why did one of my chicks die?

[BellLisamo]

For no reason for what i could see i found a dead baby chick, no joke i checked them 30 minutes ago! They have plenty of food and water. They have a red 120 watt bulb. What could it be?
It was weak when i got to it, and tried to revive it. I gave it sugar water and tried to warm it up. No pasty butt no nothing

What the heck happened?

 

[natalie1136]

We have had that happen when we got chicks at the feed store. For no reason that we could tell some just died. Usually within the first week.

Natalie

 

[My chicken is cuter]

I'm sorry you lost it. It was probably just born weak. It wasn't you.

 

[jvls1942]

that is just one thing that chicks do

that is the reason that I do not sell any chicks before they are a week old..

there are probably a large number of reasons why. after awhile you will get used to it and when you find a dead one you will tell your spouse, "I found another dead one"
that's chicken raising...

I have my own theory.. here it is... untested and unproved and nonscientific...

as chicks hatch, they absorb the yolk as part of their evolvement into the world.. my theory is that they are still going through the process for about a week after they leave the egg..

just watch how rapidly they are changing and growing.. It is awesome.. from fuzz to feathers.

 

[BellLisamo]

oh my! i had no idea! now im like panicked if i see one laying down!
this is my first time having day old chicks. I think after all this ill stick with ducks. haha. no i doubt it.

 

[BellLisamo]

oh and why it is that when they are weak, barely hanging on that they are floppy but once they die they are super stiff?
is that normal?

 

[silkiechicken]

Read the sticky on reasons for early chick mortality. It's second at the top of this section.

It's not your fault if a few die, it's pretty normal.

As for the stiff after dead, that's rigor mortis, also normal because the ATP is used up in muscles thus actin and myosin can no longer slide past each other.... I'll stop rambling now.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[BellLisamo]

Quote:
ok thank you so much

 

[chickenannie]

Quote:
And by "sticky" he means that a very informative thread has been "tagged" with a "sticky" and that means it stays at the top of the index listing titled "Raising Baby Chicks". Sorry for all the " " !

 

[BellLisamo]

just woke to another one. does the hatchery do anything about it? or do they only take care of the shipping ones that die?