EE eggs hatched, chicks are dying fast.

[Chickycammy]

I had 7 hatch out of 12 EE eggs. They were great for the first couple of hours, no obvious sickness. No diarrhea, no goopy butt nothing seemed wrong.

They've been hatched maybe a day and suddenly they started getting wet, not eating or drinking, they are lethargic and within a few hours I've lost 3, have 3 more that look horrible and I don't understand why.

I have them in a brooder the heater is a heating plate that they can go in and out of one size higher than the other it is set on 90°. They have food and water, the food has been slightly wet and so that they can eat it easier when they need to and the water has natural herbs in it like madurum basil thyme and oregano. I had other chicks hatch out the same day they are perfect, very energetic very fluffy running around enjoying life.

The other ones are a barnyard mix from my own flock. The EE were from a trade with another person. So I'm trying to figure out if it's something to do with their hens or if it's something to do with me and maybe the brooder isn't warm enough or too warm.

I'll attach images of how they look right now.
As I said they begin fluffy and moving around and then suddenly they become really wet they're not cold to the touch they're just wet for some reason and then they get lethargic.

 

[casportpony]

Can you put them in another brooder with a heat lamp, plain water, and dry food? I see you're using blankets or towels as bedding, so sprinkle a generous amount of food on the blanket/bedding.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Heating plates are meant for older chicks not newly hatched.

 

[Chickycammy]

Can you put them in another brooder with a heat lamp, plain water, and dry food? I see you're using blankets or towels as bedding, so sprinkle a generous amount of food on the blanket/bedding.

Oh no, I'm just using hay. I took them out for better view for pics.

 

[Chickycammy]

Heating plates are meant for older chicks not newly hatched.

I can't use a lamp because I've had fire in the past with them and I don't trust them. My incubator was just barely big enough for them to hatch in and after they were dry I moved them.

 

[Seaslug]

I would recommend that you address how it is that the chicks are becoming wet. It would be difficult, I would think, for the chicks to maintain their body temperature if they are wet. Perhaps your water container is leaking or the chicks are getting wet from the moisture in the food?
I would remove the hay, as it is not very absorbent. Removing the straw and using paper towels (laid flat) as bedding should allow you to see any wet spots in the brooder. You can keep your heating plate. I would give the chicks plain water and see if they will eat dry chick food. Do this for 24 hours and see if the chicks are staying dry and if their health is improving. It may at least give you more information to work from.

 

[Susan Skylark]

check the temp under the heat plate as well, I just use my incubator thermometers to make sure it is okay the first day or two. Plain food and water, paper or bath towels as bedding, don’t make it too complicated, it doesn’t help your babies. If they are getting sick, it may be because your home grown chicks get some immunity from the hen via the yolk vs strange chicks get immunity from hens unexposed to your specific bugs, think colostrum in foals and calves, naive chicks are more at risk. Also certain herbs while helpful in some situations can be toxic or irritating in others, your supplements may be contributing to diarrhea (possible cause of wetness) which can quickly dehydrate your babies. Please be very careful when exposing birds or babies and especially baby birds to any medicinal product, natural or modern, natural does not mean safe, arsenic and botulism are all natural too! Your intentions are good but there are just some things baby birds can’t handle.

 

[Chickycammy]

I would recommend that you address how it is that the chicks are becoming wet. It would be difficult, I would think, for the chicks to maintain their body temperature if they are wet. Perhaps your water container is leaking or the chicks are getting wet from the moisture in the food?
I would remove the hay, as it is not very absorbent. Removing the straw and using paper towels (laid flat) as bedding should allow you to see any wet spots in the brooder. You can keep your heating plate. I would give the chicks plain water and see if they will eat dry chick food. Do this for 24 hours and see if the chicks are staying dry and if their health is improving. It may at least give you more information to work from.

I've done as you've said and last night I lost more. Down to 5. I'll watch them carefully and see if there's any leaks from the waterer.

check the temp under the heat plate as well, I just use my incubator thermometers to make sure it is okay the first day or two. Plain food and water, paper or bath towels as bedding, don’t make it too complicated, it doesn’t help your babies. If they are getting sick, it may be because your home grown chicks get some immunity from the hen via the yolk vs strange chicks get immunity from hens unexposed to your specific bugs, think colostrum in foals and calves, naive chicks are more at risk. Also certain herbs while helpful in some situations can be toxic or irritating in others, your supplements may be contributing to diarrhea (possible cause of wetness) which can quickly dehydrate your babies. Please be very careful when exposing birds or babies and especially baby birds to any medicinal product, natural or modern, natural does not mean safe, arsenic and botulism are all natural too! Your intentions are good but there are just some things baby birds can’t handle.

I'll add the thermometer under the heat plate today. I also went to the store this morning and got plain chick starter feed. One seems to be the most healthy out of them and it's not staying wet or losing body heat.