Chicks dying, no idea why

[shmccarthy]

I got my shipped chicks from cackle yesterday morning. I ordered 22, 29 came in the box and 5 were already dead. 2 were near death and I couldn't save them. Since then, 7 more have died. All are running around the brooder, eating and drinking. I have no idea why they keep dying. The brooder is very warm and they're not ever huddled under the light for warmth. The ones that have been dying have been acting really sleepy and eventually just pass. :/

 

[shmccarthy]

Cleaned up 1 pretty bad pasty butt and 4 moderately pasty butts. One wouldn't open one of its eye and looked like it had a little discharge. I took a qtip and wiped its eye and eventually some clear fluid that looked like water came out and the chick opened its eye. Not sure what that's all about either..

 

[gander007]

Alright it sounds like you might want to add some sugar to the water
and later go your local feed store and get some Probiotic & Electrolyte
to add to the water now I do not know what you are using for feed so
try a couple of boiled egg's one egg per 10 chicks remove peal and
mash up real good then serve if you think they need more then go
ahead and repeat but one important thing never leave uneaten egg's
in the brooder and do not save for later .......

 

[Branch Chickens]

How large is your brooder? Is there an area with cooler temps for the chicks, or is the entire brooder at one temp?

 

[gander007]

Here is my brooder setup




If you look in the back and see the heat source and the feed
and water is on the other side



this help's them heat and cool off also you can see the
holes in the side for ventilation

I know not everyone has a brooder like this but if you
kind of stick to the basic rule's of the brooder of heat
and some room to run around and ventilation then
there shouldn't really be much of a problem .......

 

[shmccarthy]

My brooder is 5.5x3 feet. It's outdoors, but insulated and running 2 heat lamps. One on each side towards the back. I have a thermometer in both the cool and hot part. The middle of the brooder is about 75-80, the front is 70, and the back corners with the lamps are 95. The chicks are never huddled or trying to be as far away from the heat as they can. They're all running around acting perfectly okay so I know by the way they act that they aren't too cold or hot.

this is my brooder. It has a top hatch that's see through plexiglass so I can watch them without disturbing them or opening the door. It latches and I made the latches fit tightly so it's secure. (You gotta push down on the top part of the door and undo the latches one at a time) it's plywood but sided with some old barn wood I found on the side of the road. The roof is shingled and feels warm to the touch. The bedding is pretty deep and I messed with everything a lot to make sure they'd stay warm. This was before the food and water and everything went into them.

I gave them electrolytes mixed with their water when they arrived. The brooder had been running for a couple days so they wouldn't be chilled waiting for it to warm up, but the insulation helps hold heat really well. I dipped each ones beak in the water an I've watched them all drink it. I have them on chick starter feed and they've been eating that too. All the ones that died had been acting extra sleepy and don't want to open their eyes. Today I cooked them some eggs and mashed them up and put some food crumbles in it. Most were sleeping when I last checked on them but I tapped on the glass and they all jumped awake

 

[Slingha]

Mine were the same as yours when they arrived. The woman at TSC suggested grogel and the electrolyte water powder(turns water orange). Worked miracles

 

[shmccarthy]

I used the packet stuff when they arrived, it looked like orange Gatorade and they seemed to like it. I changed it out today. The water was kind of cold when I changed it, could that have anything to do with it??

 

[Slingha]

That may be your problem. There is a big caveat on the package to make fresh daily. Last line at the bottom

 

[red horse ranch]

I think your chicks were chilled during shipment. Once they are chilled they are very hard to save no matter what you do. I got an order of 29 chicks a year ago. Only 2 looked alive when I opened the box. I managed to revive 16 of them but over the next week they kept dying. I was only able to save 9 of them. It's heartbreaking!