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My plan was to wait until tonight, so I had the time to monitor and help, if needed.
I have heard that its way worse to give food too early.
I wanted to be sure the yolk was absorbed.
And for the record, the oldest chick was maybe 20 hrs old, not 2-3 days.
EDIT- I aint buying the theory that they died from lack of food in less than 20 hrs from hatch, that seems just a little to preposterous to me.
Well, I'd say it was either the water and no food, or your trusty thermometer isn't as trusty as you think it is and they cooked from too much heat.
I've always had both food and water available to them right away in the brooder.....and never found it to be a problem and I've been hatching chicks for many, many years. If you've ever watched a broody leave her nest with chicks, they start scratching around and eating right away.
Giving them access to food in the brooder has nothing to do with whether they absorb the yolk or not. They should have absorbed the yolk before they're hatched.