Chicks dying in run

[janiedoe]

Just to give you the progression, after incubator they go to brooder with heat plate and lamp for first couple weeks. Then to shed brooder with heat lamps for about two weeks and then to outdoor enclosure for about two weeks before I moved them to the bigger coop/run. After the first night I had deaths. I spent a couple hours inside the run today watching them and they appeared fine, though a couple were moving slow. I added a heat lamp and they seem to like that. It’s been in the 50s and wet here (75% of the run is covered) and will be in upper 40s tonight. I was thinking that maybe they were huddling and got crushed but have no direct evidence. Plus had another perish this evening in the middle of the run. As mentioned above, I did see a runny stool. Feeling guilty about my chicken keeping ability!

I'm very sorry for your losses. I hate that your feeling guilty. I doubt that anyone could have done better. I hope treating for cocidosis will do the trick. Good luck!

 

[knobhillfarm]

Just to give you the progression, after incubator they go to brooder with heat plate and lamp for first couple weeks. Then to shed brooder with heat lamps for about two weeks and then to outdoor enclosure for about two weeks before I moved them to the bigger coop/run. After the first night I had deaths. I spent a couple hours inside the run today watching them and they appeared fine, though a couple were moving slow. I added a heat lamp and they seem to like that. It’s been in the 50s and wet here (75% of the run is covered) and will be in upper 40s tonight. I was thinking that maybe they were huddling and got crushed but have no direct evidence. Plus had another perish this evening in the middle of the run. As mentioned above, I did see a runny stool. Feeling guilty about my chicken keeping ability!

Don’t beat yourself up, you’re way ahead of the curve and it’s clear you take great care of them. Sometimes nature just happens.

 

[McChooky]

I'm curious what breeds you have in this group and how many of each breed has died? Thanks!

 

[goldenyears]

Breeds: Silkies, buff and black; Lavender Orpington; Black Sexlink plus a buncha mixed breeds from Barred Rock, Bielefelder, Barnvelder, Buckeye, ISA Brown and Gold Laced Wyandotte. The mixed breeds are chicks sired from Bielefelder (4) and Barred Rock roosters. The dead chicks were one Silkie, one Barred Rock and the others mixed breeds.

 

[goldenyears]

Breeds: Silkies, buff and black; Lavender Orpington; Black Sexlink plus a buncha mixed breeds from Barred Rock, Bielefelder, Barnvelder, Buckeye, ISA Brown and Gold Laced Wyandotte. The mixed breeds are chicks sired from Bielefelder (4) and Barred Rock roosters. The dead chicks were one Silkie, one Barred Rock and the others mixed breeds.

Oh, also White Leghorn and white Silkies. Had 30 eggs in the incubator and most have hatched as of this morning. And have 50 meat chickens coming in two weeks. So I’m really hoping to resolve this issue. All chicks in the affected area appear to be fine this morning.

 

[goldenyears]

Here’s one of the Silkie mamas with some mixed chicks poking their heads out. The Silkie hens are good surrogate moms.