How to kill 10 chicks in one day (heat lamp failure)

[Looking4ewes]

Argh! Ydy I received 25 beautiful, healthy chicks from Eagle Nest Poultry, and now half are dead due to exposure. I thought I was prepared, with my heat lamp from Premier One, and an outside insulated shed, but the heat lamp failed while I was away at work and when I returned, many were quite stricken and/or dead. I rigged up alternative heat ( a ceramic heater), but that proved inadequate as well. The remaining survivors are now in a plastic tub in the bathtub, using both the ceramic heater and an old work lamp. With this set-up, the temperature is remaining at 80+ degrees. I thought all was well, but another died tdy, perhaps when the temp exceeded 90 degrees. This totally sucks! Interestingly, all the Golden buffs survived, while the meaties are keeling over rapidly. Also interesting is how a few chicks, that were quite stricken and comatose, were able to come back to life after adequate warming. Frankly, I don't know if any will survive this challenging start. My questions is this: assuming the 10 or so that are left survive, should I wait a couple weeks to start over with more chicks? Or should I try to acquire day-old chicks asap to keep the two batches at a uniform size? Should I wait until warmer weather? But there are those in MI who have already started a couple weeks ago. Also, does anyone have any tips to outdoor brooding of chicks? My outdoor shed has 6" insulation in the walls and floors, but the roof is high, at 10', perhaps allowing for too much heat to escape.

TIA,

 

[scbatz33]

I'm not sure if the temp in the brooder is the problem or your chicks just had too much stress shipping. What was the condition of the chicks when they arrived and what temp did you put them out in? Seeings how most of what has died is the meaties, I'd be wondering about their "strength" in general being shipped. When you say "quite stricken and comatose," is this when you received them or when you found them the next day?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Agree, although loss of heat lamp for day olds is a very bad thing, excess heat is much worse, imho.
It may be, since the Buffs survived, the issue was more with the meat birds sensitivity and fragility than anything else.
Sure get some more meat birds. Always use TWO lamps or heaters as one invariably will fail, you have a back up. Just be sure you have cool areas for them to move to, allowing self regulating.

HOWEVER, lively, growing standard chicks are death on the slow moving meat birds and many folks will not raise them together in close quarters anyhow. The plodding target of a meatie is too easy!!!

With warmer temps arriving and a decent heater, I always brood out in the barn or garage, never in the house. Haven't lost a chick, out of a couple hundred, in years. Again, FWIW, cooking them is really tough on them.

 

[True Grit]

Sorry for your loss. My Premier 1 heat lamp broke after several months and after I sent them pics they replaced it with new one as the manufacturer had made modifications. The old one had a black handle and the new one has a white handle. Did the lamp itself fail or the bulb?

 

[Looking4ewes]

It is a black handled one. The "inner" plastic guard melted against the bulb, burning it out, while dripping hot plastic onto the chicks. It is two years old.

 

[True Grit]

OMG that's horrible!

I would definitely get in touch with them. They advertise it as being safer.

 

[booker81]

We moved the meaties out at one week old, into the front section of the coop. Our shed is about 10x20' and the ceiling is, dunno, 8ft? The layers have the whole back half of the shed framed in for a 10x10 coop.

We built a 3x8 coop/pen/brooder for the meaties, and we brought out the big light for them - 250w red light with a heavy duty reflector light. It's mounted and screwed to the frame of their pen, and positioned about 3' up from the bedding. I checked on them every hour for most of the day to make sure they weren't hot or cold, and I felt the bedding to check on it as well. I had the food and water about 3' apart with the lamp in between, and they have a few feet on each side to move away.

Thursday (so about 10 days old), I saw they were moving around and milling more, and not acting cold, so I've moved the food and water to the ends of their "coop", leaving the lamp where it was. I'll probably switch out to a lower wattage next week, and then lower again after that, until they can handle no heat out there (it's insulated and they are well away from the ventilation areas).

They are really touchy - a lot more than raising the "normal" chicks.

Oh, and I'm in Mid-MI, so....yeah

 

[Looking4ewes]

Well, things are looking up. I went to TSC and picked up 10 more meaties to replace the demised. They are about 4 - 5 days old vs. 2 but still small, and the coop has room, so no tromping on the little guys. I purchased another heat lamp and replaced the bulb in the old one, so the two lamps are heating the coop just fine. Chicks are moving around without distress or just sleeping on the edges of the light cast by the lamps without crowding. I think I have it right now. The Buffs are zooming around - hilarious! It is my first experience with layers.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Good for you!!!

Back at it. I'm sure you've read all the warning of having an extra cord or wire attached to the heat lamps to prevent it falling into the chips or straw and create a fire. Grill on too. Just safety backups. Hmmmm.....This upcoming week promises to be rather cold here, so I may delay getting chicks for another week.

Again, just FWIW. Those meaties can be slow moving and some folks report pecking issues from the faster moving chicks. Just something to watch out for, I guess. Enjoy your new adventure.