The big let-down.

[Nyla]

Pictures please?

 

[Jammerz]

 

[Jammerz]

I had one die last night while I was out of town. Another is struggling but holding on. I turned down the heat hoping that is part of it.

 

[Michigan Monti]

I am so glad things worked out for you before you had to leave!

 

[FlyWheel]

OMG they are adorable. Glad they came early enough (and sorry to hear you lost one).

And BTW, sorry, but you're still going to fret.

 

[Jammerz]

The one that was struggling, still is but hanging on. Not sure what is wrong with her. Hopefully she will get stronger.

 

[aart]

The one that was struggling, still is but hanging on. Not sure what is wrong with her. Hopefully she will get stronger.

What are her behaviors that concern you?
Have you checked all butts for pasty butt?
Poultry Nutri Drench is good to have on hand for weak chicks.

Not sure of your experience with chicks but...
Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.

 

[Jammerz]

I have it at 90 right now. I use an infrared thermometer to check it. They have plenty of space to get cooler when they want. After the first 5 days I will turn it to the low 80s. After 10 days they go outside and will still have a lamp they can get under at night. One chick is kinda squaty. Just huddles around. She can move when she needs to but sure doesn't much.

I have been doing this for 25 years, never had one behave like this. My experience is that they either look pretty good or they die- not much in between.

 

[aart]

I have been doing this for 25 years, never had one behave like this.

Oh, well, then you've seen most of it.

 

[Jammerz]

She died last night, probably crushed by the other chicks as the temperature was lower and they gathered tighter than the previous night.