The wife bought Silkie Bantams...how do I keep these things alive?

[Ruler of the Roost]

The only thing to be aware of is due to silkies being more prone to vitamin deficiencies they should not be given medicated chick starter

I do not use medicated feed unless someone shows signs of respiratory distress

 

[Ruler of the Roost]

Do silkies need starter feed?

 

[fowltemptress]

Do silkies need starter feed?

What are you feeding them now? If they are eating anything other than starter, you should be giving them grit, as well. If you're not clear what chicks should be eating, then you should be giving them chick starter just to take out the guess work.

You say they're in a large tote with a heat lamp. Usually when I see someone with that set up, the reason their chicks are dying is because it is getting way too hot in the tote. The chicks need a way to get away from the heat. What is the temperature in the the coldest and hottest parts of the tote?

 

[FrostRanger]

The cheap periodically, but not consistently. Usually it’s just one or two at a time.They are in a large tote with a heat lamp with medium coarse shaved pine bedding. Not really any different than rural kings set up

With chicks you want to use the flaked pine and I always like to provide a bit of chick grit in case they eat any

I do not use medicated feed unless someone shows signs of respiratory distress

Medicated feed only contains a weak anti coccidiosis medicine. It won't treat anything else, actually, if a bird does come down with coccidiosis you still need to put them on corrid whether you feed medicated or not

 

[Ruler of the Roost]

What are you feeding them now? If they are eating anything other than starter, you should be giving them grit, as well. If you're not clear what chicks should be eating, then you should be giving them chick starter just to take out the guess work.

You say they're in a large tote with a heat lamp. Usually when I see someone with that set up, the reason their chicks are dying is because it is getting way too hot in the tote. The chicks need a way to get away from the heat. What is the temperature in the the coldest and hottest parts of the tote?

I hear what you are saying. I have had several clutches of birds not have issues with this exact setup, but I’ve had others who have had issues. I haven’t lost any that have been hatched by my birds. Every time I get from rural king it seems that I have these issues. It’s hard for me to not take that into account. That said I’ve also not taken the temperature in there. I’m thinking I just need to get a legit brooder to rule this set out as an issue.

 

[Ruler of the Roost]

I am both happy and sad to report that we figured out the issue. After getting three replacements from rural king, we lost another four. The birds had started chirping incessantly. In my panic I moved them to a smaller tote with the intention of using a heating pad to make a mini incubator, which I had purchased on the way home from work. But by this time all the chicks looked as if they were going to die. The heating pad was dead on arrival, and I didn't find this out until I had completed the incubator's construction. But the chirping had stopped. I looked in the tote and the surviving birds were all active and acting normal. The heat lamp was much closer to them...so I angled the lamp to one side, this gave them half of the tote heated and half of the tote far enough away from the heat to be cooler, and they are all moving back and fourth from the heat to the cooler side regularly. The issue was the heat lamp, but not that it was too hot. It was too far away to keep them effectively warm, and they were dying from not being able to regulate their temperatures. It is curious how the other two broods that I raised in the same exact tub with the same exact light survived without a single casualty having been day old chicks themselves...

 

[BigBlueHen53]

is curious how the other two broods that I raised in the same exact tub with the same exact light survived without a single casualty having been day old chicks themselves..

But ... the other two broods were not silkies, correct? The feathers and the size of the birds make the difference. It's harder for silkies to regulate their body temperature because they are smaller, and the feathers are not as efficient at insulating. I'm glad you solved the problem!

 

[Ruler of the Roost]

But ... the other two broods were not silkies, correct? The feathers and the size of the birds make the difference. It's harder for silkies to regulate their body temperature because they are smaller, and the feathers are not as efficient at insulating. I'm glad you solved the problem!

I didn’t know that they were that different. But the other bantams were dying as well. the surviving 6 made it through the night without incident. We’re upgrading our brooding set up. Same container, but we’re going to start using washable synthetic bedding, and we’re buying purpose made heating plates for chicks.

 

[Ruler of the Roost]

I didn’t know that they were that different. But the other bantams were dying as well. the surviving 6 made it through the night without incident. We’re upgrading our brooding set up. Same container, but we’re going to start using washable synthetic bedding, and we’re buying purpose made heating plates for chicks.

And we’re back. Another non-silkie bantam is now dying. It’s breathing but not much else. And another silkie bantam is starting to show signs of lethargy. This roller coaster is getting exhausting… we also tried to move our six pullets and cockerels outside. One of the cockerels died outside within a day, we brought them back in and another passed overnight. Wtf is going on!?!?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sorry Ruler, I just don't know! @Debbie292d do you know who some of our bantam and silkie experts are that we could tag into this thread?