Losing Chicks

[newbiechickenlady20]

Hello all! We picked up some new chicks this past Sunday from a local breeder. We got 10 RIR and 6 Brown(?) Sex Links. We've lost two so far. I found one this morning and one tonight.

I know it's not atypical to lose a chick here and there, but this is our biggest batch so far and I don't know how many is "normal/acceptable"? We were thinking to reach out if we lose another.

They've got plenty of space, a heat lamp, access to food and water, and we've put electrolytes in their water as well upon setting them up here. I don't know what else we can do?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you notice any "symptoms" before one dies - lethargy, not eating/drinking, pasty butt, etc.?

If you have photos you wish to share of the brooder, chicks, their poop, etc. that may be helpful.

How old are they?

 

[newbiechickenlady20]

Do you notice any "symptoms" before one dies - lethargy, not eating/drinking, pasty butt, etc.?

If you have photos you wish to share of the brooder, chicks, their poop, etc. that may be helpful.

How old are they?

We checked them all for pasty butt, one or two MAY have had it, so I cleaned those ones off. One that died had a clear vent but looked like it had drying umbilical cord(?I think).

One of them has been concerning me but is still hanging around. It closes its eyes and drinks more water than the others it seems. I don't have any poop pictures but it seems normal. I'll attach a picture of our setup from yesterday. The light has been lowered a bit because the room got colder with a temp change outside (it's not well insulated, it's a sunroom).

I believe the RIRs are supposed to be 8 days old. Unsure about the sexlinks. They may be a bit younger? All seem to be roughly the same size. Some of the RIRs have more feathers than others but nothing substantial.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Drinking more water than usual I would check that one's crop to see that it's emptying. Sometimes chicks may eat a little bedding and it doesn't pass and ends of impacted.

I would check butts frequently since being pasted over can kill them quickly.

 

[newbiechickenlady20]

Drinking more water than usual I would check that one's crop to see that it's emptying. Sometimes chicks may eat a little bedding and it doesn't pass and ends of impacted.

I would check butts frequently since being pasted over can kill them quickly.

I can do that. How do I check such a small crop? I know for our hens but they're a lot bigger. What can I do if it is the crop?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I can do that. How do I check such a small crop? I know for our hens but they're a lot bigger. What can I do if it is the crop?

It's a little harder to gauge crop function on such a small chick and having light 24/7 but I would feel the crop to see if what it feels like when the chicks have been eating, then wait a little while, see if the chick has pooped and if the crop has gone down. A chick that is having crop issues will mainly just drink water and might "pretend" to eat.

 

[Zindagi]

I’m one of the newer members, but I will tell you what I did. Remove that bedding, set that heat lamp further back. Put grass in. If they are drinking an awful lot of water, they may be too hot. You will see them with beaks open. Little chicks will regulate their temps, but if they are too hot and can’t escape that heat, they will die. They have to be able to retreat from it. I had a very similar setup. The plastic container amplified the heat. As for the bedding, I only used grass from my backyard, and it was long and green. What ended up happening is they would each the grass. This may have contributed to their health. If they still look a little ill, you can add a very little amount of vinegar to their water(no more than a few drops) to clear parasites. You can also give them meal worms for extra protein, besides the starter crumbles.
The other tricks that can be used on birds that seem weakened is feeding them wetted food by hand. Rub wet crumbles, even wet dog food can work(I’ve saved wild birds this way) along their beaks, and I’ve even given small amounts of yogurt(not too much but it does work for older birds, can’t remember if I used this on them as babies). I’m sure I break all sorts of rules, but even as babies it’s better to go with grass, because that is bedding they will eat and works well for them. I also fed them live insects, so it depends. I hope this helps, but I’d change to an edible bedding that can’t harm them, and get that heat lamp a little farther back. Just my take on this.

 

[Zindagi]

I’m one of the newer members, but I will tell you what I did. Remove that bedding, set that heat lamp further back. Put grass in. If they are drinking an awful lot of water, they may be too hot. You will see them with beaks open. Little chicks will regulate their temps, but if they are too hot and can’t escape that heat, they will die. They have to be able to retreat from it. I had a very similar setup. The plastic container amplified the heat. As for the bedding, I only used grass from my backyard, and it was long and green. What ended up happening is they would each the grass. This may have contributed to their health. If they still look a little ill, you can add a very little amount of vinegar to their water(no more than a few drops) to clear parasites. You can also give them meal worms for extra protein, besides the starter crumbles.
The other tricks that can be used on birds that seem weakened is feeding them wetted food by hand. Rub wet crumbles, even wet dog food can work(I’ve saved wild birds this way) along their beaks, and I’ve even given small amounts of yogurt(not too much but it does work for older birds, can’t remember if I used this on them as babies). I’m sure I break all sorts of rules, but even as babies it’s better to go with grass, because that is bedding they will eat and works well for them. I also fed them live insects, so it depends. I hope this helps, but I’d change to an edible bedding that can’t harm them, and get that heat lamp a little farther back. Just my take on this.

Eat, not each, spellchecker nightmares.

 

[canne50]

Sad story... many years ago I got my first chicks and was afraid they’d be cold and put their heat lamp too close and killed a few before realizing I was cooking their little heads.
They will get warm and sometimes go away from the heat when they are warm enough stretching out their little necks and go to sleep. When they need to be warmer, they’ll move closer to the heat.