Dead 8 week old chick dead

[mmoeck]

Hi everyone,
This my first adventure with raising chickens. I ordered 18 chicks from a hatchery. I have an adult rooster (Charlie) and a friend gave me 3 adult hens because she was moving and couldn’t take them. I had the chicks inside up until they got too big for the brooder and then put them outside with the brooder Zip tied to little doggy pen that I had to give them extra space it worked great. I also picked up to baby turkeys and they integrated well with the chicks. About three two ago I move them into the coop with the same configuration using the brooder against the wall and the little doggy pen with some hardware cloth over the top so that the other chickens could kind of get used to having them around without getting to them. I’m in Alabama and it was really hot yesterday 98°. I have a metal coop, but it’s in the shade and I cut very large vents in the top covered with hardware cloth. Both doors are off and all that I have for doors is doors made with two by fours with hardware cloth plenty of ventilation and then in front of the coop I have a tarp over the top to give extra shade . This morning I went out and found one of my eight week old chicks dead in the dog crate brooder. It’s pretty dim inside the coop so it’s possible it could’ve been there yesterday during the day and I didn’t notice it because it was a dark Chick and it was in the back corner. I’m wondering if it was the heat so I decided to let them out with the other chickens today, I don’t know if that’s wise or not. For extra ventilation and air I did remove the cardboard I had around the bottom of the pen and I removed that for extra air flow and I left the dog crate door open and zip tied it to the pen so that there’s actually a space where if the chicks start getting harassed by the older chickens they can run back underneath into the little area that I Blocked off them inside the coop. Any other ideas of what might’ve killed the chick? They have plenty of water and food. I was thinking maybe they seem to like to sleep in there at night and maybe they all piled too close together and that one got suffocated or too hot. I don’t know. I didn’t see any injuries, but I noticed today on one of my little turkeys looks like its neck has been packed at. I also noticed on one of my little white chicks. It look like a little bit of blood on one of its back feathers so I don’t know if they’ve been at each other and the dead one just got in a fight with one of the other chickens I don’t know. One of the pictures is the little playpen. I attached to my brooder out in the grass before I put it into the coop and the other picture is my two turkeys in with my chicks.
That is about the same configuration I had inside my coupe except I attached it to the walls, so it was actually larger than they had there on the Lawn.

 

[akitafriendakita]

I would think if a 8-week-old chick died to injuries, there would be visible injuries on it somewhere. That being said, I would not be housing all these different aged chicks and species together because it's not going to be a good time for the smaller ones. Mixing chickens and turkeys is just a bad idea, the turkeys will kick their ass.

They may also be fine injury wise, but just not getting enough food due to bullying/can't access feeders with bigger ones hunching over it. That will kill them, I've seen many chicks just kinda give up on living if they can't compete with other chicks and die of whatever health issue due to stress. I have to separate chicks that are being outdone so they have the chance to eat, they usually get a lot happier too [excited to eat again] once you take them away from the bullies.

Because you are mentioning visible injuries here and there, that's a really bad sign among chicks. Usually they're quite weak and have trouble making each other bleed, and they usually don't have much instinct for killing each other yet, so someone is doing serious damage in there and harming them already. It's a little more normal for adults to make each other bleed occasionally, having chicks do it means there's some serious fighting going down in there.

 

[mmoeck]

I would think if a 8-week-old chick died to injuries, there would be visible injuries on it somewhere. That being said, I would not be housing all these different aged chicks and species together because it's not going to be a good time for the smaller ones. Mixing chickens and turkeys is just a bad idea, the turkeys will kick their ass.

They may also be fine injury wise, but just not getting enough food due to bullying/can't access feeders with bigger ones hunching over it. That will kill them, I've seen many chicks just kinda give up on living if they can't compete with other chicks and die of whatever health issue due to stress. I have to separate chicks that are being outdone so they have the chance to eat, they usually get a lot happier too [excited to eat again] once you take them away from the bullies.

Because you are mentioning visible injuries here and there, that's a really bad sign among chicks. Usually they're quite weak and have trouble making each other bleed, and they usually don't have much instinct for killing each other yet, so someone is doing serious damage in there and harming them already. It's a little more normal for adults to make each other bleed occasionally, having chicks do it means there's some serious fighting going down in there.

Thankyou. I will pull the Turkeys out. I know one of the white ones is pretty aggressive. She pecks at my hand when I go to get the feeder and waterer to fill them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mixing chickens and turkeys is just a bad idea, the turkeys will kick their ass.

We've obviously had different experiences. I hatched and raised chicks and poults together without problems. But some people do.

they usually don't have much instinct for killing each other yet, so someone is doing serious damage in there and harming them already.

I agree, they usually don't, but I give mine lots of room. If they are shoehorned into a small area any bad behavior can be even worse. That said, I had a 2-week-old chick decide to kill a sibling by pecking it on the head until it died, then start in another sibling. They were out ranging with a broody hen, lots of room. With living animals you can never tell what will happen.

If you are seeing blood it is possible one chick or poult is pecking the other. Certainly watch for that. 8 weeks is not a typical age for a juvenile molt but it is possible a growing feather with blood has been pecked. Most predators are not going to injure them slightly where they just bleed a little but maybe a rat?

This morning I went out and found one of my eight week old chicks dead in the dog crate brooder.

