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

[Crazy Maizie]

Judging by the number of warnings and sad stories I've seen, teflon pans on the stovetop certainly can get hot enough that birds die from the fumes, no matter what temperature that might be.

400 degrees isn't that hot, if you're measuring in Fahrenheit. My oven can cook hotter than that, and so can every electric griddle I've seen.

Yes. The self cleaning feature is way hotter than 400 degrees. I am not sure what the exact temp is for when teflon releases the toxins. I would imagine young birds would be more susceptible. I had a cockatiel and cooked with teflon all of the time. At the time, I didn't realize there was an issue with birds and teflon. He lived a good long life.

I just did a little research and the studies say 536 degrees F is when the toxins are released. But, it also stated that if you allow something to boil dry or heat a dry teflon coated pan at very high temps toxins can be released as well.

 

[Vickischics]

Does anyone know if the OP ever got her problem figured out?

 

[CHlCKEN]

waiting for updates...

 

[Tclloyd0812]

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.

Any updates? So sorry to hear about your loss.

 

[Kiki]

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.

What did you find out?
@Ninabelle5087

 

[Swbertrand1]

I'm pretty sure the teflon has to be heated to like 400 degrees or something like that. The self cleaning feature on ovens is done at extreme temps.

We have an indoor parrot, and parrot "experts" have warned us that using Teflon-coated cookware can be fatal to the bird. I can't imagine it would be much different for chicks.
FWIW, stovetop cookware easily reaches 300+, even 400 degrees on occasion.

Does anyone know if the OP used this brooder heater for the first time, or if it had been used successfully in the past?

 

[Tclloyd0812]

We have an indoor parrot, and parrot "experts" have warned us that using Teflon-coated cookware can be fatal to the bird. I can't imagine it would be much different for chicks.
FWIW, stovetop cookware easily reaches 300+, even 400 degrees on occasion.

Does anyone know if the OP used this brooder heater for the first time, or if it had been used successfully in the past?

I read through the thread and haven't seen them say whether or not they have used it before or it is new, I am guessing it's new though since they said they had used heat lamps in the past but they cause overheating so decided to get this brooder heater.

The last post made by OP was talking about Carbon Monoxide poisoning on Sunday night and hasn't replied since. I hope they are just busy and aren't able to respond right now and everything is ok. I've never seen this before in chicks...

 

[Swbertrand1]

I read through the thread and haven't seen them say whether or not they have used it before or it is new, I am guessing it's new though since they said they had used heat lamps in the past but they cause overheating so decided to get this brooder heater.

The last post made by OP was talking about Carbon Monoxide poisoning on Sunday night and hasn't replied since. I hope they are just busy and aren't able to respond right now and everything is ok. I've never seen this before in chicks...

CO poisoning? I missed that one!

Interested in what might have been the cause, I called TSC earlier this week and had them send me a User Manual for this particular brooder heater to see if there were any instructions for a "burn-in" period. Naturally, there is no mention of that in the user guide. We burn-in new incubators (ours are small and nothing fancy btw) for at least a week before putting eggs into them, and I still swear that I can smell fumes that I don't like. Anyway...

I really believe, unless something surfaces to tell me otherwise, that there was some sort of toxic gas involved (CO included), whether from the heating element, something that got heated by the heating element (shavings, bedding, floor material, a water container, etc), or from the brooder box material itself, but that's 100% my opinion at this point, not fact...

 

[Mamapermaculture]

It sounds to me as if the issue was brought home with the chicks.
They could have had health health problems before you bought them. Especially because you said they were dirty and you never had issues with the brooder set up before.
I would give the brooder and everything in it a pedantic clean with bleach, dry it in the sun and try again.
Sorry that happened!!!

 

[Tclloyd0812]

CO poisoning? I missed that one!

Interested in what might have been the cause, I called TSC earlier this week and had them send me a User Manual for this particular brooder heater to see if there were any instructions for a "burn-in" period. Naturally, there is no mention of that in the user guide. We burn-in new incubators (ours are small and nothing fancy btw) for at least a week before putting eggs into them, and I still swear that I can smell fumes that I don't like. Anyway...

I really believe, unless something surfaces to tell me otherwise, that there was some sort of toxic gas involved (CO included), whether from the heating element, something that got heated by the heating element (shavings, bedding, floor material, a water container, etc), or from the brooder box material itself, but that's 100% my opinion at this point, not fact...

I agree! It's the most logical thing at this point, the OP didn't know if for sure it was CO poisoning, but I believe someone mentioned it and it was discussed a little. But, even if it isn't CO poisoning, it may have been some sort of toxic chemical/gas as you mentioned. It would make since because all 12 were dead together, it doesn't sound like they died separately, and no visible signs of electrocution are present, though I'm not an expert. That, or something else that I can't possibly come up with killed them.
This is mind boggling, and I've never seen or heard anything like this!!!