HELP! 6 day old chick got smothered!

[arpyhh]

Any advice??

Baby got smothered, I have 20 new chicks, and they sleep in a pile for some reason.
We found this one at the bottom this morning, not moving and limp.
She is breathing, but is there anything I can do???
Please help if you can!
Thanks

 

[iwiw60]

If your chicks are sleeping in a 'pile' as you said, that is a definite sign they are too cold. What is the temperature running in your brooder?? What type of heat source are you using?? If they are day-olds the temp in your brooder should be around 90-95 degrees...

 

[Eggcessive]

This happens sometimes when the chicks pile into corners to sleep, so rounding the corners of your brooder as with cardboard may prevent this. Make sure they are warm enough at 90F with a thermometer on the floor in the hottest spot. Make sure they have plenty of room also.

 

[arpyhh]

She died
:-(
I feel so terrible, I know this is my fault for not making sure they weren't piling up again.

 

[arpyhh]

I am using a heat lamp but I didn't put a thermometer in and I had the heat lamp too high.
I have since put a thermometer in and it's currently 93 but some of them are spreading their wings out, which I thought meant they were too warm?
Ugh. I feel so bad :-(

 

[arpyhh]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I won't make this mistake again

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Don't beat yourself up--it's good you found out what the problem might have been. I like having a thermometer in the brooder because indoor temperatures can fluctuate a lot over 24 hours, and having a large enough brooder with a warm spot and a cooler area for them to move to is ideal.

 

[iwiw60]

I am using a heat lamp but I didn't put a thermometer in and I had the heat lamp too high.
I have since put a thermometer in and it's currently 93 but some of them are spreading their wings out, which I thought meant they were too warm?
Ugh. I feel so bad :-(

Spreading their wings isn't a sign they're too warm...they're just being silly little fuzzy-butts! Watch your thermometer and in a week raise your heat source enough so that it lowers the temp in the brooder down 5 degrees or so, and each week thereafter til it's around 80 degrees. By then they'll be getting their feathers in and you're ON YOUR WAY!!! Good luck to you, and sorry for the loss of that one chick...

 

[arpyhh]

Ok, thanks for that.
Will do

 

[Eggcessive]

Older chickens hold their wings out away from their bodies when they are too hot. I don't know why babies wouldn't.