My chick died!! Can anyone tell me why?

[dani]

So this has happened twice to me so far and I am wondering if anyone knows what the problems is. The first time it happened I had bought 6 chicks from my pet chicken and my silver laced wyandotte seemed like he had a really hard time staying awake. She was always dozing off. After two days she died. Today I hatched two eggs and my husband took them out of the incubator and put them in the brooder we keep them in and I came home from work and saw the same thing happening to one of the chicks. It was really tired and kept nodding off. I just went down there and it was dead. Why does this keep happening? Is there something I can do to prevent this?

 

[needmorechickens!]

Have you tried some vitamins? You can give them a drop of Poly-vi-sol infant vitamins a couple of times a day for days 1 - 5.
~Rebecca

 

[swtangel321]

What are you feeding them ?? What kind of shavings are you using ?? What is the temp in the brooder ? Do the chicks look to hot or to cold ?? How are you heating the brooder ??

 

[ChickenWisperer]

It just happened to me as well. One of my EE chicks from Ideal seemed to be very lathargic, would nod off, and would "ungelate". She died this past sunday.

It is in the nature of the poultry to weeken and die in the first week - you may not be doing anything wrong.

Altough, they should be on starter feed, have the correct temperature and such.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[wren]

Interesting. Sorry if this is too basic.

Sounds like they were not getting any energy from food. Are you spreading food all over the floor of the brooder and "pecking" at it with your finger for the first few days? You can put a little sugar in the water for a few days as an emergency tactic to give quick energy to listless chicks but they have to eat. Sounds like they were just to weak to overcome shipping without intense help.

It is possible but unlikely that the two chicks did eat and were unable to digest the food. If their poo looks like undigested food the chick is in dire trouble.

 

[dani]

The chickens are to young to even eat food. The one I got from my pet chickens lived for a couple of days and was eating and drinking but was just tired all the time till it died. The one I hatched today hatched this morning and was put into a brooder with pine shavings and is heated by a heat lamp and the temp is around 100. I didn't think chicks need food right after hatching.

 

[swtangel321]

Quote:
They dont need food for a little while !!! But your temp is WAY to hot for them, not sure if that is why but at 100 the chicks are cooking !! Try bringing it down to 90. Did you notice the chicks panting at all ?

 

[wren]

If the chick is dry it's ready and able to eat.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Chicks do need to have food and fresh water set in front of them when put in a brooder box. Your temp is way too hot. I use a 60 watt bulb in my brooder tote in my house, temp right under the lamp 95 for the first week, large enough brooder box that they can get away from the heat if needed. The food and water set away from the heat also with crumbles on the floor for them to learn to peck and find til they know what the feeders are for.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

One thing you may have overlooked is: What is the temperature of the brooder box on the floor. Put a glass thermometer on the floor of the brooder and see exectly what the temp is. Do not use a infrared heat lamp, this is too much for chicks. Put paper towells down and water in a shallow dish with a little sugar in it. Put chick started directly on the paper and peck the paper with your fingers and cluck, yes cluck to get the chicks going. My wife is really good at the mama hen clucking thing. The chicks go right for the starter. She dipps thier beaks in the water several times to get them to start drinking. Once the chicks get a hang of it they are good to go. Once even ONE of them gets a hang of it, usually the whole bunch figures it out realy fast. They are remarkable creatures, but they need food and water within 24 hours of drying to a fluff. 100 degrees is a bit too hot, try 95 and do make sure they can get away from the heat. I put a piece of cardboard over the brooder box just to be sure they can get away from the lamp in a little bit of shade. We have all been victims of our own ignorance. I have cooked a few chicks myself.