They must have suffocated!! I'm heartbroken!!

[lynxpilot]

I never see them pile up like that unless they're cold. How are you measuring your temperature? Do they have enough room for their age? Will they go outside soon?

 

[Justino]

ummm....i think they must be cold if theyre pileing like that....a roost shiould work but u can put something in the corner to bloock of the corner so its more round? ok....i dont really no wat im talkin bout but ok LOL

very sorry for ur loss....a roost should do the trick

 

[Meesh]

Just be sure to make the cardboard high enough so none of the chicks can accidentally get behind it!!

Yep, we lost a bunch of RIR when I was a kid after my dad stapled chicken wire in the corner to keep them from piling after a couple suffocated. They all flew over the top of the wire that night and piled up in the corner anyway and they ALL suffocated. It's one of those things... Darned if you do, darned if you don't.

I do know my chicks get really upset when I shut off the brooder lights. Someone on the forum made their chicks a box that had an open top so the light could shine into it, an open bottom, and some little doorways cut out in the side so the chicks could go in and out of the box when they wanted. Something like that might give them a nightlight and a secure place to sleep. You could easily bend the box into an octagon shape so there aren't any corners.

Cheers,
Michelle​

 

[Moonwalker]

Quote:
Maybe you can put a light in the middle, away from the wall with some very low roosts under it. They are probably piling up against the wall becasue it holds heat, so they are drawn to it. If you have a heat source away from the wall, maybe they will spread out.

Mine started roosting on the corner braces of the floor frame (2x2's about 4 inches off the ground) so I put a couple of extra posts from my electric fence I had laying around across the cornes near the braces and they roost on those, except at night, when they still all pile up in the plastic pan (the kind for under rabbit cages) that is directly under the heat lamp. But the pan is on;y 2" deep, so they can wiggle out if they need to

 

[shmooborp]

that happened to me this morning!

!!!!! i was so upset! i wanted to

 

[playmeasong]

I am so sorry this happened, and don't beat yourself up over this. I presume things like this happen, and the roost idea sounds good.

I thank you for sharing your experience though, despite how painful it is. I am so new to keeping chicks and learn more from an hour of reading the forum than reading an entire book. Your sharing may have helped someone else in the future.

Peace to you,
Jen

 

[sara]

I'm so sorry that this happened!

I agree with trying to get them to roost, maybe that would help. However my chicks and teenagers never pile up like that. I'd say they must be a little cool. The temps don't sound bad, but maybe they are. Maybe just try a heat lamp and see if it helps?

Again I'm so sorry that happened. You must have been so upset!

 

[WriterofWords]

Oh no! I'm so sorry about your babies! Mine tend to lump together like that too, even when it's warm, and I don't know why.
kate

 

[jeaucamom]

Well I did the best I could with the supplies on hand and used an 8 ft. 1x3 nailed on top of some left over 2x6 chunks if that makes any sense. So hopefully roosting will solve this problem. If they are not roosting on it of their own accord, Jess and I will head out after dark and put them on the roost. I am struggling with what to use to keep them out of the corner though. Nothing I have will prevent them from getting behind it. Anyone with any ideas would be appreciated. And even when they were inside under a brooder lamp in my warm living room they piled like that so I am sure it is not a heat issue. And I have no way to get electricity down to the coop anyway unfortunately. But just to ease my mind I took an accurite down there and it was 76 in the coop at 7 pm. So now I am assured it is not a warmth issue.

But please keep the ideas about the corners coming!

 

[4F FARM]

Ialso agree with the roosting idea. We put our oldest chicks out in our old dog house( it is insulated) with a roost and they loved it.