Chicks piling up in corner of coop

[NoisyCricket]

I actually only have the light on for the very small bantam that is being very slow to feather out. I don't think it is the light they are trying to get away from as they could go to the other side of the coop (it is 12X8) to get away from it. It does seem like they are in panic mod though.

I am in MA. It has been in the 40's the last few nights and the next few will be in the 50's. How much does the little one need to feather out before she is ok without the lamp at night? She is very small, even for a bantam.

 

[tinabrat1]

My youngest chicks did the same thing...every night the older chicks would go in from the pen at dark and sleep on the floor of the coop, but the youngest ones would be found out in the pen all huddled in the corner, so every night for 1 week I would pick them all up put them in a box and transfer them into the coop with the others, all of a sudden a few nights ago they all went in the coop at dark and have been doing it like clock work ever since! yeah! oh and I'm in CT, and they are 5-6 weeks old with no lamp and doing great!

 

[Firsttimechichmama]

I have 10 chicks 7 and 8 wks old. I just weened them from the light and now they are piling up in one corner of the coop when they used to be all spread out. Is this normal behavior or does it mean the coop is dirty or are they scared? I just lost one 7 week old due to gapeworms. I should have gotten dewormer but the feed store told me to use apple cider vinegar, garlic, and sugar with water and I believe she got worse. She got suffocated . So I’m wondering if they are scared or missing her?

 

[nuthatched]

I have 10 chicks 7 and 8 wks old. I just weened them from the light and now they are piling up in one corner of the coop when they used to be all spread out. Is this normal behavior or does it mean the coop is dirty or are they scared? I just lost one 7 week old due to gapeworms. I should have gotten dewormer but the feed store told me to use apple cider vinegar, garlic, and sugar with water and I believe she got worse. She got suffocated . So I’m wondering if they are scared or missing her?

This thread is from 2011, my friend.
They do not like the dark, can you get a night light?
They do not give a second thought for dead chick. And if don't handle loss well, you had best find a new home for them. Chickens are everyone's dinner and can die from many things, it's not easy.
Gapeworm is very, very rare, it likely had a crop issue like a blockage or was was just adjusting its crop as all birds do.
What were the exact symptoms, diet, brooder etc?
How did you give the acv, garlic etc? Garlic is toxic to chickens in certain amounts.
It sounds like he aspirated.

 

[Firsttimechichmama]

This thread is from 2011, my friend.
They do not like the dark, can you get a night light?
They do not give a second thought for dead chick. And if don't handle loss well, you had best find a new home for them. Chickens are everyone's dinner and can die from many things, it's not easy.
Gapeworm is very, very rare, it likely had a crop issue like a blockage or was was just adjusting its crop as all birds do.
What were the exact symptoms, diet, brooder etc?
How did you give the acv, garlic etc? Garlic is toxic to chickens in certain amounts.
It sounds like he aspirated.

I know the thread was 2011 I am speaking of myself right now. I have the same issue with my chicks. As far as finding a new place for them well we only have one coop with a nesting box. I do have a night light in the nesting box now and just for extra safety I shut the door to the nesting box to keep them safe and warm. Last night it got to 43 degrees. As far as the dead chick she was wiggling her neck upward, throwing up, and withdrawing from the rest of the chicks, and then breathing with her mouth open. She was wheezing after I gave her the mixture . I will never do that again. I will just use the dewormer if it’s a worm. The feed store told me it was a gapeworm by the way she was acting.

 

[nuthatched]

I know the thread was 2011 I am speaking of myself right now. I have the same issue with my chicks. As far as finding a new place for them well we only have one coop with a nesting box. I do have a night light in the nesting box now and just for extra safety I shut the door to the nesting box to keep them safe and warm. Last night it got to 43 degrees. As far as the dead chick she was wiggling her neck upward, throwing up, and withdrawing from the rest of the chicks, and then breathing with her mouth open. She was wheezing after I gave her the mixture . I will never do that again. I will just use the dewormer if it’s a worm. The feed store told me it was a gapeworm by the way she was acting.

That is a crop blockage or sour crop, I'm sorry. Not gapeworm. He must have eaten something too big to pass from the crop to the esophagus. It's hard to treat in young birds.

 

[Firsttimechichmama]

That is a crop blockage or sour crop, I'm sorry. Not gapeworm. He must have eaten something too big to pass from the crop to the esophagus. It's hard to treat in young birds.

Oh man I wish I could have helped her she was so precious I cried when I found her on her back. Yeah we gave them crushed up eggshells maybe it was too big for hers to pass through yes this is my first time having baby chicks. It is hard. Thanks for your insight.

 

[aart]

Yeah we gave them crushed up eggshells

Baby chicks do not need this.
Only feed them chick starter in crumble or mash form.

 

[nuthatched]

Oh man I wish I could have helped her she was so precious I cried when I found her on her back. Yeah we gave them crushed up eggshells maybe it was too big for hers to pass through yes this is my first time having baby chicks. It is hard. Thanks for your insight.

Only laying hens need eggshells. There was likely nothing you could have done. If you're new at chickens, byc is the best place for accurate information.

 

[Firsttimechichmama]

Baby chicks do not need this.
Only feed them chick starter in crumble or mash form.

I know that now