New chicks--0ne died yesterday - this afternoon one more- please help

[ejstoner]

two out of thirteen chicks have died in two days- they appeared healthy.

 

[silkiechicken]

Age, feed, bedding, temperature of the brooder, from feed store, hatchlings etc... Anything you can think of before we can give ideas on what happened.

 

[ejstoner]

feed is medicated starter blue seal, bedding is wood chips from my chainsaw. temp is 95 under the light , though most choose not to be totally under it.

 

[ejstoner]

sorry, I wasnt complete in my answer. hatched out two days ago

 

[LadyShred]

Personally, I think paper towels or toilet paper is the best flooring to start chicks on. I'm not fond of shavings. Also, chicks are easily affected by outside sources (like the pine shavings). We have strong cocci outside in our dirt and I refuse to let my chicks come in contact with anything outside until they are nearly completely grown. Any kind of bacteria can wear on the chicks and make them sick.

I like to add sugar to their water and poly-vi-sol as well (just not at the same time). It gives them an extra boost of energy and the vitamins do great for their little bodies.

 

[Guitartists]

Some woods can be toxic to chickens.... what kind of wood are the shavings/sawdust? Are they eating the bedding?

 

[ejstoner]

they are not sawdust, they are hardwood from me cutting wood for the stove. could they be eating the wood pieces. and in turn not digesting them??

 

[crait]

They could be. But what is more important is what kind of wood it is.
If it is cedar, it is probably the cause. It's toxic to chicks.

 

[ejstoner]

Its mostly hardwood-- oak , maple , beech, I dont think any ceder. Anyway I put down newspaper. These guys seem really healthy. They hatched on day 19 and 20 for the most part. Like I said, they seem really healthy- very energetic.I think they must have been eating the small chips-- that cant be good for their digestive tract this early in their lives , can it??

 

[crait]

No way!
Any kind of baby would have trouble eating wood chips. Even termites!