need help advice....brooders...

[Country Living Farm]

Ok, I have lots of chicks on site and every day/night, they crowed into a corner and kill each other. I am tired of picking up dead chicks n the morning for no reason other than they were smothered. What else can I do. I have lamps in the pens as well. they are 3-4 weeks old at this time.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[chicmom]

WOAH, How many chicks do you have? I believe the only reason they would crowd themselves to the point of killing eachother was if they aren't quite warm enough......

 

[flgardengirl]

Do they have a thermometer so you can see if it is warm enough. Is there anything spooking them at night? If they are spooked they will squish each other trying to get away.

 

[Country Living Farm]

In there pen there is about 60. all 3 weeks old with 2 250 heat lamps, so I know they are not cold. They seem to wonder tothe corner staying away from the heat lamp and still kill each other. I tried changing the bulbs to a lower one, only one bub, two bulbs, ect....and they still go to the corner. I am thing less chicks to keep each other warm..then they would go to the light. but so many in the pen, they keep each other warm without the light. I am going crazy trying to keep them alive!!!

 

[Country Living Farm]

Quote:
O, this was during the day. Nothing dead last night. Check on them about 8 this moring. went out around noon 13 dead in the corner. Nothing to spook them. And they are not sick I know that! One minute running around, next dead!

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

If you are in Florida, you may not need the heat lamps. With that many chicks it is possible they are not able to escape the heat...may not be that they were trampled but died due to heat.

Have they had pasty butt? Do they have plenty of water to drink? You might need to set up more areas to brood them or find a larger area.

Good luck.

 

[watersoflethe]

i would create another brooder and separate them a bit..

also maybe they are hot?

 

[goldnchocolate]

I think they may be too hot and trying to escape from the heat

!!! It's possible that they aren't smothering each other but that the temps are killing them.

At 3 weeks old they don't need two 250 wt light bulbs. That is what I use in the winter and I live in Massachusetts. They create mega heat.