Barred Rock chicks too stupid to thrive?

[Beckys Birds]

Be careful there using those nipple waterers in stores and its causing confusion in chicks for regular waterers. Seen it happen several times.
Different breeds. As for the hot plate it just seems like mass confusion. Ours did it too from heat lamp to oh I have to be near this to get warm.

Hopefully the transition gets better soon. Baby chicks will always keep you on your toes. =)

They are too young for the nipple waterer, so they have a plastic jug dish thing like at the store. They get both dry crumbles in a little chick dish, and mash on a small plate.
I stopped using the heat lamp several batches of chicks ago. I was using a ceramic, infrared bulb, and not the regular bulb, because fire.
The lamp was so huge and clunky and allowed the chicks to go up inside the lamp, and I did not like that. So I got a highly rated hot plate. I have had zero problems with it, until the BR's.

 

[Cry86]

They are too young for the nipple waterer, so they have a plastic jug dish thing like at the store. They get both dry crumbles in a little chick dish, and mash on a small plate.
I stopped using the heat lamp several batches of chicks ago. I was using a ceramic, infrared bulb, and not the regular bulb, because fire.
The lamp was so huge and clunky and allowed the chicks to go up inside the lamp, and I did not like that. So I got a highly rated hot plate. I have had zero problems with it, until the BR's.

Not sure we have incubated and store bought BR's the store bought ones were always slower then the incubated ones but the girls are intelligent now they swing, they sit on our shoulders etc.... I'm just gonna guess it was the change from store to home. Some breeds take change harder then others.

I agree on switching the lamp out we use the cozy coop plates too. =)

 

[3KillerBs]

I wonder if they had a rough trip from the hatchery and are still recovering? The weather has been terrible in a number of locations recently.

 

[nuthatched]

It raises up, and I have it at an angle. They can easily come and go. I'm not sure why my rearing practice is in question, since I've been very successful in raising almost 50 birds over the last three years? These BR's are the only ones to have problems with this brooder set up.
My point to this post was for commiseration. To see if anyone else has or had some chicks that couldn't figure things out, not to defend the way my brooder is set up. Because really, six birds out of 26 not figuring things out is not the norm, they are the anomaly.

I'm not questioning your rearing practices, but as you've noticed, something isnt quite right here. To assume the issue is breed specific isnt logical. The birds you've had before are not these birds and perhaps the plate has malfunctioned causing the heat to jump. But over 100 is much too hot for chicks of any age.

 

[WI chickens]

My partridge rocks are as smart as any of my other birds and I really like them. My Russian Orloffs now? Holy cow are they dumb. I think really dumb chickens look at each other, point at the Orloffs and go "wow, those birds are dumb." They are really sweet birds and I really, really like them, but they are the dumbest birds I've ever seen.

 

[Beckys Birds]

I'm not questioning your rearing practices, but as you've noticed, something isnt quite right here. To assume the issue is breed specific isnt logical. The birds you've had before are not these birds and perhaps the plate has malfunctioned causing the heat to jump. But over 100 is much too hot for chicks of any age.

It's only 104 touching the the actual underside of the hot plate. That's why you move them up or down, depending on how big your chicks are. You can even raise one side higher and leave the other lower, so the chicks can decide how hot they want to be, which is how I have it. Mine is now a bit more dramatically adjusted because the BR cockerel is growing faster than the pullets.
The plate is checked twice a day. The brooder is in my living room, so the chicks are very much interacted with and watched. And YES. I am picking on these Barred Rock chicks. Let me list the breeds who did not have problems finding the food or the water or the hot plate after the first introduction, let alone the nineth time:
Road Island Red, Golden Comet, HampBar, Calico Princess, Buff Orpington, Gold Laced Wyandotte, Light Brahma.
So it seems, the Barred Rocks we're the outlier's. All the chicks were less than a week old, so age isn't a factor. But whatever. I know I go above and beyond for the chicks I raise. They are in my freaking house, for crying out loud! I research every day, about how to better the lives of my birds. I improve things, like the hot plate vs heat lamp, mash vs dry crumbles, nipple waterers (age appropriate) vs jug and dish. The amount of daily bird snacks are more than what we humans eat, my fridge is packed! I interact with my birds. All. Day. Long. And that's the outside ones as well as my inside chicks.
I'm done justifying myself to you.
Peace.

 

[Beckys Birds]

My partridge rocks are as smart as any of my other birds and I really like them. My Russian Orloffs now? Holy cow are they dumb. I think really dumb chickens look at each other, point at the Orloffs and go "wow, those birds are dumb." They are really sweet birds and I really, really like them, but they are the dumbest birds I've ever seen.

This is what I was expecting when I posted this question! That's hilarious! I have one Partridge Rock and four Plymouth Rocks. Now that I've had them almost a week, they are doing much better, but just seem... slow in development. Sweet as can be! The cockerel will be a good roo when he grows up, I can already tell. He gives difference to the pullets, calling to them when I put the fresh mash out, change the water, or give tasty treats. He also sleeps closer to the outside of the hot plate, like he's guarding them. He is also sweet as can be and very laid back. They all are and I love them, they are just not as quick on the uptake, ya know?

 

[Beckys Birds]

I wonder if they had a rough trip from the hatchery and are still recovering? The weather has been terrible in a number of locations recently.

Could be, and I didn't think about that. The weather has been weird all year. Hopefully, they grow out of being so slow.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Every breed has its clever ones and the..... less than clever ones. Most of my silkies are as smart as other birds, but I have one boy that definitely wouldn't survive on his own

 

[Beckys Birds]

Every breed has its clever ones and the..... less than clever ones. Most of my silkies are as smart as other birds, but I have one boy that definitely wouldn't survive on his own

I had an Ancona drake like that. He was just not all there, you know? I had to re-home him with a few other drakes, only because he would try to mate, but really was just standing on top of the females like surfboards. He was ripping up their feathers really bad. He did this for two whole years, so it wasn't just first time confusion. Also, none of the resulting chicks were Ancona, and he was my only Ancona drake, soooo...
I found a couple with a pond who wanted a Drake only flock. He lucked out!
It's too bad, because he was absolutely beautiful, just...not all there. My ducks are so much happier and healthier looking now that he's gone.