Have you ever lost any baby chicks?

[Farmgirl283420]

I have not lost any baby chicks yet I have six 1 year olds three 4 week olds well almost 4 weeks old and 4 four day olds! Just wondering if people usually lose chicks?

 

[imacowgirl2]

I think it depends on how many you grow out…we average growing out 20-60+ chicks per year, so over the past year, we’ve lost more than 5. We don’t normally lose more than 1-2 per batch though, so I consider that a win.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

I think it depends on how many you grow out…we average growing out 20-60+ chicks per year, so over the past year, we’ve lost more than 5. We don’t normally lose more than 1-2 per batch though, so I consider that a win.

Yeah probably that! Thanks for sharing

 

[fluffycrow]

When you have been doing this for some time, you are unfortunately bound to experience a few losses. It's part of the process, and part of the life cycle. Not every chick makes it to adulthood

 

[picklestheduck]

I’ve been lucky and only lost two, but it’s just bound to happen at some point. The first one had a gaping hole into her side and you could see intestines,( the hatchery and fsrm store didn’t see it apparently) and the second had a very badly deformed leg that seriously hampered her quality of life. We had to humanely cull both so they no longer were being made to suffer.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Weeelll..... let's see. I've lost chicks because:
one tried to eat a wasp
just found dead, no reason (several, different times)
snake(s) took whole brood of 13
four disappeared in the run (hawks?)
wry neck (two)
spraddle leg that wouldn't heal
rejected by mama hen

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

If I hatch them, I rarely ever lose any chicks.
If I get them from the hatchery, then yes, lots of losses.

 

[SourRoses]

Some, yes. It never gets any easier.
We've raised hundreds over the years. I've been having trouble counting back, we switched breeds a lot.

The two biggest factors for us have been genetics and cocci.

Genetics can cause some individual chicks to just not thrive, they eat but don't grow very fast, if at all, and eventually get weak and die. I think it has something to do with the way their gut is formed, just a guess. It doesn't seem more connected to one breed than another.
Nature presents series of tests for survival, and some just don't pass. I still try to help them and cry when they go.

With cocci, the longer you have birds on the land, the higher the burden of cocci, just about everywhere. I medicate the water instead of feed, but at times I've gotten too confident in their resilience.
There are many strains, some are much meaner than others.

Other causes:

I lost one chick when it was sleeping on a baby roost, 6 inches off the brooder floor. The chick next to him jostled him, he fell to the side and banged his head on the wall, then flopped and died quickly (broken neck).
On another occasion, we lost a half grown juvenile in a similar manner out in the coop.

A few Faverolles chicks passed from shipping stress.

One chick got something like vent gleet, even though she was too young for it. I haven't seen it before or since. I think something was up with the way her innards were formed, or perhaps she ate something she shouldn't have. It's a mystery.

A beautiful young pullet was eaten by a rat(!!!) at night, when her 3-month-old flock was still insisting on sleeping on the floor of the coop. Dang rat got through a very small gap, I was so upset!
Ever since, I force juveniles to roost whether they want to or not, by timing it so I'm picking them up there right before it's too dark for them to move.


For all the pain, we've still had a lot of success. I'd say 95-98% have made it. Good thing too, hatching chicks is something I do because it reminds me of the blessing that is life.

 

[HenSolo123]

My first time with chicks! I bought 6 from local people and lost 2 in the first 4 weeks. One to wry neck. One to (best guess) fright, from our house cat. Wish me luck with the remaining 4!