What am I doing wrong???

[Yocelinsaldana06]

Okay, so I’ve been raising chicks for almost three years now. My survival rate for my chicks has always been high; I rarely lost a chick in the past 3 years, and I’ve raised so many. I just always put extra time and care into my chicks. But I don’t know where everything went wrong this time. Earlier this year, in February, I raised my first chicks of the year, and everything went perfectly (like always). I raised 21 chicks from day 1, and everybody survived, everyone thrived. I even had one who was weak and was appearing sick, and I managed to save it, too. Then, I hatched an even bigger batch this month, about 32 chicks. I lost five that got weak and died all in the same week, and now I have a few more weak ones. The others died at the beginning of this month, and now, all of a sudden again, I have weak ones, and I don’t know what’s going on. Like I said, I’m usually always good with chicks, I rarely lose any, but this batch has been filled with deaths. I have the heat lamp for the chicks, and some of them just stand under it; they don’t lie under it, they just stand with their heads down, and this gives me the idea that they’re sick. They have the option to walk away if it’s too warm, and they do when they go and drink water or eat (which they’re all doing), but then they go back under. I don’t think they’re cold because 1. The temperature marks 93 degrees and 2. They’re not huddled up together. I also usually have happy, quiet chicks, but these guys are just chirping as if something’s wrong. I clean their brooder every day and make sure it’s clean. I clean their bowls every day, and they have constant access to food and water. They have warmth and an area away from the heat, but still, my chicks don’t seem happy and are just getting weak.
They all eat and drink water, but clearly something is wrong; they’re not as alert or have much interest in doing things like the rest of the chicks.
What can I do differently?? What am I doing wrong?? Like, please, at this point, be brutally honest with me, what am I doing wrong, what do I change??
The only things I can remember that I’m doing differently from my past batches are that these guys are in a smaller brooder, but that’s temporary until the bigger one gets here, and they’re all divided into three different brooders, so they have more room. Another thing is that I’m taking these chicks outside earlier than I have taken out of my past batches, but I only take them out when it’s warm. It’s been very warm here outside lately, usually 80 degrees or a little higher. Another difference is the bedding. I usually use something soft like an old shirt, but this time, I’m using newspaper. Below is a picture of one of the weak ones, and he just looks really bad, not at all like how my healthy chicks look or act.

 

[nuthatched]

I'm sorry to hear that.
Are these hatched from your own birds?

 

[FreedomFarmer]

I cannot see anything from what you wrote that would be wrong. Temperature is the critical thing, but you have that right at 93. Personally, I would use wood shavings/chips rather than newspaper.

I always use a poultry electrolyte/probiotic/vitamin/mineral mixed in the water for new chicks. It could be they are needing electrolytes.

The only thing you did not mention is the feed. What chick feed are you using? I have heard so many problems with different layer feed and low egg production but haven't heard of problems with chick feed. I use Purina chick feed and Purina layer crumbles just because I trust it more than others.

 

[NatJ]

I have the heat lamp for the chicks, and some of them just stand under it; they don’t lie under it, they just stand with their heads down, and this gives me the idea that they’re sick. They have the option to walk away if it’s too warm, and they do when they go and drink water or eat (which they’re all doing), but then they go back under. I don’t think they’re cold because 1. The temperature marks 93 degrees and 2. They’re not huddled up together. I also usually have happy, quiet chicks, but these guys are just chirping as if something’s wrong.

Given the behavior of the chicks, I would try putting the heat lamp lower, so the temperature directly underneath is hotter. Maybe up to 100 degrees or even 105 at the very hottest spot.

Note, you have to be careful doing this. The chicks MUST be able to get away from the heat if they want to. So you will have to keep an eye on the temperature in the rest of the brooder.

Then I would watch fairly closely for a while: maybe stare at them for 5 minutes, then check every 5 minutes for the next hour, then decide whether to make any more changes.

If the chicks move further way from the hot spot, so they are hanging out where it is 93 degrees, then they do not need the extra heat. You might as well put the lamp back where it was before.

If they spend their time where it is warmer, especially if they stop peeping, then they really do need that extra heat, no matter what your thermometer says.

A quick google search tells me that the body temperature of a healthy adult chicken is 105 to 107 degrees. This means that a "hot spot" of 100 to 105 degrees is not dangerously hot for the chicks if they are also free to walk away from it. It will only be dangerous if they are stuck there and get overheated.

...my chicks don’t seem happy and are just getting weak....
They all eat and drink water, but clearly something is wrong; they’re not as alert or have much interest in doing things like the rest of the chicks.

