Found a dead chick today :(

[flux]

This morning I went to check on my chicks, all about a week old, and found one of my speckled sussexs feet up in the waterer, dead. ( My flock is in with a standard chick waterer that we bought from the hatcher, so if it met its demise by drowning, I'm not sure how it managed that, unless it toppled over in its sleep and didnt wake up. There was no cause of concern from illness as this bird seemed healthy, and the rest of the flock is active and doing fine. Is there anything I should check for besides the usual to ensure the rest of my birdies survive?

Thanks in advance!

 

[hen houseparty]

What's a "standard waterer?"
I use a small plastic round tray with the screw on canning jar for my little guys and it appears that there is no chance of drowning with that.
Cheap at the feed store.

 

[flux]

Sounds the same concept of mine. Plastic, bottle screws into the dish, pretty shallow. Looks like what they sell at my local feed store. That's why I have no idea how it ended up in the dish.

 

[mohillbilly]

fill the water area with marbles they will still be able to drink but wont drown if they fall asleep in the water.

 

[hen houseparty]

YEs!
That's how I watered mine too. Little pebbles or marbles or both.
Great advice, I forgot about that part.

 

[flux]

Alrighty, thanks for the tip. I've seen waterers on here with marbles, but I stupidly figured it was more suitable for younger chicks...experience is the best (and harshest) teacher, I guess

 

[Suzie]

Don't beat yourself up about this - we live and learn - I have learned the hard way too - one drowned in my duck water container - smooth sided and could not get out..and another drowned by being picked up and tossed into a bucket of detergent by a duck! I felt so guilty for being remiss but it does happen! marbles/ pebbles are great but we need to be ever vigilant for the potential hazards that they face.

Suzie