Chicks suddenly dying

[JDowey]

I have been incubating Cobb chickens, so far 4 have hatched. The hatching has been extremely erratic, with only 4 out 12 hatching so far. Over the course of the last few days, two of the chicks have suddenly died, they haven't seemed sick at all and the chicks haven't been huddling/acting cold, have also been eating/drinking well it seems and no sign of pasty butt. Does anyone have any idea what could be happening or how to stop it?

 

[LaFleche]

Hi @JDowey ,

I am sorry that you have problems with your hatch and the chicks.
Where did you get the hatching eggs from, was it a NPIP certified source?

Cobbs are broiler chickens that are prone to heart failure and other issues, they often will not even live for the intended short lifespan of 8-12 weeks because of their genetic issues.

So among other things, controlling the brooder temperature closely, so they will not overheat, is imperative.

 

[JDowey]

Hi @JDowey ,

I am sorry that you have problems with your hatch and the chicks.
Where did you get the hatching eggs from, was it a NPIP certified source?

Cobbs are broiler chickens that are prone to heart failure and other issues, they often will not even live for the intended short lifespan of 8-12 weeks because of their genetic issues.

So among other things, controlling the brooder temperature closely, so they will not overheat, is imperative.

Hello, I don't live in the USA, I live in northern ireland, so there is no NPIP here. It's also extremely hard to get hatching eggs or chicks in general so I take what I can get. The brooder seems to be the correct temperature and the surviving chicks arnt panting or huddled. Thank you for your reply

 

[LaFleche]

You might want to add some poultry vitamins to their drinking water for 3 days, preparing fresh every day.

What kind of bedding do you use in the brooder? Chicks sometimes eat wood chips which can lead to death because their crops will get congested by the macerated wood blocking the passage.

 

[JDowey]

You might want to add some poultry vitamins to their drinking water for 3 days, preparing fresh every day.

What kind of bedding do you use in the brooder? Chicks sometimes eat wood chips which can lead to death because their crops will get congested by the macerated wood blocking the passage.

The vitamins are a good idea, I'm using shredded paper, do you think that could cause problems?

 

[LaFleche]

The vitamins are a good idea, I'm using shredded paper, do you think that could cause problems?

Yes! As they will eat it and stuff themselves. Use some old terry cloth for the first week until they have learned to distinguish their food.

 

[JDowey]

Yes! As they will eat it and stuff themselves. Use some old terry cloth for the first week until they have learned to distinguish their food.

That's great thanks, I'll change it now. Last time I put down sawdust at the start and then changed to paper later

 

[LaFleche]

That's great thanks, I'll change it now. Last time I put down sawdust at the start and then changed to paper later

They would eat the saw dust as well causing similar problems.
It's best to use old terry cloth for the first week to avoid these problems.

Hopefully the rest of them will survive

 

[BlueHorse17]

You might want to add some poultry vitamins to their drinking water for 3 days, preparing fresh every day.

What kind of bedding do you use in the brooder? Chicks sometimes eat wood chips which can lead to death because their crops will get congested by the macerated wood blocking the passage.

Never thought of the wood chips! I use wood stove pellets for bedding. Is that okay?