Need advice on brooding new peachicks!

[Willowynd]

OK, I tried this a month ago. Brought home (3) month old peachicks that were being brooded in a barn. I put them in the wire bottomed rabbit hutch with the (2) month old Bourbon red poults, that is half enclosed. They were eating (exact same food and brand breeder fed) and drinking. Next mornng- 2 dead in gravity feeder- even though they could have easily gotten out. No picking , everyone got along fine. Next morning...last peachick dead...no reason I could see. Now picking up a one month old and two hatched a few days ago. Plan to put them in rubbermaid tub in house with heat lamp. Anything I should be doing differently? I don't want a repeat!

 

[MinxFox]

Maybe they needed more heat...It might have gotten too cold at night for them. The chickens didn't pick on them did they?

Yes keep the new ones inside without any chicken chicks with them and put the heat lamp on one end so if they don't want to be too close to the lamp they can go to the other end of the pen. As long as they drink and eat they should be fine, also make sure they don't get pasty but cause that can cause them to die. Better luck with the next peachicks!

 

[Willowynd]

No, the turkey babies did not pick on them at all. OK, that is how I always set up my brooder. Yes, I know to watch for past butt. I was wondering if there was anything special I should be doing.

 

[MinxFox]

Oh oops that's right Bourbon red poults are turkeys lol...

I don't know then I can't think of anything special...Sorry I just was telling you those things just encase you don't know about it already, just trying to help.

 

[Kedreeva]

What temp is your brooder at? Peachicks need it higher than others, and safe from drafts for the first few weeks, which should be ok with them being in a rubbermaid. Also, what sort of bedding did they have? I don't give mine bedding for a while because they tend to want to eat it. Are you sure they were eating and drinking? Like, watched them do it? Sometimes the young ones won't do it unless you're "pecking" at the food too- they will pick at the food, perhaps, but they won't gobble like they do if there's a "mom" showing them how. It's possible the two in the feeder didn't realize they could get out (don't overestimate their intelligence... my full grown ones sometimes get stopped by the silliest of things, like a ribbon across a door suddenly becomes completely uncrossable even though they could easily go under or over it) and were too far or too close to the heat for too long. If your last breeder had them on the ground, it's possible they picked up a disease that just happened to kill them after they were in your care (like worms) where there wouldn't have been much to see on the outside.

Also, sometimes there's just bad luck. Peachicks under 3 months old just have a high mortality rate, sometimes even under the best of care. Hopefully these ones will fare better.

 

[Phage]

If they died that quickly after getting them I would think they just got cold.

 

[Knix6468]

I dont know if someone covered this, but if your using something like a rubbermaid and your using a light, you have to be careful not to overheat the rubbermaid/plastic product
so that it smells like hot plastic. Can the fumes be toxic?

 

[Willowynd]

Temp...I don't normally use a thermometer, I do it like I do when I have puppies in the whelping box (I raise collies). I shine the heat lamp in one corner and watch...if they tend to be under the light alot- I lower it. If they tend to stay far away from the light, I raise it. If they move freely around the brooder and are not huddling in any location- I know I have it at the right temp for them. Yes. I am careful not to shine the heat lamp directly on the plastic. Not sure it could be harmful, but I wouldn't want to risk it....plus, that is the last thing I want to smell

Bedding, I usually use large soft pine shavings....they are too large to eat, but fluffy and absorb well. I saw them at the food dish eating with the turkey babies....so assume they were eating and not just pecking- possible they were not though. I did see them drink. I put them in with the poults so they would follow their lead, since the poults were eating and drinking fine on thier own.

Thanks for all the advice...I am going to try to pick them up today. I feel better after all the replies that they may have a better chance this time. My only concern is that it may be too hot for the older one in the tub with the babies....may just brood that one separately.