Sick chicks- UPDATE

[cece_chickens]

I’m glad you got a reading but 95 is to high for 1week old chicks
Can you provide pics of the new set up please
We are all very concerned as loosing 4 is a big deal and we want you to keep your flock with no more losses

I contacted my vet and she thinks it might be bird flu. It’s very bad in MI right now and to make things worse it’s in the area I live in

 

[Iluveggers]

I contacted my vet and she thinks it might be bird flu. It’s very bad in MI right now and to make things worse it’s in the area I live in

Do you have older chickens as well? If so, have they been sick?

Please try raising the light up higher, maybe at 85 under it on one side of the brooder, and see if that helps. They can move to the unheated side to cool off if they are too warm.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I contacted my vet and she thinks it might be bird flu. It’s very bad in MI right now and to make things worse it’s in the area I live in

I don’t think it was the flu they would all be dead they share water feed and home
The vets are kinda like the Dr when a pandemic is going around they forget all other issues can happen they focus only on the pandemic.
I truly believe it was your heat set up
The bins and the heat lamp you are using are going to cause high heat
Can you please get a smaller watt bulb or find a way to move them up higher
They should be at 80-85 at this age
It’s only going to happen again as they grow more feathers they need less heat
I know we all came at you but not in a negative way we all love birds here and our first priority when help is asked is to figure it out and save them if we can
Unfortunately that can cause the OP hurt feelings as they may feel blamed
That’s not the intention at all
We have all made mistakes and had losses that we learn from
Nobody is prefect and google is the worst to get advise from
This is a great community and so much info of actual bird owners
I truly hope to see updated pictures of these sweet little ones in the future as they grow

 

[cece_chickens]

Do you have older chickens as well? If so, have they been sick?

Please try raising the light up higher, maybe at 85 under it on one side of the brooder, and see if that helps. They can move to the unheated side to cool off if they are too warm.

Yes but the big chickens aren’t sick. I’ve kept them separated also I wear gloves now when handling the chicks to reduce the risk of spreading anything

 

[cece_chickens]

I don’t think it was the flu they would all be dead they share water feed and home
The vets are kinda like the Dr when a pandemic is going around they forget all other issues can happen they focus only on the pandemic.
I truly believe it was your heat set up
The bins and the heat lamp you are using are going to cause high heat
Can you please get a smaller watt bulb or find a way to move them up higher
They should be at 80-85 at this age
It’s only going to happen again as they grow more feathers they need less heat
I know we all came at you but not in a negative way we all love birds here and our first priority when help is asked is to figure it out and save them if we can
Unfortunately that can cause the OP hurt feelings as they may feel blamed
That’s not the intention at all
We have all made mistakes and had losses that we learn from
Nobody is prefect and google is the worst to get advise from
This is a great community and so much info of actual bird owners
I truly hope to see updated pictures of these sweet little ones in the future as they grow

I will put the lamps higher now. Yeah I truly hope it’s not the flu and I thought it was weird that the chicks aren’t all dead alreafy if they have the flu. Either way I’m still being cautious and handling the chicks with gloves to reduce spreading disease.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I contacted my vet and she thinks it might be bird flu. It’s very bad in MI right now and to make things worse it’s in the area I live in

I just want to add they are still avoiding laying under the heat lamp. They are against the sides.
Just read the babies body language
They will show you if they are hot they will avoid laying under the light. If they are cold they will be under the light and laying on each other

 

[Mrs J]

I contacted my vet and she thinks it might be bird flu. It’s very bad in MI right now and to make things worse it’s in the area I live in

Metal is a conductor of heat. This brooder looks like a sauna. Can I ask why you are using metal? I normally just use a big cardboard box for the first couple of weeks, then they go into a dog crate, or the tack room, depending on how many chick I have got. Chicks need to get away from heat if they are to hot, to me, it looks like they don’t have enough space and they have to much heat.

 

[Mrs J]

Would you consider using one of these, they are much safer in regards to a fire hazard. You can also adjust it to suit the chicks needs.

 

[cece_chickens]

I will put the lamps higher now. Yeah I truly hope it’s not the flu and I thought it was weird that the chicks aren’t all dead alreafy if they have the flu. Either way I’m still being cautious and handling the chicks with gloves to rescue spreading disease.

I just want to add they are still avoiding laying under the heat lamp. They are against the sides.
Just read the babies body language
They will show you if they are hot they will avoid laying under the light. If they are cold they will be under the light and laying on each other

They were headed over towards the food but I do see them snuggling up under the heat lamp sometimes

Would you consider using one of these, they are much safer in regards to a fire hazard. You can also adjust it to suit the chicks needs.
View attachment 3083708

i actually have one just never set it up yet!

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

They were headed over towards the food but I do see them snuggling up under the heat lamp sometimes

i actually have one just never set it up yet!

I use my heat plate and love it
By 2-3 weeks my ducks were no longer even going under they didn’t need heat anymore but were in the house and we run a bit warm in here
I did have to use a heat lamp with my little special needs duckling as the other ones had the heat plate
But I have an adjuster on my lamp I can turn it high to low
He only really used it the first few days and then it was warm soft blankets as he needed to be with me 24/7. He never ran cold
If you have a heat plate already switch it up you will find it’s way better