HELP!!!! 12 chicks dropped dead within minutes????

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Exactly, even with the two I had overheat when I was using the heat lamp, only the two right under the lamp were affected. Most of these were just walking around the brooder. Two were under it. A couple were partly under it. And they had all been fine. Trying to figure out what lab to send some of them to for a necropsy. Maybe my vet would do one. I'll call tmrw. My husband is gonna have a cow when he finds chick corpses in the fridge. But I need answers. So he's just gonna have to suck it up.

Our vet sends samples off for us to Iowa State University. Because we live in Iowa, yours should send it to a lab in your state.

 

[Vickischics]

Temp in brooder about 71, temp under heater about 78, but it hasn't been on long, and most of the heat is on the plate itself. I'm starting to worry there is something in my house, like carbon monoxide, and the chicks were just more sensitive to it. We have smoke detectors, but no CO detectors. Really wishing Walmart was open right now so I could run get one.

If you had CO in the house, I would think your little kids would be sick by now. Plus, don't you need a combustible engine in your home?
Today, most smoke/fire alarms have CO detectors in them. Mine does. If you have a security alarm in your house, surely you have CO monitoring with it.
I don't know, but I still think it was an overheating accident.

 

[Doo]

Could have

 

[Vickischics]

Could the feed be moldy?

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm so sorry! I hope you solve this mystery. My heart goes out to you and your kids!

 

[Ninabelle5087]

http://www.agi.alabama.gov/divisions/veterinary-diagnostic-labs

Ok. The closest one is about three hours away, so I'm gonna call our vet tmrw and see if he'll do one. I have no idea how to mail a dead chick properly.

 

[Ninabelle5087]

Could the feed be moldy?

It's a pretty new bag, kept in the shed where the coop is, and the 8 week old chicks in the coop have been eating it no problem. In the daylight I'll go out and sift through it, but it smells and looks fresh and dry

 

[Ninabelle5087]

If you had CO in the house, I would think your little kids would be sick by now. Plus, don't you need a combustible engine in your home?
Today, most smoke/fire alarms have CO detectors in them. Mine does. If you have a security alarm in your house, surely you have CO monitoring with it.
I don't know, but I still think it was an overheating accident.

Ok I feel better then. I was afraid to go to bed. I'm gonna call my vet tmrw and see if he'll send off one of the chicks to the state lab for me, or if he would just do a necropsy. I'm gonna pack them up in the fridge and try to get some sleep y'all. Thank you for all the suggestions, I really hope I get some answers.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Ok. The closest one is about three hours away, so I'm gonna call our vet tmrw and see if he'll do one. I have no idea how to mail a dead chick properly.

Do call, but the labs usually give very specific instructions for mailing on their web sites, or you can call.

 

[Vickischics]

Do call, but the labs usually give very specific instructions for mailing on their web sites, or you can call.

The lab here in Florida charges $50.00 plus you have to pay all the shipping costs. There are VERY specific ways the bird needs to be packed and mailed. Read all the directions throughly so, your specimen arrives timely and correctly.
Good luck and good night.