Meat chicks Dying

[BigRedRoo]

So I called Freys hatcheri and got no help. so Hier I am Begging for your help again. My white Rock Cornish x Birds I thought were looking pritty good but Ive lost five of them now and am begining to worrie. My birds during the day all flock to the outside of the brooder ring excpet for maybe one third which stay under the heat lamps. I have a huge temperature flux from outside of ring to center. Its 100-105 under the lights and yet only 70 at the outside of the ring. the hatcheri has told me that if I dont regulate the temp better they will begin to drop off from "watter belly". I dont know how to regulate the temp better I have only three feet between lights and all lamps are set at about 18" from the paper towel. One person has sugested tenting them up but I have a ring 25'x10' for 150 birds and five lights Ive allways used the chicks as my temp guage to watch if the light was high enough but theve allways been egg layers. what am I doing wrong? this is my first shot at meat birds and Im not having a good time.

 

[Nupe]

The only thing I can think of is a lower wattage bulb.

This might be a silly question but I was wondering for my own brooder... Would it be effective to put the heat lamp on a dimmer switch? Most heat lamps are still incandescent, right?

 

[BigRedRoo]

All my lights are 250watt on a dual stage brooding lamps, when I put the lamps down to a lower setting they all pile ontop of each other as if they are cold. I tryed droping the lights down lower and while that makes them move from the center of the light it leaves too many in a "cold zone" I will try to post some pics of the girls and boys but it would seem to me (because out of 147 birds only three are currently under the light) they are comfortable and the hactchery is trying to get out of selling week birds. I know cornish are week to begin with but its odd that I only loose one a day. I would think if it was a temp thing then I would loose allot more at one time.

 

[Nupe]

Without seeing your coop I would say you have too few lamps and they're too close to the floor. Is there any way you can set them at an angle so they cover more area with less concentration?

 

[BigRedRoo]

 

[BigRedRoo]

This was a pic of the first night. I know Ive red to leave the house lights on 24/7 for 4 days but Ive never followed this rule, and when I did the one time on day 3 canabalism started so since then Ive restricted the light at night.

 

[Nupe]

Wow, nice setup...

I would raise those lights up until it reaches about 85 to 90 in the center depending on how young the birds are. If you can't adjust it at the ceiling, I guess just tie a knot in the lanyard.

 

[BigRedRoo]

the lights are on chains, I can adjust them up words no prob but everyone keeps telling me thier too cold. If I rise the center temp then the ouside temp goes down aswell.
I appretiate the complient Ive had allot of skeptics tell me that because thier not completly covered in plastic that their probably getting cold.
The only alteration I can can think to be plauseable would be to put "T" bars in the ground at either end of the ring and run a rope from one end to the other and tape the plastic to the Rope. I just dont like the Idea of putting anything over the lights due to fire hazard.

 

[3riverschick]

We also have a special forum for meat birds here on BYC if you want to check it too.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/21/meat-birds-etc

 

[Nupe]

I don't know how focused those lamps you have are but the ones I've seen, the inner circle of heat will spread out a bit when you raise them. 100 to 105 degrees seems too hot and you did mention during the day they'll flock to the outside areas. My setup is much smaller and my chicks are 6 days old. My brooder is in an insulated outbuilding with a one screened window where I put a fan to circulate some fresh air. My heat lamp sits about 3 1/2 feet off the ground at an angle. By about 9am it's 96 degrees under the hottest point of the brooder with the farthest point at about 85 and the rest of the shed is at about 82. At this point I turn the heat lamp off and swap out the bulb for a regular 25W light bulb. During the hottest point of the day, the inside of the shed reaches about 95 degrees. So far they seem active and content but I think I will end up moving them out to the coop early and continue to give them the lamp at night.