Chicken Support Insights - Episode 20: 5 Spring Chick Mistakes That Cause Early Losses

Bringing home chicks in the spring feels straightforward, but small mistakes in those first few days can quickly lead to bigger problems. In this episode of Chicken Support Insights, Connie and Tina break down five common mistakes that often lead to early chick losses, especially for beginners.

Before your chicks even arrive, have you fully prepared your brooder, temperature, and daily care routine to support them from the moment they get there?

If you want to dive deeper on chick care, brooder setup, and avoiding common early losses, you can read “7 Spring Chick Raising Mistakes” from our website, offering an additional layer of practical, step-by-step insight.

Transcript

Connie 0:09

Hey, I'm Connie. Welcome back to the Chicken Insights podcast, where we help you raise strong, healthy backyard flocks with confidence. I'm here with Tina. Today we're talking about five common spring chick mistakes that can actually lead to early losses, especially for beginners.

Tina 0:32

Yeah, this is one of the topics where a few small setup issues can make a big difference.

Connie 0:39

All right, let's get into it. What's one of the biggest mistakes, Tina, that you see people make right after their chicks arrive?

Tina 0:49

One of the biggest things that I do see is not looking at our care guide ahead of time and knowing what temperature and you know, just the basic beginning things that you need to know to get those chicks in the brooder. So the most important thing is definitely have the brooder ready prior to the day that you're going to get them. As a matter of fact, prior to them actually hatching and shipping, everything should be good to go. You should have tested it to make sure you know where the heat lamp needs to be for the proper heat in that first eight hours, because you do need that to be a bit warmer so that they can regulate their body heat. So you need that to be proper at 105 degrees that first eight hours. And then the water needs to be nice and warm, almost equal to that. And just having things ready to go. You want to make sure you have the proper water container, not just a bowl, you know, things like that, because you don't want those chicks getting wet. And it just helps them because they've just gone through this big journey and they need that brooder waiting for them. So small delays like this, where maybe the brooder's not quite warm enough right away, can really cause some issues with them because you do want to get them stable as soon as possible.

Connie 2:09

Yeah, that's the biggest one is honestly just not being ready when your chicks show up. The first hour really matters more than people think. Everybody should already be dialed in before they even arrive.

Tina 2:24

Absolutely. And Connie, how does brooder temperature play into early chick losses?

Connie 2:32

So your temperature is one of the most critical factors. If you do not have the brooder set when the chicks arrive and it is too cold, you'll notice they pile up. And this can lead to them getting chilled and dying. Right. Then if you don't adjust the heat lamp correctly, and if it's too hot, this causes stress and dehydration. Right. And you just got to watch your chicks and their behavior if they're piling or if they're too hot and panning, you need that perfect temperature prior to them showing up.

Tina 3:15

Absolutely. Right. And chicks will tell you pretty quickly if something's off. You just have to know what to look for, like you mentioned about the piling up and so on.

Connie 3:26

Okay, so Tina, what are some common brooder setup mistakes that causes problems, also?

Tina 3:35

Yeah, so one of the biggest things that can be an issue is not having the correct containers for the food and water. And what I mean by that is a lot of people don't realize that they need a specific water vessel, especially, and they'll put a bowl of water in there or a little low saucer. And that's not a good idea because you don't want them walking on that and getting wet. That can cause them to get sick really quickly. Also, bedding. It's real important that they use the pine bedding. You don't want to use cedar that's toxic. It could cause death because of the cedar specifically, as well as things like, you know, newspaper, puppy pads, especially the puppy pads, they are toxic, especially when they get wet from water spillage or excrement or something. That's going to release toxins and that can, you know, obviously cause some issues there. And then it's also harder on their legs. It's harder for them to walk. It's actually easier for them to walk on the pine shavings. And then, of course, not having enough space. If they don't have space to move around, they're going to have issues with crowding. And you also want that other area that's outside of the heat lamp range to be much cooler so they can run back and forth and regulate their body temperature that way. And then most importantly, not having the right container like totes or aquariums. You want to make sure that you have the proper container and that there's not too much draft or, in fact, a lack of ventilation. So you want that top to be open, but the sides to be solid.

Connie 5:20

Yeah, Tina, correct. That's where setup really matters more than people even expect.

Tina 5:26

A bad setup creates problems even if everything else is right. And Connie, how do things like water, feed, and space contribute to early losses?

Connie 5:39

So there's a few things that contribute to losses. Poorly managed coop is when your water is filthy that is not changed out every day. And the dirty coop often leads to disease. That's where they get the life and might. And then if you're not following through with consistent feeding, it can slow their growth and weakens the chick. And also overcrowding increases stress and pecking. If there's too many in the coop or the run, a lot of people call and report that the chickens have no fur or feathers on their butt. And that is from being overcrowded. Yes. And then you have to be clean, consistent routines make a big difference.

Tina 6:32

Yeah, this is the stuff that seems small but adds up really fast.

Connie 6:37

Right? It's usually not one big mistake, it's a few small ones stacked together.

Tina 6:44

So hopefully this helps you avoid some of the most common mistakes people make every spring. If you can get your brooder right, stay consistent with care and pay attention early, you're already ahead.

Connie 6:59

Yeah, absolutely. Most early losses are preventable with just a little planning and awareness. Thanks for listening. We'll see you in the next episode.