Can chicks eat too much food?

[Janilom81]

Is their brooder inside what is the temps where your brooder is?

The brooder is in my kitchen. It stays about 65F-68F in the room.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Since you are using a brooder plate, are you leaving a light on somewhere all night long, or are they getting a natural day/night cycle?

 

[Janilom81]

Since you are using a brooder plate, are you leaving a light on somewhere all night long, or are they getting a natural day/night cycle?

I have been leaving a light on that is about 20ft away at night. Other than that it is pretty dark near the brooder. It is a clear bucket however so some light does get to them.
At about 6AM I put the lights on in the kitchen and they stay on till about 8 or 9pm.

 

[Huntmaster]

They shouldn't be hard have you seen them eating bedding or anything else? And with those temps inside I would drop temp of plate to highest end of 85.

 

[Janilom81]

They shouldn't be hard have you seen them eating bedding or anything else? And with those temps inside I would drop temp of plate to highest end of 85.

I have seen them pick at the pine shavings a little but wasnt sure if they were eating them.

 

[Huntmaster]

I would also keep all lights off, so they go full dark overnight and check their crops first thing in morning to see if they went down. If they haven't went down in morning before eating anything they are plugged up.

 

[Janilom81]

I would also keep all lights off, so they go full dark overnight and check their crops first thing in morning to see if they went down.

Should I remove the food from the brooder tonight?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have been leaving a light on that is about 20ft away at night. Other than that it is pretty dark near the brooder. It is a clear bucket however so some light does get to them.
At about 6AM I put the lights on in the kitchen and they stay on till about 8 or 9pm.

I would kill the light at night - optimally dim it as nightfall arrives, and then turn it off completely once they shuffle under the heat source for bedtime. Some folks like chicks to eat around the clock but I don't, it'll give their digestive system time to work through the feed that is in there.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Should I remove the food from the brooder tonight?

No. If the light is on, they will want to eat as they will remain active. If the lights are completely off they'll naturally not eat.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I agree the crop may be impacted if it feels hard. (Also, just so you know, the crop is on the right side of a,chicken, so when full you will Always notice the right side feels larger.)

It is normal for chicks to pick at shavings. But regular flake shavings, not fine, are best to ensure the chicks don't eat it. What size shavings are you using?