Possible Crop Impaction - Our Chicks Passed Away Suddenly :(

[klandis]

I have always used wood chips and I've had curious chicks eat a few but never enough to kill them, let alone a dozen. Something else is going on. You mentioned you closed the coop...is there cedar wood involved in the equation anywhere? You said their crops were hard so they would have had to been eating wood chips for longer than half an hour. Something else is definitely going on and needs to be sorted before any more chicks are put in the same situation

The coop is pine and the shavings were pine. However, after speaking to a few people, the pine shavings were on the small side. I also believe the coop had poor ventilation and they inhaled the dust from the fine flakes.

 

[Lor]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[coach723]

I would also make sure there are no paints, stains, glues/adhesives, wood treatments, or other chemicals that may be off-gassing. Fumes from any of those could be deadly to chicks. Many kinds of materials that off-gas, the fumes will be more concentrated near the floor, where the chicks are. More ventilation is always a good thing.

 

[klandis]

I would also make sure there are no paints, stains, glues/adhesives, wood treatments, or other chemicals that may be off-gassing. Fumes from any of those could be deadly to chicks. Many kinds of materials that off-gas, the fumes will be more concentrated near the floor, where the chicks are. More ventilation is always a good thing.

I added a water seal to just the outside of the coop but it had about a week to cure. The inside is just normal pine. Nothing is treated, coated, painted, stained, etc. However, the floor is a plastic fiberglass, that is intended to make cleanout easier. I am definitely going to add more ventilation ASAP.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Nice coop.
Airing it out may be a good idea.
I hope the remaining chicks do well.

 

[kerbotx]

Sorry for your losses. For so many to die, so quickly, it sounds like they got too cold. You say you put them outside when they had "most of their feathers" - what does that mean? How warm was their brooder, compared to the coop? Even when fully feathered, a huge temperature change can be too much, which is why they have to be weaned off of heat by 5 degrees each week.