What's going on with my chicks!

[casportpony]

FYI, standing with eyes closed is a sign that something is *very* wrong.



-Kathy

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Temp needs to be 90-95 first week of life and decrease by 5 degrees per week until fully feathered even on head, usually about 6 weeks of age, for chicken chicks.

 

[KWSRetMSgt]

Yes, the temperature can cause havic if not correct. I lost several broilers the early spring because I had the temps too high.

Good Luck, hope you figure it out before it's too late.

 

[iwiw60]

Just picked up 9 died tonight
moved heat lamp up as far as it can go. Right now temp is 84 ill check in a little to see how far it goes

You know what? Let's look at this in "reverse order".....what are the temps running right now in Florida where you live?? 85? 95? Higher??? You may find that you have been unknowingly killing off your chicks with way too much heat. As I said in my first reply to your thread it appears your chicks are struggling to stay AWAY from the heat lamp. You just might try putting a 40 or 60 watt party 'red' regular light bulb in there and see if it doesn't work better for you. As for myself, after much research I discovered that the bright 'white' light of a heat lamp and/or light bulb sometimes reeks havoc with chicks (why I can't explain) so I went to the store and bought both a 40 and 60 watt party 'red' light bulb and my chicks calmed right down...go figure...it's a chicken thing I guess.

 

[Pidgey104]

Don't take this the wrong way, but the area around the waterer looks wet and dirty as does the water. If I were you, I would strip out the bedding daily and find a way to keep fresh, clean water with them. No ACV, no nothing, just water. I'd also raise the lamp.

-Kathy

n

No not wet . What your seeing is a block its sitting on.

 

[Pidgey104]

Had

You know what? Let's look at this in "reverse order".....what are the temps running right now in Florida where you live?? 85? 95? Higher??? You may find that you have been unknowingly killing off your chicks with way too much heat. As I said in my first reply to your thread it appears your chicks are struggling to stay AWAY from the heat lamp. You just might try putting a 40 or 60 watt party 'red' regular light bulb in there and see if it doesn't work better for you. As for myself, after much research I discovered that the bright 'white' light of a heat lamp and/or light bulb sometimes reeks havoc with chicks (why I can't explain) so I went to the store and bought both a 40 and 60 watt party 'red' light bulb and my chicks calmed right down...go figure...it's a chicken thing I guess.

bad

Had bad experiences with the red heat lamps. Ill never go back.

Ill try shutting the lamp off during the day. It was running 95 right under the lamp last night.

 

[iwiw60]

Had
bad

Had bad experiences with the red heat lamps. Ill never go back.

Ill try shutting the lamp off during the day. It was running 95 right under the lamp last night.

You misunderstood me. I, too, do not use 'red' heat lamps. What I'm suggesting is to use a 40 or 60 watt regular light bulb that is tinted 'red'. It is a much softer light and won't aggravate the little ones.

If your lamp was running at 95 last night and your chicks are not 1 week old or less, you are cooking them to death.

 

[Pidgey104]

Please dont yell at me. I give up. Lost all of them now started with 50 chicks now down to just a few last survive ers. Ended up switching to a regular house bulb. Still read 97 under the lamp and 89 off to the sides. I m done.

 

[iwiw60]

Please dont yell at me. I give up. Lost all of them now started with 50 chicks now down to just a few last survive ers. Ended up switching to a regular house bulb. Still read 97 under the lamp and 89 off to the sides. I m done.

That is just awful for you! I'm so very very sorry. But please don't give up! While it has been a hard lesson learned, you need to take a deep breath, re-think your brooder box setup and heat source, think about any changes you can make, etc., and pick yourself up by your boot straps and start over. Just in case you did have some sort of disease running through your chicks I would recommend throwing away the old brooder box, and disinfect your waterers and feeders, etc., and rebuild a new one.

Please say you will give it another try!!

 

[Pidgey104]

Ive never had this happen before. I used this box all year last year with chicks. Starting to lost a few of the older ones now. And they have no light over them.