My name is Nicole and I am new to raising chicks PLEASE HELP....

[drumstick diva]

Hope you will enjoy Backyard Chickens as much as w do.

 

[NMCaAvoy]

@NMCaAvoy I am so sorry for your loss
Losing a chick can be so heartbreaking, but sometimes there's nothing that you could have done. It's hard to even say for sure what was wrong, especially without seeing a video or pictures. If you would like to know the cause of death, you can have a necropsy done, just be sure to keep her body refrigerated (not frozen) in plastic. Here's how to find a lab in your area:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/necropsy-and-disease-testing-lab-info.1236884/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...tic-labs-by-state-under-construction.1223966/

Otherwise, you could bury her in your yard, burn her body or even place in a garbage bin. Again, I'm so sorry you had to go through that.

Hello I have a couple questions for you if that is okay? My other 2 chicks are about 5 weeks old do they still need to be under a heat lamp? They are chirping really loud I have never heard them like this. Could they be missing the other chick that passed? I just wish I would have done more reserch before I got them. I feel like I am failing at this..

 

[drumstick diva]

Your chicks may be indicating they are too cold or too hot under the heat lamp. I'm guessing they are too hot. Do you know what the temperature is under the light? Usually it's 95 degrees or so at the start and then lowered by 5 degrees every week. By now the heat should be around room temp about 70 degrees. If the room is generally that temp without a heat lamp. You probably can remove it.

 

[feathermaid]

Hello I have a couple questions for you if that is okay? My other 2 chicks are about 5 weeks old do they still need to be under a heat lamp? They are chirping really loud I have never heard them like this. Could they be missing the other chick that passed? I just wish I would have done more reserch before I got them. I feel like I am failing at this..

Hi there, sure, ask me anything!
If you only had 3 chicks all along, the missing one would be very noticeable and they're probably quite concerned about the change. They will get over it soon.

Yes, I think the light really needs to go. I'm not a fan of heat lamps at all. I think chicks (or any living creatures) that live in a brightly lit environment 24/7 will become unhappy at some point. With no day or night, no idea of appropriate times to eat and sleep and no freedom to get away from heat completely if they choose, I think they can easily become confused. Heat lamps imo are also difficult to gage what temperature is appropriate because I don't believe chicks really need to be that warm all the time.

I used a heat lamp for my first 3 chicks, then discovered Mama Heating Pad. What a huge difference! It's a little late for your chicks now, but if you have a heating pad, you could just lay it on the floor at night (cover with a towel) and turn off the light and see how they do. My chicks are near silent in the dark.... all night long.

At 5 weeks, your chicks might not even want to be near the heat in daylight, maybe night too. The heating pad could be a nice introduction to the dark. Are your chicks using a perch at all during the day? Have you taken them outside? Do you have their coop ready? What are the temps where you live? They could probably move outside soon.

I currently have 2 chicks at 3 weeks old. I moved them outside to the coop last week with a heating pad cave. They stay warm under the pad at night in 35-45F temps outside and are running around the coop brooder all day in ambient temps of 40-60F. That's no where close to the recommended 80 degrees! They can go to the heat source anytime they want, but they choose to play in the cold. When the sun starts to set, they reluctantly go back to the cave all by themselves to sleep for the night. It makes transition to the main coop roosts very easy.

Don't worry, you are not failing... you are learning. Even after three years with chickens and lots of mistakes, I'm still learning more every day. I imagine it will never end!

So start by removing the heat lamp and letting chicks experience natural daylight. Give them some enrichment like a perch or some branches, a dust bath, mirror and even a chunk of grass (with dirt attached). When nighttime rolls around, and if they get really loud, it could just be that's it different from what they're used to and, like children, they have to complain. Don't give in, they should settle down.

 

[drumstick diva]

Flappy Feathers