Here's my chick setup. Do you see any problems?

[Remudamom]

I hope this isn't a re-post.

I've got 31 babies in here with one mama hen. They are in a corner of the coop partitioned off by a little fence. Regular waterer and feeder. Most of the shavings are scooped out. There are two heat lamp areas available. I was afraid they were suffocating under the mom with so many of them, so at night I put her in a carrier.

I'm losing 1-3 daily. I'm just sick about it.

 

[Judy]

From the looks of it, it is not warm enough for them. I would at least leave the momma with them at night. Are you monitoring the temperature in there?

 

[cary 1973]

Why would you take mom away

 

[nurse_turtle]

I would place the 2 heat lamps in closer proximity to one another and put the food and water a bit closer to the heat lamps without being under the lamps. Definitely leave Mama hen in there. It's traumatic for her and the dittles to remove her. If the chicks are too hot, you'll see them sleeping farther from the heat source and if they are too cool, you'll see them really close or piled up on one another under the heat lamp. Consider adding a vitamin/electrolyte supplement to the water. Also, I would add shavings to their area. A cement floor doesn't hold heat well.

 

[Remudamom]

I took mom out at night because late one night when I went to check on them she had about 20 under her and the one on the bottom was almost dead.

In the picture above they are all under the heat lamp just because I was in there and they all moved away from me. They don't usually gather under the lights and don't act like they are cold at all in the daytime. It is hot in there.

I took the shavings out because I was afraid they might be eating them. I don't know what else to do.

Last night I had mom out, and this morning was the first time I haven't found dead ones. I've lost about a dozen.

 

[nurse_turtle]

I think your hen to chick ratio is way to low. It's easy to see how some would get smashed under her. 31 chicks is far too many for one medium sized hen.

 

[Remudamom]

I was hoping the hen could watch and teach the chicks with some help from the extra heat lamps. Apparently not such a good idea as I thought. I'm going to separate them.

 

[janinepeters]

I agree that you have way too many chicks for a hen. Maybe you could leave her with about 10 of them, and raise the rest yourself under the heat lamp.

 

[Remudamom]

Another chick is dying. I'd appreciate any ideas. It's lethargic, won't eat.

 

[Sgtfirstwife]

Too many chicks for mama hen. Try to give dying chick some sugar water. Place it in isolation, keep warm.,try some poly vitamins, if you have them.