Meat Chicks Arrived Yesterday :(

[cluckcluck42]

Yesterday we brought home our meat chicks. They are so flipping cute!! I'd say they are more adorable than my own flocks chicks, but don't tell them I said that.

Today, one of the chicks escaped out of the brooder and my fiance found him in our outdoor chain link fence coop with our big BCM rooster. The little chick was just hanging out, apparently. I was shocked, we don't even know how he got out, we inspected everywhere.

We have some 2 month olds in with the rooster and the little chick must have went to them after hearing them chirping.

We've had one death so far, just found him as we were closing up the coop for the night. He was stretched out and was off to the side of where the heat lamp is so I don't think he was crushed. I inspected the body and he had a few shavings stuck to his beak, and I'm not sure if he was eating some and died or what? We have paper towel down over the shavings but he still could have got at the shavings if he really wanted to. On the back of his legs were some red marks that almost looked like blood bruises, didn't really look like pecking. Any ideas?

Here are a few pics. Do you think we need more feeders? There are only ever a few at a time eating and drinking. The babies seem to spend most of their time sleeping under the lights, I guess I pictured meat chicks as having ferocious appetites and doing nothing but eating from the get go.

They're only 2-3 days old.

 

[Chicken411]

I don't have an answer for you, but I forgot how cute they are when you first get them. Don't worry, in no time they will be pooping up the place and eating like there is no tomorrow! Mine are a little over 3 weeks.

 

[Dogfish]

You didn't say how many you have, but it looks like 25. I have one bucket feeder, home made, and it feeds the 25 chicks and 2 turkey poults I picked up yesterday just fine. As they get larger I expand the number of feeders.

When I had 26 chicks in the brooder I had 4 feeders as they got to 3.5 weeks old. After that they went into the run and share three large feeders.

Looks good now, but prepare to expand.

If they spend the bulk of their time huddled up under the light, you need to increase their temp. They should be in the range of 85-90 degrees today, and drop the temp 5-10 degrees a week.

They are cute for 5 days.

 

[cluckcluck42]

We have 98 actually. There is another heat lamp on the left with another bunch of chicks snoozing. We ordered 100, got 99. I thought we would get extras if anything. *shrug* The lady at the feed store said the feeder and waterer we got would be more than enough for 100 chicks up to 2 weeks and they work for 25 adult birds. The feeder and waterer are huuuuuuuuge, do we need more for now? We are building more feeders but we have three of the big waterers for when they get big. I have some small feeders/waterers I could put in right now. In a week or two (whenever they outgrow this brooder) they are being moved to a shed and then when they are more feathered being moved to a big shelter outside. They're so cute it kills me, I'm going to go stare at them for a bit.

 

[cluckcluck42]

I went out and found four chicks dead, the temp near the heat lamp is 91. I brought 15 chicks in a cardboard box into the house to monitor them under an extra heat lamp we have.

Two of them just spasmed while I was watching them and are stretched out and started puking up water. They look like they are going to die. I rubbed their tummies to try to encourage them, thinking maybe they drank too much water too quick? Help what is this! What can I do!? They are in the same position I found the other dead chicks, all stretched out.
ETA: I was watching them almost the entire time and it did not appear that any was drinking too much water, what is going on??

 

[pj_elia]

I don't know but Poly-Vis-Ol has helped me in the past with some weak chicks. Others have recommended for meat birds in the first few days. Anyway, if they were shipped, I would expect some losses in the first few days.

Good luck.

 

[cluckcluck42]

I went back in and one was already dead and the other one died in my hand

Needless to say I am very upset. His crop was full and I tried to massage it and ease the stuff up. It finally came back up, a mix of food and water but he was dead. The other ones crop did not feel full. What is going on! These chicks were looking perfectly healthy and then all of a sudden they seized up. Help!!!

 

[barrybro]

What are you using for bedding?

 

[cluckcluck42]

Quote:
This is our 8th loss!! That seems like too much, I must be doing something wrong, something must be wrong. These chicks didnt even look weak, they looked healthy and then they just went paralyzed it seems. Now I'm not so sure the other chicks were crushed like I thought, the temps are right in the brooder.

 

[cluckcluck42]

Quote:
Paper towels but they are on top of pine shavings, oh god when you just said that I now realize we bought a different kind of shavings than usual, but I know they are pine. I am going to research the shavings. Can cedar or something else cause this??