Chicks dying, not sure why.

[Mamatomany123]

It's only getting down to 65 tonight, should I turn the lamp off completely?

I wouldnt turn it off completely. You want to give them the option of having it if they need it. But there should only be part of the brooder warm. The other part should be cool. If you need a covering for the top then use hardware mesh. The cushions are trapping in the heat.

 

[kana9]

I would remove the cushions, turn the lamp so it is facing more directly down and not towards the middle of the brooder. I would check the temperature on the floor of the brooder under the lamp and on the other side. I think 65 is probably not warm enough for their age, so would not turn the lamp off for the night. Can you adjust the height of the lamp and raise it up more (securely!). When I used a lamp with my first batch six years ago, we hung the lamp from a hook in the ceiling by a secure chain. That was after some of the chicks were looking lethargic the first couple of days and I discovered the lamp was keeping the tub too hot.

 

[Counting chickens]

Ok. It was in the 30s a couple of nights ago, was still stuck worrying they were too cold

 

[AltonaAcres]

I would also clean those towels in the bottom. Dirty bedding can make sick chicks worse. I wouldn't completely turn the lamp off, that's too dark and different for them

 

[Counting chickens]

Yeah, towel should have been last night, but we had a puppy break a leg.

 

[Counting chickens]

What outside temp does it need to be to cut the heat lamp off, and when can they go without it at night?

 

[Mamatomany123]

What outside temp does it need to be to cut the heat lamp off, and when can they go without it at night?

It's not a set temperature. Depending on their age depends on the temperature. Mine were 5 weeks once we were able to completely cut off heat. Lower 5° every weeks. Once your brooder temp matches the outside temp is when they should be fine.

 

[AltonaAcres]

They look young enough that they will probably still need a lamp though. As long as they can get away from the light they should be ok.

 

[easterbun]

I agree with the others that it looks like they're too hot - they should be hanging out just at the edges of where the light heats, but they're at the far end completely. More ventilation might help, or you could try to get a better temperature gradient, using a lower wattage bulb, or aiming the light towards one end of the stock tank (you might need to mount it more on the side), or getting a lamp dimmer (you may be able to order one for pickup at Home Depot - I got one a while back that can be used with up to a 300W light bulb, so no worries with a heat lamp) to dial the heat lamp back a bit can help with that.

Chicks don't require 95˚ ambient temperature constantly, what they require is the ability to find a warm place and get warmed when they want to, but they also need to be able to get out of that heat. When it was in the 40's a few days ago my chicks who are out in my barn were happily out and eating/drinking, but still going back to the brooder plate to warm up (and yes I am aware that I was at the bottom limit for temperatures the heat plate could compensate for - I did have a couple of lamps ready and waiting if it got too cold) but they were plenty active and not cheeping and the drop in temperatures didn't really phase them. I was worried it could be too cold, but they didn't seem to care.

I've been where you are - not realizing I was basically cooking my chicks because I was worried they would get too cold, but they really are hardier than we think. Unhappy chicks are VERY noisy and I've since used that as my guide.

 

[aart]

Guessing they are at the end of the brooder hiding from the camera.
Are they all drinking and eating and pooping?

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:

They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.