# 2 dead chicks - advise needed



## type.rst (Oct 17, 2010)

Hello guys this pair had 4 chicks hatched in total, 3 hatched 3 days ago and 1 hatched yesterday. I check the nest box yesterday evening and all the chicks were doing fine and looked healthy. 

Just now i checked the nest box again and two of the chicks have sadly died and are in the back corner of the box. I tried to get them out but each time i reach in the mother attacks my hand and panicks. So i just closed the lid and left them as i dont want any harm to come to the other two.

Now is it important for me to remove the dead chicks or will the parents move them out the box in their own time? I am just worried of bacteria or infection from spreading to the 2 chicks. So can i leave the dead chicks inside the box?

Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes....remove the chicks, and if you can post good clear pix's of them it may give me an idea of what happened to them. 

Another thing, if the chilling and or death is recent, remove the chicks ASAP. Hold them in your hand til they warm up. I have had chick revive from the warmth of my hands if they have not been chilled and laying in the same place for several hours. They may appear dead but may not be.

Since you found them in the corner it sounds like they got chilled and are either immoble or died. Take a glance at the level of bedding in your nestbox. Ideally it should be higher towards the edges of the box and lower in the center where the chicks are. If the edges are lower the chicks are not able to get back to the clutch. How this happens is when a chick has to poop it scoots backwards from the clutch to poop. If the bedding is lower than where it started it may not be able to get back to the warmth of the clutch.


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## type.rst (Oct 17, 2010)

I have managed to get the chicks out using a plastic spoon, sadly they were definetely dead. I have attached a picture, see if you can notice a cause.


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## mishkaroni (Jan 6, 2012)

Were these the older chicks? Have you noticed the parents feeding the babies? Just from my experience, my chicks crops were noticeable within the first day or two with food and I"m not sure if it's just the way they are that I can't see the crops or if it's because they are empty. Perhaps the parents sensed something and just didn't feed them because of it. :/ Sorry for the loss


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

They don't have any injuries, and skintone is fine. I can't see the crop, but it looks like there is a little food in the crop. From the way they are laying I would say that they got separated from the clutch, chilled and died.

Sometimes if the parents get off during the night, and the babies start to cool down they will try to move to generate their own body heat. If they also had to poop they could have wandered into the corner, could not get back and chilled. Even if a parent got back in the box or was in the box they will not retrieve/move the baby back to the clutch.


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## type.rst (Oct 17, 2010)

Yh the parents were feeding all the chicks, maybe they did get away from the clutch an got chilled. Aww just hope the other two do fine. Thanks for your help people.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Make sure you have some light on during the night. If the weather is cool you might want to check the nestbox several times a day to make sure that the remaining ones are stating together. You can add a little more fresh bedding to the box, making sure that the egdes are alot higher than the center....soft of a bowl shape. The extra bedding will hold more heat, and the higher edges helps to direct the baby back to the clutch if they back away to poop or whatever.


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## type.rst (Oct 17, 2010)

Yes i have a light switched on all night in the avairy as you recommended me to do so in another thread. I have plenty of aspen bedding in each box, i will make sure in the morning that all the chicks are in the middle an the sides are higher.

I noticed that in one box the chicks are towards one of the sides and the bedding is lower to that side. Should i just move the bedding around so its lower in the middle and then to move the chicks to the middle?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I wouldn't move the chicks...the parents usually pick where they want their "circle" to be, some pick the middle, some pick the sides. As long as there is a dent and the bedding around the dent is higher the babies should be OK.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

In the other box, you can leave the bedding as is, except for the edges....make sure they are the highest point and flush to the nestbox walls.


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## type.rst (Oct 17, 2010)

Ok thank you i will do that in the morning


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