The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: greenfingers on September 22, 2008, 11:18:38 am
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We have lost 2 of our baby chicks over the last 2 weeks.
We found them dead in the shed when we went to let them out in the morning.
There seems to be no reason why, they rest look healthy. No odd poos from them at all as we had a good look around. They were the smallest ones though and our neighbour just seems to think that it would be natures selection of the weakest.
Any clues ??? ???
Elaine
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We had bought some 5wk old chickens from our local farm market just 2 wks ago, suddenly 1 looked poorly, I thought i'd better take it to the vets in the morning but next morning she was dead when I went to let them out. I spotted another one who looked the same, took her to the vets & was told she had a cold which is common apparently at this time of year. Chicks go from warm to cold to warm to cold eg coop to Journey to market, market stall & warm journey home in car etc... the vet said to give them some antibiotics which I must say I'd of preferred not too but she & the rest of them are alive & looking well - Just a thought.
Donna
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I would magine that in common with most other babies of any species they cannot control their own body temperature. For that reason I whelp my pups inside in a warm room and only put them outside in the kennel under a heat lamp if asolutely necessary (ike I can't stand the pooey smell any more!)
I have just received 6 ex battery hens with a considerable lack of feathering. I keep their shed door closed untill the day warms up as again they can't control their own temperature. I would do the same with baby chicks.
Annie
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I used to keep baby chicks in the spare room but Dan has banished the latest ones to the garage. They huddle for warmth under the lamp and it hasn't been very cold here yet.
It may just be survival of the fittest. Did you hatch the chicks yoruself, Elaine?
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Hi,
No we did not hatch them we bought them when they were 5 days old or so along with their mother, the rest are doing really well and have grown quite considerably, they are probalbly about 8 weeks old now, we got them at the beginning of August. They are Light Sussex's and you can see the grey/black neck collar feathers coming now on the others. They are all eating well and love bread and corn in the evening, they have pellets to eat in the feeder during the day and plenty of fresh water each day. The shed has plenty of clean sawdust on the floor and plenty of fresh straw in the nesting boxes which they pull out onto the floor and sleep in that.
I clean the shed out each week and each alternate it gets a really good clean and wash out.
The second one that died we had called Sneezy anyway, it did not seem to chirp like the others but made a sneezing sound instead, so may be it had a cold for a couple or weeks.
Elaine