Lost so many baby chicks!!!😭

[JD Chicks]

I'm a new chick Mama. I just contacted the hatchery after I lost so many!!! I started with 56. I personally picked them up from the hatchery. My barred rocks and a few of my rhode island Reds got brooder fungus. Many had pasty butt. We cleaned everyday.
We clean the brooder entry 1 1/2 days, new food and water everyday. Water was usually changed Many times a day. Pine shavings bedding.
They were all together. I didn't realize how difficult it was to keep them. A few died off right away. Many died for no outward apparent reason. No pasty butt, no brooder fungus symptoms, no injury. They were running and during the day eating and drinking then they died. It's that normal???
We had me fluctuation off temp because they are near my woodstove. It isn't on all the time. We moved the heat lamp as needed to keep the temp per the age of chicks.
When I spoke to the hatchery, they didn't know the term brooder fungus, they were hugely opposed to using "magic" water(water, acv, garlic, Honey) I researched this as a treatment for illness as well as first day drink for baby chicks. The hatchery said the pasty butt is a symptom of Coccidiosis and I'm to give the chicks 1/4 cup of acv in a qt of water. The chicks had brooder pneumonia not brooder fungus.
Now, the chicks I have left also have splayed or injured legs. I don't know if they all do as I'm in bed with leg injury. My husband is taking care of the chicks. The hatchery recommended hobbling the legs with a cut straw and rubber band.
I just want to make sure of the advice as I've been given a lot of conflicting advice from different people.
I'm down to 11 chicks!!!!
None of the chicks died of pasty butt as we cleaned them gently. I fed water to a few till they drank on their own. I increased their probiotics.
I'm frustrated, sorrowful and am thinking of getting adult birds. I was so excited and am dejected. Any help is very much appreciated!!!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

So sorry to hear of your losses. How were you feeding water to these babies?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Dang that's a rough start in chicken keeping.

Can you tell us more about the brooder?
How big is it?
What is it made of?
If second hand or previously used for something else was it fully cleaned where there was no possibility of any residue?
Do all the chicks have the ability to get completely away from the heat?
What feed are you using?
Are the birds standard or bantam?
When exactly did you pick them up?

 

[JD Chicks]

So sorry to hear of your losses. How were you feeding water to these babies?

I bought waterers from the hatchery and then with the ones that wouldn't drink, I have glass eye droppers that I use for that, however just dipping their beaks worked.

 

[Chick3nLover]

I'm a new chick Mama. I just contacted the hatchery after I lost so many!!! I started with 56. I personally picked them up from the hatchery. My barred rocks and a few of my rhode island Reds got brooder fungus. Many had pasty butt. We cleaned everyday.
We clean the brooder entry 1 1/2 days, new food and water everyday. Water was usually changed Many times a day. Pine shavings bedding.
They were all together. I didn't realize how difficult it was to keep them. A few died off right away. Many died for no outward apparent reason. No pasty butt, no brooder fungus symptoms, no injury. They were running and during the day eating and drinking then they died. It's that normal???
We had me fluctuation off temp because they are near my woodstove. It isn't on all the time. We moved the heat lamp as needed to keep the temp per the age of chicks.
When I spoke to the hatchery, they didn't know the term brooder fungus, they were hugely opposed to using "magic" water(water, acv, garlic, Honey) I researched this as a treatment for illness as well as first day drink for baby chicks. The hatchery said the pasty butt is a symptom of Coccidiosis and I'm to give the chicks 1/4 cup of acv in a qt of water. The chicks had brooder pneumonia not brooder fungus.
Now, the chicks I have left also have splayed or injured legs. I don't know if they all do as I'm in bed with leg injury. My husband is taking care of the chicks. The hatchery recommended hobbling the legs with a cut straw and rubber band.
I just want to make sure of the advice as I've been given a lot of conflicting advice from different people.
I'm down to 11 chicks!!!!
None of the chicks died of pasty butt as we cleaned them gently. I fed water to a few till they drank on their own. I increased their probiotics.
I'm frustrated, sorrowful and am thinking of getting adult birds. I was so excited and am dejected. Any help is very much appreciated!!!

I’m so sorry, this is awful.

 

[Chick3nLover]

I bought waterers from the hatchery and then with the ones that wouldn't drink, I have glass eye droppers that I use for that, however just dipping their beaks worked.

What did the waters from the hatchery look like? Also you mentioned you had them near a wood stove and heat lamp? Maybe to much heat and not enough space to get way from the heat? How big is your brooder?

I’m so sorry once agian. Hoping these last babies make it.

 

[JD Chicks]

Dang that's a rough start in chicken keeping.

Can you tell us more about the brooder?
How big is it?
What is it made of?
If second hand or previously used for something else was it fully cleaned where there was no possibility of any residue?
Do all the chicks have the ability to get completely away from the heat?
What feed are you using?
Are the birds standard or bantam?
When exactly did you pick them up

Dang that's a rough start in chicken keeping.

Can you tell us more about the brooder?
How big is it?
What is it made of?
If second hand or previously used for something else was it fully cleaned where there was no possibility of any residue?
Do all the chicks have the ability to get completely away from the heat?
What feed are you using?
Are the birds standard or bantam?
When exactly did you pick them up?

The brooder was made using a very large baby gate with cardboard and plastic. The floor was towels, cardboard them pine shavings.

The food was a mix I made as well as hardboiled eggs. I have Celiac, so I couldn't have chick starter, as the chicks and their food was in my home.

What did the waters from the hatchery look like? Also you mentioned you had them near a wood stove and heat lamp? Maybe to much heat and not enough space to get way from the heat? How big is your brooder?

I’m so sorry once agian. Hoping these last babies make it.

The brooder is huge. It's an old baby gate we used plastic to civet any cardboard. Yes, I think the woodstove may have made it more difficult to regulate temp.

 

[JD Chicks]

What did the waters from the hatchery look like? Also you mentioned you had them near a wood stove and heat lamp? Maybe to much heat and not enough space to get way from the heat? How big is your brooder?

I’m so sorry once agian. Hoping these last babies make it.

They have a plastic bottle you put into the red water holder. None drowned, so that was a blessing

 

[5 Points Wingfeather]

You really don’t need to make your own chick starter. It’s almost impossible to get the nutrients right. Even if they survive they won’t be as healthy as they need to be. It needs to be store bought.


This plus not knowing what the temp way or not being able to regulate almost certainly were the culprits.

Nutrition and temperature are both vital elements to the survival of baby chicks.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm sorry but I agree about the feed. The commercial feed is processed to make it digestible by baby chicks. If you are using grains, they need baby-sized grit to be able to digest it. I'm so sorry, again, for your losses.