One possible scenario:
if they are too cold
and then they spend all their time under the heat lamp instead of eating
and then they get weaker and colder because they didn't eat enough

If that is the case, making them warmer will let them go eat more, and eating more will give them more energy, which will help them stay warm better-- and they will be much better and more active in just a few days. Plus quieter and happier within a few minutes of having more heat.

Another possible scenario:
if they have coccidiosis or some other health problem
and that makes them feel cold and ill
and then they sit under the heat lamp, not eating enough
and then the sickness stacks with the not-eating to make them get worse

If that is the case, extra warmth will help a little, but will not be enough to turn the whole situation around. You will still have to figure out the underlying cause and treat it. (If it is coccidiosis, the treatment is usually Corid in the water. Corid is a brand name, amprolium is the generic name for the same stuff. Other problems have other treatments.)

What can I do differently?? What am I doing wrong?? Like, please, at this point, be brutally honest with me, what am I doing wrong, what do I change??

I do not know for sure.

But that sure looks like a cold chick to me. Providing more heat for an hour or so, then thinking about how the chicks act, should be a fairly safe way to find out if the temperature is part of the problem.

 

[Yocelinsaldana06]

I'm sorry to hear that.
Are these hatched from your own birds?

Yeah, they're from different pens, so I don't believe it is genetics, especially because I've been hatching chicks from these pens for years now, and the chicks are usually healthy and strong

 

[Yocelinsaldana06]

I cannot see anything from what you wrote that would be wrong. Temperature is the critical thing, but you have that right at 93. Personally, I would use wood shavings/chips rather than newspaper.

I always use a poultry electrolyte/probiotic/vitamin/mineral mixed in the water for new chicks. It could be they are needing electrolytes.

The only thing you did not mention is the feed. What chick feed are you using? I have heard so many problems with different layer feed and low egg production but haven't heard of problems with chick feed. I use Purina chick feed and Purina layer crumbles just because I trust it more than others.

I'm using NatureWise chick starter non-medicated. I did change feed from my past batches to the new ones, but I didn't have problems with my last batch, which I also fed NatureWise to, so I don't believe it is the feed.
I lowered the heat lamp, but the chicks started panting, so I raised it, and they were still panting, so I raised it back up to 93 degrees. They did stop panting, but now they’re just standing under the lamp with their heads down

 

[NatJ]

I lowered the heat lamp, but the chicks started panting, so I raised it, and they were still panting, so I raised it back up to 93 degrees. They did stop panting, but now they’re just standing under the lamp with their heads down

So much for my idea about temperature

I don't have anything else to suggest, but I do hope someone is able to help you figure out what it is

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Yeah, they're from different pens, so I don't believe it is genetics, especially because I've been hatching chicks from these pens for years now, and the chicks are usually healthy and strong

I don’t hatch but I have been reading a little on breeding since I am getting a rooster soon so this sticks out to me: when you say you have been hatching from these pens for years now do you mean you have kept a closed flock? Or have you introduced new genetics from time to time?

 

[Ridgerunner]

That chick does not look old enough for Coccidiosis to be a problem. Nothing wrong with treating them for Coccisiosis now but I do not think that is the issue. You are keeping the water clean and not letting the brooder stay wet. Thats usually enough to stop Coccidiosis anyway. I cannot think of any disease or parasite that would hit them that hard that fast.

They are in three separate brooders. There are a few things I could think of that might be the problem but not in three separate brooders. One common link I can think of is the food. Did your feed go moldy? How safe is your water source? Newspaper should not contain anything that would harm them, even if it is colored inks. The risk from newspaper is that they can be slick and the chick can strain a tendon from slipping, but that is rare. Not widespread as you are seeing. Are the brooders in a place where poisonous gas could collect? Carbon monoxide is heavier than air.

Don't think too hard on what you are doing different though that is important. Think about what they might have in common and something has changed.

 

[LaFleche]

Did you provide a heat source and shelter from wind when bringing them outside?
To us it might seem rather warm outside, but chicks as young as in your picture can lose body heat very quickly and would need somewhere to warm up when outside.

Another thought: When did you last deworm the parent birds?

I would not use newspaper as bedding for chicks. With the heat lamp there might develop some unhealthy fumes and when the papee gets wet they might even ingest it.

Check the feed for milling date. It could have been ok for your first batch but gone stale or rancid or moldy by now.

Where are all the brooders located?

What kind of bulbs did you buy for the multiple brooders?