First time chick mom! HELP!!

[motherbawker23]

HELP!

I came home from work today and my husband said that almost all of our recently hatched(almost 2 weeks old), chicks are dead. I immediately went to separate and give them fresh water and food while my husband cleaned everything. Three have started to be super lethargic, won't hold their head up and stick their legs straight out. The last one that died seemed like it was gasping for a while, then seized and just died. It looks like two more are headed down the same path.

I'm at a loss. I have some small animal care knowledge but not a lot.

We currently have the non-sick chicks in our incubator as an ICU that I saw on a separate post. I'm currently trying to, VERY SLOWLY, syringe the ones pictured water with electrolytes. The ones in the incubator also have water with electrolytes and their regular feed.

TIA for any help. <3

Edited to add: they were in a brand new tote before hand that had a heat lamp. We had a thin layer of hay down at the bottom and covered it with a towel. It could be possible that they might have gotten too hot while at work (we turned our heater on this morning and had it set to 74F). We are just truly lost and don't know what to do or how to keep whatever it is from spreading.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

Im in no way an expert but I feel like all of them dying/falling ill at the same time out of no where (assuming they were otherwise healthy before) is likely related to the heat lamp. Im so sorry this sounds horrific to come home to. I don't have advice other than I would also be giving electrolytes. Are they indoors/out of the elements? If so I would ditch the lamp and switch to a brooder plate. Mine are also 2 weeks and I keep them in our garage with just a brooder plate. Im finding they don't need the kind of heat the internet led me to believe. They're rarely under it during the day and it works just fine so long as the temps in the garage don't fall below 50 degrees.

Again, im so sorry this happened. heartbreaking.

editing to add: I see you put the sick ones in an incubator. Do they have the ability to get away from the heat source? I worry if the heat was the initial cause of the issue they need to be able to regulate their body temperature.

 

[motherbawker23]

Im in no way an expert but I feel like all of them dying/falling ill at the same time out of no where (assuming they were otherwise healthy before) is likely related to the heat lamp. Im so sorry this sounds horrific to come home to. I don't have advice other than I would also be giving electrolytes. Are they indoors/out of the elements? If so I would ditch the lamp and switch to a brooder plate. Mine are also 2 weeks and I keep them in our garage with just a brooder plate. Im finding they don't need the kind of heat the internet led me to believe. They're rarely under it during the day and it works just fine so long as the temps in the garage don't fall below 50 degrees.

Again, im so sorry this happened. heartbreaking.

editing to add: I see you put the sick ones in an incubator. Do they have the ability to get away from the heat source? I worry if the heat was the initial cause of the issue they need to be able to regulate their body temperature.

They are indoors while they develop their "big boy feathers." They do have the ability to get away from the incubator. Do you keep yours in a tote with the brooder plate? What is your setup like?

 

[SpeckySussex]

I saw that they were on a heating pad in the picture. That *might* be the cause of death. It's hard to tell without knowing your setup. Also, check your chicks for pasty butt, it looks like a hard lump covering their vent, leaving them unable to get rid of their waste, they die really quickly.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

They are indoors while they develop their "big boy feathers." They do have the ability to get away from the incubator. Do you keep yours in a tote with the brooder plate? What is your setup like?

the lamp was there for the first few days but I took it away after. I see your in TN which is a bit colder than here in North Florida, but I have a wifi thermometer in the garage and even when it gets down to 45 outside its still 60 degrees in there. The mostly just go under at night for sleeping. The problem with lamps is often they don't have a way to escape the heat. And at 2 weeks im really finding they prefer to lay away from the plate during the day.

 

[motherbawker23]

the lamp was there for the first few days but I took it away after. I see your in TN which is a bit colder than here in North Florida, but I have a wifi thermometer in the garage and even when it gets down to 45 outside its still 60 degrees in there. The mostly just go under at night for sleeping. The problem with lamps is often they don't have a way to escape the heat. And at 2 weeks im really finding they prefer to lay away from the plate during the day.

View attachment 3689605

That looks like a good setup! We'll definitely be heading to home depot on Friday to make one similar. Thank you for the helpful insights and information!

 

[motherbawker23]

I saw that they were on a heating pad in the picture. That *might* be the cause of death. It's hard to tell without knowing your setup. Also, check your chicks for pasty butt, it looks like a hard lump covering their vent, leaving them unable to get rid of their waste, they die really quickly.

We had them on the heating pad before we came to the idea that heat could be the issue.

The remaining ones all have clean booties. I took a barely damp paper towel to their butts just in case.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

Any update? How are the rest doing?