Trampled chick - cause and prevention?

[alpinewelsummer]

Hey all, I sadly just lost one of my new chicks to--I think--being trampled.

The chick in question cried constantly, even when held. Wouldn't stop peeping no matter what. About 3 hours ago I noticed he had a slight pasty booty, so I took care of it before it got too bad. He seemed drowsy/lethargic when I set him back in the brooder but I thought at the time that he was just sleepy as I had pulled him from a nap to clean him.

About 2 hours later I return to the room and see that I'm short one chick, I reach in and break up a group of 3 snoozing chicks to find, sure enough, a trampled baby hidden underneath them. The other chicks were sprinkled around the brooder so it wasn't a heat or crowding problem.

Was he just an unfortunate chick or was there something I could have done? Had I noticed him seeming sick I would have separated him, but he was active and had an appetite all day, so aside from his constant cheeping, this was definitely a swift downfall.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry for your loss.
Constant peeping, the chick was likely not doing well. It would be very hard to know if it was trampled or just passed away while sleeping with the others.

If you have photos of your brooder set up we will be happy to take a look and see if any suggestions need to be made.

 

[Mellowmalt]

sorry about your loss. Was it a bantam chick that it was small? Was it smaller then the others? How old was it? In the first couple of days bantam chicks can be a lot weaker and they are smaller anyway so more fragile.
It's hard to know what went wrong without knowing how old it was. Your descirption says he was simultaneously active and eating all day, crying all day and tired and sleepy a lot so it's a bit hard to interpret but I understand you just lost a chick. Nothing you can do about it now. Hope the others are all ok.