Incubating/brooder

[cachy03]

This is 1st year incubating eggs i done 3 sets so far this year and my hatch rate is high 80%+. But where im having a problem is after i transfer them over to my brooder? Not sure what im doin wrong? I leave the chicks in the incubator til after majority of the eggs have hatched and the chicks are dry. Then i transfer them over to my homemade brooder (a tupperware container with a small heat lamp and air hole. I have two thermometers both aresaying 95) but still im losing alot of chicks. Anyone else having the same problem or went though this and found a solution?
50 out of 60 bobwhites hatched im down to 15 after 2 weeks in the brooder
14 of 16 tennessee quail hatched now i have 6
20 of 24 ringnecks hatched i now have 5
they were done at different times so they werent inthe brooder together.
I have pheasants in now and lockdown starts the 15th and i dont want the same thing to happen can someone help
Any help or ideas would be appreciated
thanks jason

 

[Tony K T]

Maybe you need more airflow.You message says air hole,if you have 1 hole it is not flowing.Are the dead chicks in a group?Or spread throught the brooder?What are you feeding them?Is their water to close to the heat?
Are you brooding all these chicks together?
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[cachy03]

They were in at different times and it was cleaned after each use. The hole is 8x8 with 1/2 inch metal fence covering it so they cant get out. I find a few dead in the morning when i check on them. The water is on the other side of the heat lamp. I feed them game bird starter from my local feed store

 

[mrwoodboat]

in order for air to convect or have any movement, there needs to be an inlet and an outlet- a single 8" hole will exchange the air in direct proportion to its volume - put a small hole on one end opposite from the big hole.

I had a similar issue some yrs back when I set my Tupperware brooder up- I put screen in a cut out on the top- I would lose chicks a few at a time- It finally dawned on me that there was not enough air exchange happening- I put a few holes on one end and no more lost chicks.

 

[GAQuail]

What are you using for litter in the bottom of the Tupperware container?

 

[cachy03]

I use cardboard bedding that they sell for rabbits

 

[GAQuail]

I use cardboard bedding that they sell for rabbits

I'm not familiar with that product. Is it small enough that the chicks could consume it?

 

[cachy03]

Possible but unlikely they mosly a larger pieces