First Chick death-what's up?

[prncssprplfrog]

Okay- I had 4 healthy BLRW & 9 cochins in a tub in the living room. Yesterday one of my darker colored BLRW's started to breath harder & then became quite lethargic. Everything else seemed okay-normal poops, no mucus or anything else.

My computer died or I would have posted on here. All of these chicks were born on Sunday and are 4 days old today. No one else seems ill.

I came home this afternoon & picked her up out of the tub, she peeped at me a few times & died! I know it's a part of owning pets & raising animals, but it doesn't make it any easier. My son went out and buried her. I took all of the others out, checked them all over & disinfected the whole set-up.
Here's a few picks of her:

Does anyone have any ideas as to what's going on? I don't want to loose the rest of them.

 

[arch_cpj]

A couple of things first is even if you do everything right you will lose a couple peepers its the way it is genetics etc... Now when it comes to raising peepers I have a method Ive used for 18 years and my mortality is very low but when I dont do this it bumps up... I firmly believe in feeding medicated feed and I also feed electrolite / vitamins and oxytetracycline in their water frp the first 2 - 3 weeks... Everyttime I have not done this there is a noticable uptick in mortality... Now I have friends who are more cheap than Organic friendly and they feed no medicated feed and no antibiotics and some years they have a mortality of 25%... mine is usually 0 to 5 percent in otherwords if I have 25 chicks I consider losing one abnormal for me two usually doesnt happen... now they will lose 5!!!! When the peepers are that small they need all the help they can get... And that wheezy respiratory deal is exactly what happens to mine if I done use the oxytetracycline... I also change the water 2x daily...

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

it is hard

Did you ever see the chick eat and drink? Some never do and pass away a few days after hatching. It is hard with chicks, cause you may never know - was it heart trouble, hatching problems, fail to thrive - guesses can go on and on.

What do you have in the brooder for a floor - paper towels, pine shavings? Do you have a thermometer in the brooder - if so measure heat under the bulb and in the middle of the brooder - make sure your whole brooder is not too hot - you just want it 95 degrees under the bulb/heat, as they need to be able to get away from the heat. (If the chicks were with mom, she is the only one who heat the chicks - they run around for most of the day and she will hunker-down to heat them when they start chirping. Not saying get rid of the heat - just make sure they can get away from it)


I do not feed medicated feed, nor do I add anything to my water.

 

[Aleisfood]

I just lost my first chick a few minutes ago.

This being my first hatch in 20 plus years was see if it was something I ve done.
After reading it left me feeling better. I hate seeing them pass away. but at the same time I know I am doing things right .

 

[prncssprplfrog]

Quote:
I'm sorry you lost one too.

Of course now I'm watching them like a HAWK!!!!