Hatched/Hatching But Died when put in brooder

[KCARTIER85]

First time chicken hatching/raising. 12 barnyard mix eggs from local farm. Put in incubator on 4/13. After float testing on 4/30, only 8 deemed viable. Turning stopped, water added and locked down.

Yesterday (Tues) at around 3:30 first chock hatched! (Only day 19 of incubation). Appeared healthy and strong

Today around 12:30 another, smaller chick hatched. This one appeared less active than the first but the first was also pecking at it quite a bit.

By 5:30 I decided to put them both in the brooder to give them more room (they were both completely dry). Both chicks appeared to be drinking a little (I made them a batch of "magic water" - 1 gallon warm water, 2Tbs ACV, 4 Tbs Raw Honey and 3 raw garlic cloves finely chopped). This method was recommended by a seasoned chicken farmer to up their immune systems and strengthen their digestion. ??? Both chicks ate a few morsels of chick start.

Older chick pecked at the pine shavings quite a bit and kept chasing and pecking at the younger one. We put a piece of cardboard in for littler chick to hide iln away from bigger chick. The younger chick was much smaller and less active but a different bread and almost a day newer so I figured that it was ok.

At 7:30 my 8 yr old daughter noticed both chicks chirping in distress. When I got there, the little one was on its back and couldn't get up without help. We gave it water and it died instantly in my daughter's hands. A few minutes later the first chick did the same thing. We gave it water, it seemed to want to drink. Then it's breathing got labored and it too died.

Not only are we devastated, we now have another hatched chick in the incubator and are terrified it will die too.

 

[maeflower1992]

How is your other chick doing?
Did you have anymore hatch?
How warm is your Brooder?
Do you have a thermometer you can use to check the temp?.

I normally just use plain water for my chicks but I do know of some pople that make a similar mix to give to the chicks. If you think they may be eating the pine chips you could use shredded newspaper for them also.

 

[cavemanrich]

Question... Is your brooder warm to correct temperature.
I would never give chicks anything except clean water. This Magic water,,, let those others (those that suggested it to you) deal with such.
And another thing,,, although too late to undo, but for next time. This float testing..... I think is totally unnecessary, and also it washes off the bloom. With no bloom,,, it allows bacteria to enter egg. That means the chicks inside were subject to possible bacteria entering egg, as they were still growing last few days. Only thing to do is called candling, with a powerful flashlight.
Sorry for your loss

WISHING YOU BEST.......................and

 

[Party_Chicken]

The magic water is something I wouldn’t use. The most I give chicks is electrolyte. I had a similar situation with a failure to thrive chick she had splayed leg and some digestive issues I think. Some chicks don’t make it and that’s ok. I hope the rest of your chicks hatch and are health!

 

[mcdze]

i wouldnt be giving chicks any concoctions, wierd foods, or treats .. just water and chick starter and keep them warm .. thats all the 'help' they need ..

 

[OneHappyDuckie]

How were you giving them water? With a syringe? If so they could've aspirated from that. I agree with everyone else about the water, I've never given chicks anything other than plain water, and out of the hundreds I've hatched I have never had a single one die after hatching. With the water too, you usually have to be careful because the chicks can drown in them really easily. A lot of people use rocks or marbles in the waterers to prevent that.

 

[KCARTIER85]

Thank you all for the good advice and feedback. I do suspect that the float test had something to do with it. As a newbie, it's so easy to get anxious and want to do things "just right" and unintentionally cause harm. For now, we will be raising 3 day old chicks from the feed store that my Dad got the girls. Perhaps down the road we'll try incubating again. As for the ones still in the incubator, I'm not moving them out until Saturday morning and then they will go in a separate brooder than the feed store birds so I can better monitor them. As a dear friend reminded me, farming, like anything else, is a process of trial and error.

 

[HeidiGetsChicks]

Thank you all for the good advice and feedback. I do suspect that the float test had something to do with it. As a newbie, it's so easy to get anxious and want to do things "just right" and unintentionally cause harm. For now, we will be raising 3 day old chicks from the feed store that my Dad got the girls. Perhaps down the road we'll try incubating again. As for the ones still in the incubator, I'm not moving them out until Saturday morning and then they will go in a separate brooder than the feed store birds so I can better monitor them. As a dear friend reminded me, farming, like anything else, is a process of trial and error.

And it is so painful when the error results in loss of life. I'm feeling that pain too. But I feel the best way to respect that life is do exactly what you're doing--you do the best you can, and when you know better, then do better. Then I feel they don't die in vain. It's how I comfort myself at least.

I'm glad you're getting more and the adventure continues!