Help with one week old cornish cross!

[NewmanLakeMom]

I have 38 cornish cross in a brooder in the shop. They are 1 week and three days old. I started out with 40 and lost two so far. They are moving away from the heat lamps already. At this age are they too hot at 80 degrees?

Also, they area below the vent is huge. I used to laying hens, so this may be normal, but I'm not sure. They seems to be breathing heavily, too.

I planned on removing the food starting at 7pm and giving food back at 7am. Any suggestions other than this plan. I would like them to grow a little slower.

Does it look like they have enough space? This is about 5x5.

How often do you add shavings? To keep it completely dry, I would be out here adding pine every hour or so.

 

[Elke Beck]

What you are seeing sounds pretty normal for Cornish X. The ones I have seemed to run hot, so they didn't need as much heat as other kinds of chicks. The soft area under their vent protrudes more than other breeds of chicks because they eat a lot and the intestines are full. They may be breathing heavy because you have too much heat on them. Have you put a thermometer into the brooder to see how hot it is at chick level? For the first couple of weeks I used puppy pads on top of straw for my 5 CX and 9 Red Rangers. I replaced them at least once a day, and was changing them twice a day before I put them out in the pen when they were about 3 weeks old. The pads soaked up most of the moisture, so the solids were easier to deal with and they were easy to roll up and toss. No matter what you use, just accept that they are messy little boogers.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I had my brooder(a rubbermaid watering trough that I used when I had horses) in my below ground basement, so the room temperature was very cool....probably in the upper 40's, and I only used 1 lamp, which seem to work just fine, because they laid around all over the place, and the lamp was on one end. I don't think they get as cold....maybe because they are such fat little critters almost from the beginning. Have you considered trying just one lamp? That might give them a little more room to self-regulate their preferred temperature. If you find them huddling under one lamp, you can always put the second one back in.

 

[Island Roo]

Have you considered trying just one lamp? That might give them a little more room to self-regulate their preferred temperature. If you find them huddling under one lamp, you can always put the second one back in.

x2
They look a bit warm.

When temp is correct they will be scattered around - not huddled up under the lamp and not all along the edges away from the heat

 

[chicken nanny]

toooooo hot
they dontneed 2 lights.theycan take more causethey grow so faster i have several groups of them.

 

[travifive]

IMO they would be more comfortable if you removed the light over their food so they have a place to hang out thats warm and they can just run out for food and water and run back.

As for the shavings I start with at least 6" and then add a little every day. If you start with it deep enough they will scratch and turn over the bedding on their own and then you will only have to add a thin layer everyday.

 

[donrae]

I agree, one light. They need a warm area and a cool area, not the entire brooder warm. CX tolerate cooler temps better than layers, also.

When brooding chicks, always go by what the chicks are telling you. If they're avoiding the heat, they're too hot. If they're huddling directly under the light, they're too cold.