1 of our baby chicks died?

Question

2 days ago we got 7 baby chicks, they have a blanket and a hot water bottle to keep warm, we feed them every day and give them water. they are two weeks old. anyway so my mother went to check on them and one was dead? any vets out there no what happened?

they were also free.

Answer 1

death comes from many sources, and it could be any number of causes.. Without doing a full autopsy on the chick (which would be expensive) you're not likely to be able to find out what caused it to die..

But.. you can do some protection for the others...

remove all of the chicks to a safe and comfortable place, and thoroughly disinfect the area that they live in, remember to rinse and wipe away all trace of the disinfectant after you do, because any leftover chemicals could hurt the chicks..

carefully look to see if the chicks could have been eating anything that they weren't supposed to (like the fluff from the blanket, and if you suspect that this might have happened with a fluffy blanket (chicks are like babies, they often eat whatever they can fit into their mouths) then you'll need to replace the blanket with something like a sheet, which won't be so easy to chew up.

make certain the water and feed bowl/container is thoroughly washed out, dried, and put back.

Then you have done all you can to protect the others from say a virus or some form of contamination...

Realize that although it's unfair, many birds just die when they are young, it's a very difficult process for a bird to grow up, and it's not unusual for only one chick to survive from a whole nest of babies... so I know it's not easy, but understand that you could have been doing everything right all along..

I am sorry to hear about your loss, but I hope that answer helps a little..

Answer 2

At this age I might think about using a heating pad under the area you have them. Put it under one half of the area so they can get warmer if need be. A water bottle is ok but it loses it heat rather quick and they need a constant warming source. So sorry to hear about loss. It is heartbreaking I know. I am waiting for some eggs to hatch they were moving around now they are not and it has been 2 days so Im thinking they have passed to. you always think it is something yu may have done and maybe it was or maybe it is just nature taking its course for some reason we may not know. Good luck with the rest of the babies. :)

Answer 3

it was the chick's fate. poor thing.....

Answer 4

If these are day old chicks without all the feathers, meaning they are fuzzy, what you need to do is:

get rid of the blanket, and the hot water bottle.

they need to be on newspaper that should be changed offten and sprinkle the chick starter on it and place some in the feed dish.  Set up the water and add marbles or rock to it so they can't get in it and get wet.(add sugar to the water they may need the extra help right now) You need to dip their beaks in the water watch to make sure they take a drink then dip them in the chick starter.

The baby's need to be kept at a constint temperature of 90-95 degrees,  so you need a heat lamp on them, these can be found at the hardware store and aren't expensive.

I don't think you have any major illness you need to freak out about, sounds like your little one got cold because they can't regulate their body temp right now.  If the babys are in a square area and can get in a corner they will crowd eachother and sometimes smoother one or two.  Normally baby chicks are sold in groups of 15-25 to help keep each other warm.  If you get a heat bulb make sure it is set up so they have an area they can get away from the heat if they get to warm.

Try not to get upset or blame anyone for the death of the chick, It is a learning experence, and it is harder to raise a handful of day olds than 100 day olds.  With your chicks being 2 weeks now you still have about 4  weeks left of touch and go but everyday they are that much closer.  I really think it just got cold or the others smoothered it. This happens to even the most experenced bird raisers, with the most ideal conditions.  You most likely won't find a vet to look at a chicken, ask old timers that grew up on farms, and search the web.  When they get bigger they might start pecking at eachother, If you see one with blood on it pull it aside or the others will eat it. We had one group that was bad at doing this and had to debeak them, if all the birds are the same breed it is normally not an issue. (we have raised over 1,000 chickens and only had to do that to a group of 25)

Keep the birds dry

Keep the birds warm

good luck on the rest

Answer 5

Chicks died because they are still young to be taken cared by their mother hen. If you take care same as what the mother hen did, the chicks might not die.