One of my baby chicks died-help

[sariemma]

I bought two chicks that are 6 days old today but one of them has passed this morning. She had been very latharhic since I got her and has pasty butt (which I cleaned off). I am confused as to why this happened. I am getting another chick today and am going to be with my chick until we get the new one so that she doesn't get lonely.

 

[Wee Timmy]

I'm sorry for your loss From experience I can tell you that some chicks just won't make it, be it from hatching conditions or bad parent stock etc. Also a top chick killer is a parasite called coccidiosis, caused by wet bedding and exposure to the outside too early. Are they on medicated feed? That usually helps with parasites, but as an adult your chicken will be less resistant to disease. Also what breed(s) are they? Some breeds are more likely to die as chicks than others.

 

[KaylorFarms]

Maybe the heat lamp was to close to the ground. That causes pasty bottoms and they get lethargic.

 

[sariemma]

I'm sorry for your loss From experience I can tell you that some chicks just won't make it, be it from hatching conditions or bad parent stock etc. Also a top chick killer is a parasite called coccidiosis, caused by wet bedding and exposure to the outside too early. Are they on medicated feed? That usually helps with parasites, but as an adult your chicken will be less resistant to disease. Also what breed(s) are they? Some breeds are more likely to die as chicks than others.

She was a cinnamon queen and we didn't have her on any special feed. She was with an americauna. Her vedidbf wasn't wet and the temp in their brooder was about 95° (which I read was what they should be at at their age).

 

[lazy gardener]

Was the whole brooder 95, or did they have an end of the brooder that was about 20 degrees cooler? Often if the whole brooder is too warm, they can not discern a cool end, and more chicks die from over heating than from chilling. And, sometimes, chicks just die for no apparent reason.

 

[azygous]

She was a cinnamon queen and we didn't have her on any special feed. She was with an americauna. Her vedidbf wasn't wet and the temp in their brooder was about 95° (which I read was what they should be at at their age).

The misconception about brooding temps is that the entire brooder must be kept at that specified temperature. The reality is that while chicks need a warm spot under which to warm up, they also require a larger amount of much cooler space in which to shed excess heat.

I liken it to reptiles that depend on moving in and out of warm and cool zones to regulate body temperature. Until chicks feather out completely between four and six weeks, they are just like reptiles in that they are unable to regulate their temperature. If snakes, lizards, and chicks have no cool space in which to shed heat when they absorb too much, they will cook.