Chick loss

[jgambre1]

You need a digital thermometer in the bottom of the box, but in lieu of that there has to be room for them to escape the heat lamp, to a cooler part of the brooder if they start getting too hot. They will gravitate to the heat if they are cold, but they have to have a cool down area if they are getting overheated. Using a small box will certainly get them overheated.

 

[jlholm]

Pine shavings.
It can be toxic
Also how are your temps.
Are their vents clear?

Pine is not toxic to them! Make sure you have a thermometer to tell what the temp is in there. It could be too warm. They need to be able to move away from the heat if it’s too much and you should lower the heat every week by 5 degrees.

 

[PhilSanchez]

Get lots of different answers here. I have raised from two day olds. The last ones that worked put really well I raised on hardware cloth, people here raising cane about it, however ot works great, pulled them out at 6 weeks put them inside of the big pen separated from hens, after one week into pen with grown hens, pecking order established everyone doing fantastic. Now I only add hens that are 12 weeks are older, no roosters, no problems.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Anybody else have any ideas?

See what it takes to get a necropsy. If you are in the US call your county extension office, they should be able to give you that information. It's usually done by the state. In some states it's pretty inexpensive, in some it costs more. The questions I'd ask are cost, where do I take the body, and how do I manage the body (usually refrigerated or on ice, not frozen). If you are in another country I don't know how to go about it. Maybe chat with your agricultural ministry or a vet.

In a necropsy they cut the chicken open to try to determine what killed it. A chicken can die randomly, it happens. But when it becomes a pattern it's worth checking out.

 

[bjurbrat]

You need a digital thermometer in the bottom of the box, but in lieu of that there has to be room for them to escape the heat lamp, to a cooler part of the brooder if they start getting too hot. They will gravitate to the heat if they are cold, but they have to have a cool down area if they are getting overheated. Using a small box will certainly get them overheated.

Yes this is important they need a long box or tub so you ca

You need a digital thermometer in the bottom of the box, but in lieu of that there has to be room for them to escape the heat lamp, to a cooler part of the brooder if they start getting too hot. They will gravitate to the heat if they are cold, but they have to have a cool down area if they are getting overheated. Using a small box will certainly get them overheated.

Yes you need a long box or tub to escape the heat then check every 15 min to see if there to hot or cold here a chart

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Well, I am happy to report that the remaining chicks are healthy and growing, so I am feeling more encouraged.
I do keep constant attention on the thermometer to keep their heat proper.
I change their water frequently (they get it messy), and they are eating like little pigs.
I don’t know what was wrong with the two that died but other people have told me that that happens. When you think about newly hatched chicks being shipped off to TSC, delivered and set up in their store brooders, it’s probably a little much for a new baby. Then someone like me takes four home in the car in a box. I took very good care of them, but they may have been already fading.
But again, these two are looking great.
I have had them for a week and a half now, and they are strong, And healthy, and very entertaining.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

I have had a run of the same thing the last couple of years. I would bring chicks home,keeping them in a cage shielded from drafts,off the floor,on clean towels to avoid wood dust, with temp at an even 90 degrees to start,plenty of room to move about,in and out from under the heat lamp to avoid chilling or overheating,clean food and water,etc. They would be fine at first,then after anywhere from a week or two or three,I would start losing them. I've raised chicks for years doing this,and,up until several years ago, rarely,if ever lost one.And most all,which I still have a good number of, lived or are still living,at least a decade.But the last couple of years,things suddenly changed-I would lose nearly all of them,the oldest living little more than a year.I don't understand this either,like something has changed.Because I was always able to raise them successfully before,now I'm afraid to try anymore.The only real success I have had,is when hatched them from the mother,not store bought.(All but two of my geese are home-born and raised,so are my ducks-no problem.) One of the chicks raised this way lived to be 14-1/2 years old-well over 100 in human years! I don't know what has changed the past several years,except the crazy erratic weather patterns in the spring,when the chicks are shipped-maybe being subjected to the weather changes has something to do with it.Anybody else have any ideas?

It sounds like problems with shipping, and maybe the mass producing of chicks.
It sounds like you are doing all the right things once you get them home, so what else could it be?

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Just by the original information you gave and knowing nothing else I would bet they overheated. Secondly and more important, Do not use a heat lamp in a cardboard box. The next thing that overheats may be your home.

I actually now have the lamp separate and away from the box.
They are doing better with this lamp. I hate to say it, but it’s possible that I may have let them be too cold originally.

 

[JaneyPabc]

I don’t use shavings at all with the young chicks. I use bedding pellets. They stay clean and are very absorbent. I also use an old horse sized water trough which allows lots of room to escape from the heat lamp if they get too hot. My guess is that your chicks got too hot and couldn’t get away to cool off. I’ve raised eight chicks in the last two years (purchased at our local Farm Supply, similar to Tractor Supply) using this method and didn’t lose even one.

 

[bjurbrat]

Well, I am happy to report that the remaining chicks are healthy and growing, so I am feeling more encouraged.
I do keep constant attention on the thermometer to keep their heat proper.
I change their water frequently (they get it messy), and they are eating like little pigs.
I don’t know what was wrong with the two that died but other people have told me that that happens. When you think about newly hatched chicks being shipped off to TSC, delivered and set up in their store brooders, it’s probably a little much for a new baby. Then someone like me takes four home in the car in a box. I took very good care of them, but they may have been already fading.
But again, these two are looking great.
I have had them for a week and a half now, and they are strong, And healthy, and very entertaining.

Well, I am happy to report that the remaining chicks are healthy and growing, so I am feeling more encouraged.
I do keep constant attention on the thermometer to keep their heat proper.
I change their water frequently (they get it messy), and they are eating like little pigs.
I don’t know what was wrong with the two that died but other people have told me that that happens. When you think about newly hatched chicks being shipped off to TSC, delivered and set up in their store brooders, it’s probably a little much for a new baby. Then someone like me takes four home in the car in a box. I took very good care of them, but they may have been already fading.
But again, these two are looking great.
I have had them for a week and a half now, and they are strong, And healthy, and very entertaining.

So sweet and happy for you
❤