Should they be tried as adults? The sagas continues on page 2

[Camelot Farms]

I am jinxed and feeling like a chick-killer. I couldnt find the other stinkin' brooder lamp so I tried putting the 2 new fuzzy butts in a little box in the brooder. I had to get them out of the bator cause they were knocking eggs everywhere.

Seemed like a good idea til I went back 2 horus later to find dead chicks. Apparently the box walls were too high and held the heat in and created a little oven.

I had only planned to leave them in there for a few hours til they were running around like the other little maniacs in the brooder.

I feel awful! How can trying so hard to do something right end up going soooo wrong.

 

[Shiningfeather]

 

[KKatknap]

Quote:
I hear ya

So sorry.

 

[catwalk]

AAAAHHHHH! I'm so sorry that the idea backfired! Why oh why are Seramas so cute yet so fragile!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Oh no! I'm so sorry.

 

[PandoraTaylor]

I am sorry for your loss...

 

[evonne]

sorry bout the babies...

just a thought for next time.. i don't use a heat lamp for my brooder... all i have is a hampster cage for the first weekish (smaller gaps in the bars) and a rabbit cage when they get a little bigger and can't get out the holes...
for heat, i use an old heating pad wrapped in a pillowcase that i change every day or two as it gets icky...
heat rises, and if we're 98.7, and the heating pad is comfortably warm for us, i figure it's about right for the chicks... i've used this same old heating pad for... um... about 30 chicks... 6 sets of boody chicks...

it may not be ideal, but it has worked and they never pile up ontop of each other for heat... they will lay close sometimes.. but then as they get a bit older they spread out more and move away from the pad...

oh, i keep it folded over so it's about 4" wide.. i think i fold it in thirds?

anyway... maybe something like this in an old drawer or rubbermaid tote will help next time you can't find an extra brooder lamp...

good luck with the rest of your eggs waiting to hatch

 

[Camelot Farms]

Quote:
Gah! I have 2 heating pads. That would have been perfect. Our brooder is on the sunporch so a little heat is all that they really need as it stays pretty comfy on a sunny day. Will have the heating pad ready and waiting for the next batch. Thank yoU!!

 

[Akane]

Actually a chicken's body temp is higher than ours. One reason they need incubated higher than 98F. Chicks may need to stay warmer than what someone perceives as comfortably warm. If you were in a brooder at 95-100F you'd probably be a bit beyond comfortable.

I've had problems putting seramas with small bantams hatched at the same time. I definitely wouldn't put them with week older chicks and I did end up doing the brooder inside a brooder thing because of 2 extra small seramas that hatched with some bantam EE but luckily it worked out. I put a 10gallon aquarium inside a 40gallon aquarium with a 60watt bulb partially shining over the end of the 10 until they were more steady on their feet. They still got shoved around a lot and the others were filling the waterer with shavings before the seramas were big enough to drink out of it raised up any. They were just accomplishing drinking over the rim without stretching. When I put it up a few inches to keep it cleaner they had to stand on tip toe to get a drink for a few days. I'm not hatching them with anything but japanese bantams from now on unless I have 2 brooders ready.