It sounds like you looked for any pecked or eaten areas with no visual injuries. I don't know what did happen but just like humans some have "birth defects". Maybe something wrong with its heart that caused a heart attack. Or maybe a stroke. It is possible some event could have killed it but it is impossible to say. I've had adult hens die, sometimes for no apparent reason. I think one broke her neck when she ran into something trying to get away from an amorous rooster, her neck was too floppy. Some I have no idea what caused it. Could have been an accident or a heart attack. When you deal with living animals you sometimes have to deal with dead animals. That is the way it works.

You are in Alabama so contact your local extension office tomorrow and learn how your state handles necropsies. In some states it is basically free or inexpensive. In others it might cost a bunch. Find out the cost, where to take the carcass, and how they want it preserved. That is usually on ice but not frozen solid. To me one random death could be about anything, I don't worry about a necropsy. If you see a pattern it may be worth a necropsy. It is probably too late to necropsy this one.

For extra ventilation and air I did remove the cardboard I had around the bottom of the pen and I removed that for extra air flow

Probably a good idea. For extremely young chicks a barrier against breezes is often a good idea but after a few weeks they really don't need it.

98 Fahrenheit is hot. They need plenty of water and shade. But if your others are not lethargic and standing around panting I don't think it was the heat.

 

[mmoeck]

Thank you for your wisdom. I’ll watch for more injuries. Hopefully letting them out in the chicken run with the others will give them more space, if the 4 adults will not hurt them. So far so good.

 

[mmoeck]

There was another dead chicken this afternoon. This morning I noticed one that didn’t run toward the food when I filled it but was just lying there. It was alive but looked kind of lethargic. I opened it up and its crop was empty except for some liquid. Its gizzard had food in it.

So I don’t know. Could be like one of you said it wasn’t getting to the food but clearly it had food in its digestive tract. I didn’t see any worms or anything that looked suspicious but I’m no veterinarian. I saw No injuries but its head was at an odd angle so maybe broken neck? But it seems odd 2 chickens in the same 24 hr period.

 

[NorthFLChickenChick]

There was another dead chicken this afternoon. This morning I noticed one that didn’t run toward the food when I filled it but was just lying there. It was alive but looked kind of lethargic. I opened it up and its crop was empty except for some liquid. Its gizzard had food in it. View attachment 3864512View attachment 3864511View attachment 3864513So I don’t know. Could be like one of you said it wasn’t getting to the food but clearly it had food in its digestive tract. I didn’t see any worms or anything that looked suspicious but I’m no veterinarian. I saw No injuries but its head was at an odd angle so maybe broken neck? But it seems odd 2 chickens in the same 24 hr period.

I have no idea what I'm looking at here, but I guess I have a few questions about your daily maintenance and general area for the 8wk old of chicks given your geo location. I'm in North Fl, almost at GA border and this heat has been horrendous. I'm also growing out 3 8wk pullets w a 10wk rooster, 7 4wk old chicks to add to my 16 adult hens. The adults free range on a 1/2 acre with several shady areas to rotate with watering stations and dirt baths, so they are pretty self sufficient. My 8wk olds require very close monitoring while in a tractor w tarps and a fan...even in that set up, their waterers heat up to scorching and need dumped and refilled at least 3x during sun up. My 4wk olds are still in a brooder in our temp controlled shed.

I am dropping nutridrench in all of their waterers for electrolyte/vitamin replacement. Sprinkle extra herbs in feed to boost immunity and decrease pests. Keep bedding as clean as possible, the ammonia is very irritating to resp tracts...but above all else....clean the algae and dirt from those waterers every chance you can get...especially in this heat.

Good luck

 

[mmoeck]

I have no idea what I'm looking at here, but I guess I have a few questions about your daily maintenance and general area for the 8wk old of chicks given your geo location. I'm in North Fl, almost at GA border and this heat has been horrendous. I'm also growing out 3 8wk pullets w a 10wk rooster, 7 4wk old chicks to add to my 16 adult hens. The adults free range on a 1/2 acre with several shady areas to rotate with watering stations and dirt baths, so they are pretty self sufficient. My 8wk olds require very close monitoring while in a tractor w tarps and a fan...even in that set up, their waterers heat up to scorching and need dumped and refilled at least 3x during sun up. My 4wk olds are still in a brooder in our temp controlled shed.

I am dropping nutridrench in all of their waterers for electrolyte/vitamin replacement. Sprinkle extra herbs in feed to boost immunity and decrease pests. Keep bedding as clean as possible, the ammonia is very irritating to resp tracts...but above all else....clean the algae and dirt from those waterers every chance you can get...especially in this heat.

Good luck

Thank you for your reply. It is hot here too. I’m thinking it’s the heat. I have some electrolyte powder I got with my chicks. I will start adding to there water again. I thought they didn’t need it anymore. What kind of herbs to you recommend. I thought a fan was a no no for chickens because of the draft blowing on them. I have them on my rabbits but I can set one up in their coop at least to keep the air moving. Their area is clean. Today I opened their area up so they can access the rest of the coop and 30x10 run. They have pretty much stayed in the coop because my 3 adult hens chase them and peck at them. But they have access if they want it. Plenty of food and water.

 

[Ridgerunner]

A breeze on them is bad when the weather is cold. When the weather is hot a breeze is a good thing.

 

[NatJ]

I am dropping nutridrench in all of their waterers for electrolyte/vitamin replacement.

I would suggest a source of plain water too. That is a general good practice when adding anything to their water.

(Exception: if there is a medicine they all need to receive, like Corid to treat coccidiosis, then they should not have a source of plain water.)