleep any minute and I wanted to get all my thoughts down before I crashed. Joys of being an old lady, I now sleep like a baby .... awake one minute, snoring the next!

 

[DixieCoFLgirl]

Are your chicks near your kitchen? Do you cook with teflon coated pans? I know the fumes from those pans are extremely toxic to parrots because of their delicate respiratory system. Could it be that the chicks are breathing something in your home like plug-in air fresheners or candle fumes?

 

[Jajika]

You say you are following guidelines, so the suggestions here are relevant. Such as bedding, food, and water. Water is especially important, so you need to watch them as they eat and drink. And, check about the bedding. I use "riced" straw. It's soft and very safe. I fed my girls chick starter and made sure they had fresh water every day. Good luck

 

[Nugs]

To much heat!!!! If the chickens are kept in a room free of drafts and at least 65 to75 degrees I would not use any heat. When they get their feathers and the night time lows outside are no lower than 60 I put them outside. The ONLY time I lost baby chicks was do to keeping them to hot.

 

[catchmasfish]

I don’t buy from TSC live birds. I imagine the stress from the transport going from place to place is the killer. Also some of the birds don’t look to healthy. Usually when you order chicks online they ship you a minimum amount. Usually I will order 25 and they will send 4-5 extra. The extra are because they know the trip causes stress. It’s a numbers game. I recently received 15 turkey poults (no extras) and 4 died. If they die within a couple days they will usually refund you the amount. 4 poults was a $48 refund that was immediately paid. The thing with live animals and day old or week old chicks is that if they die it is usually that first or second week. After that they become more hardy.
If you buy chicks from a big box store or online you will also notice a lot of chicks get “pasty butt”. I hatch a lot of chicks now and the chicks that do hatch 100% have made it through and thrive and 100% have NO pasty Butt. THIS IS JUST MY EXPERIENCE and I believe that the chicks just have a hard transport and adaption and the stress is the ultimate killer.
what I do immediately though is give water with apple cider vinegar or some type of electrolyte or probiotic. If they don’t drink or eat they will die. They just won’t keep up with the chicks that do eat and drink.
good luck. If you were closer to me. I’d give you some chicks that I hatched. I have no problem helping people out that wanna take on this lifestyle

 

[tourn]

From the look of your setup, the heat lamp is way too far away. It needs to be down low directly over the chicks. Temperature on the floor under the heat lamp should be about 100 F.

 

[ecwdavis]

I lost 3 of my 6 chicks - I was not able to get Corrid water in time to save them... now if I see any kind of odd pooping I give them a dose in their water.