Help Me ! Why are my Cornish Cross Dying?

[COLE . H]

Ok thank you

 

[Northern.Ontario]

Hello everyone, I just bought a big batch of 100 Cornish cross. I do their water daily and keep their feeder full. They are one pine shavings, they have a heat lamp and most seem to be doing just fine. But in the past 4 days, I have had 7 deaths. I don't know whats wrong. Please Help!

We got 109 chicks on May 9th. Had 4 lamps because our night time temps were down to -6 Celsius. Little did I realize (and doesn't mention on the lamp box) that there is a low AND high setting. I was only the low setting. This caused the chicks to pile soo tightly together that 7 got smothered over a 4 day period. A few others developed leg problems. So 1 heat lamp for 100 chicks is not enough in your case.

 

[Akrnaf2]

Hello everyone, I just bought a big batch of 100 Cornish cross. I do their water daily and keep their feeder full. They are one pine shavings, they have a heat lamp and most seem to be doing just fine. But in the past 4 days, I have had 7 deaths. I don't know whats wrong. Please Help!

Any signs of blood in their poop?

 

[Kiki]

I think you need to get a thermometer and physically measure the temperature in the brooder.

Too hot kills.

Hot 'grows' Coccidia fast too.

 

[COLE . H]

Dear northern. ontario I live in Iowa and right now we are going through some intense heat. The very lowest it is getting tonight is 65 with only one I am worried about over heating.

 

[Oakdale Farm]

Water all the time, feed only some of the time. In other words, don't let them eat, eat, eat! Put out the day's ration and then that's it! Otherwise, they will eat themselves to death. They must have water at all times. As mine grow, I put the water and feeder as far apart as possible to force them to move around. Left to themselves, they will just sit/lay down at the feeder and gorge. Not good. Big breakfast, light lunch, no desert.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

My guess is because of the age it's probably something environmental like cocci or temperatures or general weakness from shipping that's causing these problems. 5 day old chicks don't normally have the problems that 5 week old chicks do.

While restricted amounts of wet feed and making sure there's lots of water are good for raising healthy CXs, you haven't had them long enough for it to be a big problem unless they had next to no water.

So I would look away from the problem of being CXs and look more towards general chick illnesses.
Try elecrtolytes or sav-a-chick in the water, and possibly some cocci medication. Check the environment with a thermometer to make sure they're not too hot or cold. Make sure your feed is the right kind (chick feed, not anything else), etc.