2 dead chicks, others appear healthy

[Charlotteak]

I brought 14 chicks home from a local hatchery on Wednesday evening. They seemed to be doing well until this morning (Saturday). I lifted the 12x12 brooder plate and saw one looking lethargic. I tried to get her to drink sugar water, but she passed shortly after. I went out and got a bigger brooder plate 16x24 (borrowed from my Dad, only size I could find today). I came home to switch out the brooder plates and saw a 2nd chick was looking lethargic and unable to move. I quickly set her aside in a separate brooder, but she passed an hour later. These photos are of the 2nd chick, the 1st death was a Golden Comet pullet. Could this be from over crowding under the brooder plate or do I have a different issue to address? The others are all looking healthy at this point.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How many do you have? Can the get out from under the plate easily? How warm is the room they are being brooded in? Have you seen them eating and drinking. Are they mostly quiet and content or loud peeps?

Some reasons can be they are too stressed from all the travel, and being at the feed store and can't recover, they could be getting chilled, or trampled.

 

[Charlotteak]

How many do you have? Can the get out from under the plate easily? How warm is the room they are being brooded in? Have you seen them eating and drinking. Are they mostly quiet and content or loud peeps?

Some reasons can be they are too stressed from all the travel, and being at the feed store and can't recover, they could be getting chilled, or trampled.

I had 14 total and the others are moving in and out without an issue. They're eating and drinking. Here's what it looked like the first day. They're in a XL dog crate. It could definitely be from overcrowding under that brooder plate. They were quiet and seemed happy last night. The healthy ones were stepping all over the dying one this morning when I lifted the plate. I swapped it out for the bigger brooder plate an hour ago, so I'm hoping it keeps the others healthy.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Hard to tell in the photo but make sure that all 4 sides of the plate have space between plate and wall, so chicks can enter and more importantly exit from all sides.

If you already haven't I'd also add electrolytes or Poultry Nutri-Drench to the water for a day or so, just to help them get over any stress related to moving to a new home.

 

[Charlotteak]

Hard to tell in the photo but make sure that all 4 sides of the plate have space between plate and wall, so chicks can enter and more importantly exit from all sides.

If you already haven't I'd also add electrolytes or Poultry Nutri-Drench to the water for a day or so, just to help them get over any stress related to moving to a new home.

Here's how I have it set up now. I just replaced the bedding and have the bigger brooder plate. This brooder plate may be too big!

 

[Charlotteak]

Here are more pictures of what it looks like with the bigger brooder plate. Is this the right height? I have the back all the way down and the front raised. I also added another bowl of water with marbles and they came out to drink.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Here are more pictures of what it looks like with the bigger brooder plate. Is this the right height? I have the back all the way down and the front raised.

Looks pretty good from what I can see. Yes the big plate eats up a lot of room, and they'll need a bigger brooder (or brood in the coop) after a couple weeks, but hopefully this will help the chicks spread out a little more while they're all under it, so no one gets crushed.