chicks dropping dead

rpb088

Hatching
May 25, 2019
3
1
4
I purchased 14 Cinnamon Queens from a local farm supply and I have already lost 9 to no apparent cause..I have read this is not uncommon...Did I just throw good money away?
 
:welcome

Sorry about the rough start. :(

Losing 9 out of 14 is NOT the norm.

How long have you had them?
Can you tell us about how your brooder is set up?
What is your heat source?
What feed are you using?
What is the bedding?
If it is cedar shavings you need to get rid of it right away...not in an hour but NOW.
Do you have nutridrench on hand?
How are the remaining chicks acting?
 
A friend with chickens who buys young adults rather than chicks quoted me a 50% loss rate to encourage me to buy older birds. I wanted chicks so bought chicks. Lost one of 17. And it looked poorly from the start but there were only two left in that tank at the farm supply store and we really wanted the other and they wouldn’t leave that one alone so basically gave it to us.

Now in reading I haven’t seen loss rates that high with proper care.

Mine are 8 weeks and thriving.

Please tell us more about your set up. Photos?
 
Welcome to BYC, you will find some very helpful people here that will offer some great advice. This is my first year raising laying hens, and I have learned a lot from reading threads posted here on BYC and asking questions when I can't find the answers. 21hens asked the basic questions people need to know to help you. Losing that many chicks is not normal. So people are here to help, but more info on your setup is needed. Good luck and hope to hear from you soon.
 
Have you talked to the farm supply about replacing them?

That might be an option, but I also think you should try to figure out if there is anything on your side that needs to be improved (setup, heat, food, water, etc.). I know my local Farm stores will give credit for lost birds in the first 2 days, but they would never expect such a high loss from an order unless the hatchery has a problem with their birds, or if the chicks were extremely stressed during the shipment. If replacing the lost chicks is an option, I know my local Farm store requires to be notified within those first few days.

You want to be confident that you are doing things right before replacing the lost chicks. People here can help.
 
Definitely not normal. Do you notice any blood in the poop? Do they act lethargic or anything before dying? And like the others have said, answering the questions about your setup will help a lot.

Just for comparison, I bought 16 one day old chicks. Only one died. The rest are healthy and happy.
 
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A friend with chickens who buys young adults rather than chicks quoted me a 50% loss rate to encourage me to buy older birds....

I have never heard of a 50% loss rate on chicks. That would be heartbreaking. I have raised 4 batches of chicks/ducks/geese and have lost maybe 1 out 20 chicks on average - usually in the first few critical days.

I considered buying some older birds this year because I would like to see some eggs this summer, but in the end I still ordered baby chicks because I just like the idea of raising them from day 1. If I would have lost 9 of 14 chicks, I would have been heartbroken so I hope the OP gets the information they need to help come through this experience.
 

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