Discouraged

[Fellowship_of_the_Wing]

New to raising chickens here.

Last week we picked up two white crested blue Polish and within 24 hours, both were dead. In the time they were with us, both were lethargic and we never saw them eat or drink. My gut is that in our enthusiasm, we took them out too much and they were too cold.

This week, we picked up two buff orpingtons and a blue cuckoo maran. I added a space heater to the bathroom and we resolved to keep them in the brooder much more with only few minute forays out. All three quickly began eating, drinking, and were much more active than our Blue Polish from the week before. Alas, within 24 hours, one of the orpingtons (Merry) was less interested in eating and drinking and spending more and more time under the heater. I have gotten some electrolytes into her, but she has shown no interest in her crumble or scrambled eggs. She is becoming more and more listless. I saw yellow liquid squirt from her vent and my research informed that chicks do not, in fact, urinate and that this is not a good sign. I examined her butt and there was more yellow pasty stuff which I washed off with warm water and dried her in front of the space heater. Gandalf and Pippin are continuing to thrive.

Our setup is a large cardboard box (with extensions as they grow) with puppy pad liners covered by paper towels. They have a comfort chicks heating plate and now a space heater that is keeping the room in the mid to high 70's.

What are we doing wrong here? If Merry doesn't make it through the night, we're experiencing a 60% fatality rate.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

Do you have a brooder lamp? Are they all huddled together? For young young chicks, 70 is too cold. They need to be in the 90s as day-olds.

 

[cassie]

They are too cold. You need a heat lamp of some sort. In a small area, like a cardboard box with just a few chicks a light bulb will do. They also need a way to get away from the heat. You can get heat lamps at any hardware store. I prefer the red ones. You hang it over where the chicks are. If you go on the web site of Murray McMurray you can find directions on how to care for baby chicks. In fact most of the hatcheries that sell baby chicks will have such information of their web site.

 

[Fellowship_of_the_Wing]

The room is in the 70s, the chicks have a heating plate that mimics a brooding hen. Here's a photo.

 

[Fellowship_of_the_Wing]

I understand heat lamps to be a huge fire risk and that the heat plate was supposed to provide a safer alternative that mimicked their mom. No?

 

[H-B-O]

Oh they shou

The room is in the 70s, the chicks have a heating plate that mimics a brooding hen. Here's a photo.

oh they should be fine with heat..... Check their butts for any piled up poop. Gently peel off the poop if there is any.

 

[Fellowship_of_the_Wing]

So I did clean off her butt. There was creamy light yellow liquid. I think her umbilical cord was also crusty, so I tried to keep focused on just cleaning the area under her tail.

 

[cassie]

I used heat lamps of one sort of another for over 40 years and never had a fire. They are a fire risk if they are improperly hung and get knocked or fall down.

 

[H-B-O]

So I did clean off her butt. There was creamy light yellow liquid. I think her umbilical cord was also crusty, so I tried to keep focused on just cleaning the area under her tail.

Hmmm..... @Overo Mare @TheDawg

 

[ShrekDawg]

I understand heat lamps to be a huge fire risk and that the heat plate was supposed to provide a safer alternative that mimicked their mom. No?

The heat plate will be fine. I have never used a heat lamp and all of mine have been extremely healthy and happy. I’ve raised 5 different batches of chicks with it (the first two were with a “mama heating pad” cave but same idea) and even a batch of quail. Plus a broody raised batch. The broody, btw, had them free ranging at 3 days old. Granted it was July but still. I know some raise chicks in winter too and they’re also fine. They were the healthiest chicks I’ve had, btw. The whole thing about them needing exact temperatures or whatever isn’t true. In fact, I think it’s way too hot for most chicks. It’s great for commercial type things and/or for lots of chicks or a lot of room to escape but in a box they’d bake.