partridge cochin chicks dying!!! HELP

[KristinaB]

I'm new to raising chickens but i did a lot of research before purchasing chicks. I went to our local chick hatchery and got multiple types of chickens. In this group I purchased 4 partridge cochin chicks and they have all died. They have died, one at a time. The chick will start just standing under the light staring at the wall, about an hour later it's laying in the floor of the brooder heavy breathing. It starts opening and closing its beak until it dies. They are all eating and drinking and the temp in the brooder is around 92 degrees. So far this has only happened to the cochins. I also bought 4 silkies, 2 polish, and 2 japanese bantams and they are all doing just fine but I'm terrified that this may be something contagious and that this will spread to the rest of the chicks! I called the hatchery and all they said was for me to put apple cider vinegar in their water. Anyone have any idea what has happened to my babies?

 

[junebuggena]

PIctures of your brooder setup?

 

[KristinaB]

im trying to figure out how to post a picture

 

[KristinaB]

 

[KristinaB]

 

[junebuggena]

Too small a brooder, too hot of a bulb. When using heat lamps, the brooder needs to be large enough for a portion to be left completely unheated. A full strength heat lamp bulb is completely unnecessary inside a house. It puts off way too much heat in an already warm environment.

 

[KristinaB]

I'll try to take a better picture but half that box doesn't have any light on it. My house is only 70 degrees so if they have to be around 90 this first few weeks I have to have a light on them right?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I have chicks outside. Yes outside. Mine are with a broody hen so DO have a heat source.
What I have noticed is that even with a cool breeze they are out from under mama running around. The air temp was less then 65 and there was a pretty strong breeze.

The point is that they really do not need extreme heat and and do thrive with much cooler temps available to them.

 

[junebuggena]

I'll try to take a better picture but half that box doesn't have any light on it. My house is only 70 degrees so if they have to be around 90 this first few weeks I have to have a light on them right?

The problem is that with the tall sides of that brooder, the heat can't really dissipate. It creates an oven effect, overheating chicks to the point of death. Only directly under the lamp should be warmed. The rest of the brooder should be pretty near room temp, to allow for chicks to escape the heat if needed. They don't need a constant temp of 90*. They just need a spot where they can get warmed up if and when they need to.

 

[KristinaB]

ok thank you so much for your help! Do you have any idea why the cochins would be the only ones that have died from this. Everyone else is still in there annd going strong.