Help Needed with chicks in brooder on heat

V

victorias poultry

New member
Joined
Sep 21, 2009
Messages
736
Reaction score
0
Anyone any ideas?

Brooder is 4' x 2' even heat (2 red heat lamps) and 1 over head heat lamp switched on at night as shed gets cold in this weather. Chicks are huddled up a night not evenly spaced so chicks at bottom of pile getting squashed and dead in morning (flat). Not over crowded in brooder, but losing 3 chicks each night, anyone any ideas.
Birds all very healthy running around, just at night time having probs, getting to point where I dread going in, in the mornings. Never had problem in the years I have been hatching, brooder cleaned every other day. Tried different bedding - mats, shavings, newspaper, corrugated cardboard all changed daily.
Birds dying at around 4-7 days of age.

Anyone any ideas?
Is it time of year
 
You might try putting a wire divider in the center making 2, 2x2 sections and then halving the chicks between the two. The problem could be that they are all getting under the same light instead of spreading out like they should.
 
Draughts are a killer too - have they got at least 12" of walls (card will do) around them? They will usually huddle when they are trying to get out of a draught (doen't take much) and the chicks on the edge will keep walking over the others to try to get to the middle of the pile to keep out of the draught.

Also can you check the temp with a thermometer at night on the floor around the brooder area? A Max-Min thermometer would be useful - sometimes these digi ones have that function too...
 
I was having that problem last year too,my brooder is in my shed and gets very cold at night, my brooder is wooden about 1m x 1m and about 3 feet high with the opening about 2 feet high, i found that putting in 2 plastic boxes with kitchen roll on the bottom and anti slip matting under that and separating the chicks into 2 groups, especially when there was LF chicks and bantam chicks,
This seems to have sorted out the problem so far, fingers crossed lol
The last lot of chicks were all ok, then someone came and bought them all when they were about 8 days old :|
but happily i have another 7 hatched now :D
 
Only an idea but could you have brooder in house till weather warms , then temp. would fluctuate less at night -- also easier to check late/during night than outside?? Mine lives in spare bedroom ( keeps unwanted guests away!!) in front of radiator and sunny window , I think having low heat in the radiator ( just in evenings) helps prevent sudden changes of temp- at night and a rush to the hot spot. Poor you, what a horrid problem.Ros
 
Thankyou all for your replies, I split the chicks into 3 seperate brooders with around 20 in each. Touch wood no casualties last night. Have a further 40 pipping at the moment, so going to go and build a further 2 brooders ow and again split them up. This is the first time in 15 years that I have had a problem, not changed my set up and was wondering if it was just due to the fact we have had such cold nights.
Can't bring them into the house, I have 4 cats and I just know what sort of carnage I would have :D :D The incubators are inside the house but I can't imagine having 100 chicks inside :)

Temperature in brooder is around 30c if I put the heat lamps on full it is alot higher so keep on half. Splitting the larger brooder is a good idea, but think will keep it for the older chicks next week when they are being weaned of the heat.

Don;t seem to be having much luck at the moment, 2 of the broodies went off the eggs a few days before they were due to hatch and eggs were stone cold, all chicks perfectly formed but dead (we had had snow and I think it put them off!) but never mind.
On the bright side Pekins hatching today, Orp Bantams Monday and Sablepoots Wednesday. Then back to round 1 with more eggs into incubator.

Take care Sue
 
sue i keep my lamps on half heat too even at night cos putting on full heat is too hot for them. even at night with the cold cold nights, mind you it was definitely warmer last night when i went out last thing to close the inspection opening. I keepo a greenhouse heater on at nights in the shed tho for the older chicks. what was my potting shed is now the chick shed. the greenhouse is full of growers. sod the gardening lol :lol: the chucks ruin it anyways
i can't keep mine indoors either due to the muderous staffies :evil:
 
Hope it all settles down and you don't have to endure any more distress. The nights have been so cold and there have been sudden sharp drops in temperature. I do wish it would get warmer - seems to have been a long winter and such a tedious one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top