Inexplicable Death of 4-week-old

[skw9]

I have just discovered that one of my 4-week-old Rhode Island Reds has died over night. During the day my chicks are kept in a fenced-in area of about 100 square feet in the shade of a very large Pecan tree in my backyard. I move the fence every other day to give them a new spot of grass. At night, I keep them in a very large box of about 20 square feet which is inside an outdoor shed on our property. I lock the shed every night. They always have food, water, and a heat lamp shining on one corner of the box. We live in Southeast Georgia, USA, and the temperature has been in the upper 60's at night and mid 80's during the day. The dead chick was still in the box with the other chicks. There was no sign of any injury. Does anyone have any ideas about what could have happened?

 

[debid]

No idea but a couple thoughts. Accidental ingestion of a foreign object happens sometimes. That can cause death without external signs. Accidental poisoning is less likely but also possible as is hitting the wall flying down and snapping the neck if there is anywhere to flap up to.

BTW, you can stop with the heat lamp. It's plenty warm enough without it. I doubt the chick overheated but there is absolutely no need to risk it.

 

[skw9]

I have just discovered that one of my 4-week-old Rhode Island Reds has died over night. During the day my chicks are kept in a fenced-in area of about 100 square feet in the shade of a very large Pecan tree in my backyard. I move the fence every other day to give them a new spot of grass. At night, I keep them in a very large box of about 20 square feet. They always have food, water, and a heat lamp shining on one corner of the box. We live in Southeast Georgia, USA, and the temperature has been in the upper 60's at night and mid 80's during the day. The dead chick was still in the box with the other chicks. There was no sign of any injury. Does anyone have any ideas about what could have happened?

No idea but a couple thoughts. Accidental ingestion of a foreign object happens sometimes. That can cause death without external signs. Accidental poisoning is less likely but also possible as is hitting the wall flying down and snapping the neck if there is anywhere to flap up to.

BTW, you can stop with the heat lamp. It's plenty warm enough without it. I doubt the chick overheated but there is absolutely no need to risk it.

Thanks for the insight. I was wondering about the heat lamp, but I agree that the chick was probably not overheated, since there was plenty of water and room to move away from the lamp.