Help My Chicks are Dying

[Sheeshabeesh]

Yeah I’d love to get one of those heat things that they can just go under, but I just can’t afford it right now.

 

[gator75]

Set my temp for my 1 wk olds at 78 in my brooder and they are now 2 weeks old, growing like weeds, and seem to be loving life. Go figure.

 

[featherhead007]

I was worried about my heat lamps, then I raised a hen, who became the brooder for my second batch of chickens. A feathered heat source! Was awesome!

 

[red horse ranch]

It sounds to me like your chicks got chilled in shipping. Sometimes it takes a day or so for the effect to get to them. Lethargic, not willing to eat or drink. Your chicks can survive it if this is what happened. But they do need to be watched closely for the 1st week after being chilled. Keep them warm and try to get them to eat some scrambled egg chopped up fine. Electrolytes in warm water too.

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

She’s taking the probiotic water now. Took her out of the heat, she is still weak. Going to keep an eye on her and look for a way to built a shelter.

If she won’t eat, I recommend dissolveing her food in 1 part homemade electrolytes and 1 part water. You can add some more electrolytes if you need it to be more watery. Then dropper feed it to her. I made a hardware cloth fence in a corner of my brooder. It was about 90 degrees in the area.

 

[Sheeshabeesh]

So like pedialyte? I have electrolytes and probiotic in their water. I have her in a candy dish in the brooder and I give her water every 5-10mins. The brooder/candy dish is 92. I can’t get her to eat. Do you think eggs will work?

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

So like pedialyte? I have electrolytes and probiotic in their water. I have her in a candy dish in the brooder and I give her water every 5-10mins. The brooder/candy dish is 92. I can’t get her to eat. Do you think eggs will work?

Try my idea!

 

[Sheeshabeesh]

Her crop is percent soft and down. She’s just still weak and not moving.

 

[red horse ranch]

It sounds like you are doing things right. She may not eat. I wonder about a little uncooked egg yolk from an eye dropper. Only time will tell now. I've lost them from being chilled and I've also saved them. So we just wait and see what happens.

I don't know whether TSC has a policy on chicks that die but you should ask them at least.

 

[Cklass90]

When chicks die like that, it's likely brooder related (too hot, too cold, wrong type of bulb, dehydrated, cedar chips, etc.) Double check your temps, etc.
Now, that said, it doesn't rule out something TSC or hatchery related... just check your own set up first.

Can you explain the cedar wood chips comment? I'm using cedar wood shavings in my brooder. I haven't had problems yet but if it's bad I'd like to stop using them