Baby Chicks ...mass casualties

[Cyprus]

Btw, how quickly can bad food kill them?

Depending on size, age, and the severity of the poisoning, I'd venture to guess within a few days at most.
I don't know for sure, but I can't imagine that a young chick with food poisoning would live for long.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

You didn't run a self clean oven cycle, use the broiler for the first time, waffle iron, George foreman grill etc.? Even a hair iron? Those appliances all get very hot and are nonstick.

 

[Wagnit09]

You didn't run a self clean oven cycle, use the broiler for the first time, waffle iron, George foreman grill etc.? Even a hair iron? Those appliances all get very hot and are nonstick.

Nope to all. Have done nothing out of the ordinary today.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Sorry for your misfortune. I agree it seems so fast. Hopefully someone has a lightbulb moment to help.

 

[rebrascora]

The thing that strikes me about your set up is that the thermometer is at what should be the cool end of the brooder and the water is nearer the heat lamp and it is a closed sided box. That means that the heat will build up in there with no place for the chicks to cool off and the water will be warm, which means that cocci will thrive in it. If you consider that this brooder is in a warm room with ovens being used, rather than a garage or spare room where the ambient temp is cooler, then my gut feeling would be that they have either overheated or it has become a breeding ground for coccidia.
I might be reading the situation wrong, but if they were under a broody hen, they would be running around outside in the cold and just ducking underneath the broody to warm up when they needed it..... I've only ever raised chicks with broody hens, so I may be speaking out of turn, but they do not need to be warm all the time and in my opinion it is unhealthy for them to be kept at a constant temperature

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

What type of brooder are you using? Is that sand bedding?

 

[Cyprus]

Like HenOnAJuneBug asked, what kind of bedding are you using?
Hopefully not Cedar shavings. Cedar is toxic to poultry, especially juvenile poultry.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

A heat level that is OK one week might be too hot for chicks the next.

 

[lazy gardener]

My first question after looking at set up is this: what is that bedding?

I'm in agreement with Rebra. Brooder too small. Rubbermaid tote + heat lamp IMO is a recipe for disaster. My first batch of chicks were brooded in that fashion. I was diligent at checking the temp, and reducing it according to "protocol". One moment all was well. Several minutes later, the temp had shot up to 110* under the bulb. I almost lost those chicks.

FYI, any time a chick is panting, you have a crisis of overheating on your hands. The temp at the unheated end of the brooder should be room temp (if brooding in the house) or what ever ambient outdoor or coop temp is (if brooding in a coop).

I will no longer use a heat lamp. All my chicks are brooded with MHP brooder in an outdoor coop. If I ever end up brooding more than 50 chicks at a time, I would consider an Ohio brooder, but no heat lamp for my chicks.

 

[Wagnit09]

The thing that strikes me about your set up is that the thermometer is at what should be the cool end of the brooder and the water is nearer the heat lamp and it is a closed sided box. That means that the heat will build up in there with no place for the chicks to cool off and the water will be warm, which means that cocci will thrive in it. If you consider that this brooder is in a warm room with ovens being used, rather than a garage or spare room where the ambient temp is cooler, then my gut feeling would be that they have either overheated or it has become a breeding ground for coccidia.
I might be reading the situation wrong, but if they were under a broody hen, they would be running around outside in the cold and just ducking underneath the broody to warm up when they needed it..... I've only ever raised chicks with broody hens, so I may be speaking out of turn, but they do not need to be warm all the time and in my opinion it is unhealthy for them to be kept at a constant temperature

Thanks for your input. I totally get and agree with what you are saying based on the provided pic.

Just to clarify a couple things though. The pic was from last week and not the current set up. I actually have 2 thermometers; one directly under the lamp and one at the far side. If the chicks began to huddle I wanted to be able to check the temp in both locations, especially since the kitchen gets cold at night because our heater in that room is broken.

The water is also currently suspended a few inches up at the farthest side of the brooder with the feeder in the place of the pictured waterer.

We were getting ready to move them to the garage but the temps are still dipping below freezing a night. We were still working on a set up that would maintain at least a small area at the recommended temperature.