Hello & Newbie Help

[wholewheatchicken]

I too was thinking stress from shipping. How far did they travel? Medicated chick feed will cancel cocciodosis vaccine, use unmedicated. Look up poultry vaccinations. I just ran across that info researching Marek's. Call the hatchery as soon as possible.

 

[DanielHoover]

Sounds like your chicks are dying from too much heat.
Are they able to get away from the heat source to regulate
their internal temperature?

 

[featheredroots]

Possible reaction to the vaccines?

 

[gr8bskt]

I'm so sorry you are going through this! I just read through several pages of common chicken ailments and couldn't find anything that sounded a lot like what you are having happen with your birds

I hope that maybe its just stress related from shipping and there won't be anymore losses! Good luck!

Thank you so much - I am so sad for my babies. To watch them be so sick? UGH.

I told Hub about the bulbs and he took them out. They are Havells 250w shatterproof bulbs that he bought at the feed store for the purpose of brooder heat. I'm trying to find out if they're shatterproof because of the PTFE (Teflon), but I'm a terrible googler; haven't found anything out yet. We have a couple of incandescents going, but I'm really getting a stomach ache at this point. We don't have any extra lights and it's storming so badly right now that driving to the store to go get more lamps would be dangerous. So right now, I don't have a clue what's going on with my peeps, we took the bulbs out in case they're toxic and the only other option we have may not produce enough heat. { sigh } This just isn't going well.

Thanks for listening.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

I would keep heat on them or they will die. Do you have a thermometer in with them to see what the temp is?

 

[mlm Mike]

Do you have a heat pad ? Those hand warmer things, or boil water and put that into something you can put in the brooder?

 

[gr8bskt]

I too was thinking stress from shipping. How far did they travel? Medicated chick feed will cancel cocciodosis vaccine, use unmedicated. Look up poultry vaccinations. I just ran across that info researching Marek's. Call the hatchery as soon as possible.

They traveled about 700 miles. I got my shipping notification at 5:15 am Monday morning and they were here Tuesday morning. Hard to sleep - will call them just as soon as they're open.

 

[felidaet]

Thanks for the person that posted the link to the thread about the bad heat lamps. I just bought a heat lamp from a very reputable feed store last weekend. It is a Havells shatter proof bulb. I will call the store in the morning and explain this to the manager. Hopefully he will listen to me and pull the remaining bulbs from the shelf. Luckily I am not getting my chicks for several more weeks and therefore have time to replace the bulb. The wording on the box is odd, it says SPLATTERPROOF. This makes no sense.

 

[gr8bskt]

Sounds like your chicks are dying from too much heat.
Are they able to get away from the heat source to regulate
their internal temperature?

Dying from too much heat, with a brooder temp of 88*? They are able to get away, and if they are on the opposite side of the heat, we slide open the top a bit more to keep it steady; if it's not warm enough, we slide it closed a bit (talking an inch or so at a time, as temp fluctuates throughout the day). We monitor the temperature constantly, checking the temperature about 8 times a day. Should we be checking more often? The brooder is 4' x 3'. Is this too small a space for 25 chicks?

 

[gr8bskt]

Possible reaction to the vaccines?

I have no idea; wish I knew. Will definitely ask when I call the hatchery in 8 hours and 11 minutes...