- Nov 3, 2017
- 14
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I woke up this morning to find another of my baby chicks died sometime during the night.
I bought four chickens three days ago at Tractor supply. They are my first chickens. I made a brooder with a cardboard box, bought a heat lamp, I am using pine shavings for bedding. I keep their water and food clean. I feed them Dumor chick starter, that is what the store was feeding them.
The first fatality was yesterday, and that chick was weak and sleepy, and just faded.
This chick was perky and happy last night before I went to bed. Eating and drinking water.
The remaining two are happy and appear healthy too.
What could the problem be?
Hi! I've been raising chickens for seven years. As someone who's seen a lot of chick clutches, I can offer some insight. Within the first few days, the majority of fatalities we get are from chicks not drinking. This happens when they 1) fail to find the water, 2) have not been taught how to drink, or 3) if they are unable to reach the waterer. My guess is that your first chick didn't get their beak dipped into the water, and therefore didn't know how to or where to drink. The second chick is a little harder to guess. If she was eating/drinking, moving around, and looking healthy, it wasn't malnutrition. My guess would be that she got too cold.
I hope this helps!