4 Week Old Chicks Not Thriving

Can chicks be wormed with Ivermectin? I am going to do my entire flock soon.

My question is this: Recently I acquired some blue and black cochin chicks between the ages of 3 - 4 weeks of age. They are a little older now. But a few of them are smaller and much lighter than the others. I separated the lighter ones so they are not competing for food and water [though I didn't really think they were in the first place].

Is it safe to worm chicks this young?

Thanks.

What other issues might be causing this? Any thoughts? What else should I be looking for?

I'm afraid I am going to start a long discussion here.... maybe not!

But I only worm if I KNOW there are worms in the group. I don't believe in administering any medications unless they are truly needed - not as a preventative on a "might be" kind of thing. I have no problem using meds when needed and don't hesitate to put them to work if I have to.

Do you know for a fact that you have a worm problem? Some vets will do a fecal float test very inexpensively, it's worth calling around.

As far as the chicks not thriving, it's hard to say without details. Since I rarely worm, I can't say for sure, but unless there is clear evidence of worms I would not do it at that age. Especially since those particular chicks are already struggling to live. Are they on medicated chick starter feed? The biggest danger to young chicks as far as parasites is coccidia, and medicated feed prevents that.



ETA, that's what I said in the other thread, I'm not sure you got it. PM a moderator to please lock the mistaken thread.

Are there any other symptoms other than simply being smaller? Because of course some individual birds just will be smaller than others their age.

Oh! I just thought of something else. One thing you could do is start weighing these chicks with a scale on a daily basis, same time of the day. What you'd want to see is daily some daily weight gain; if this isn't happening, then you'd know for sure something is wrong.

Do you see them eating, and filling their crops? The other thing to consider is your feed. I've heard of misformulated batches, but if this was your case I would think you'd be seeing the problem with all your chicks and not just some of them.

I'm with ranchhand, I don't medicate anything unless it's necessary. Are the chicks warm enough?

They do feel bony, too. I always use a medicated starter, this time I have not. There are no bloody poos and I am not seeing evidence of coccidia. They don't seem as active as they should be either, but it is hard to tell, since in my experience, some chicks just aren't as active as others. They don't seem "sick" but I don't think they are thriving, either.

It is nice to hear someone else doesn't usually worm, either. I am not a big fan of unnecessary medication myself. However, it also makes sense to me to worm, since chickens are foragers, and like horses and goats could/would easily pick up worms simply because they are foragers.

I have only recently gotten more information on worming and have been trying to read up on it. It makes a lot of sense to me that chickens should be wormed from time to time, but again, I am still researching this.

I don't believe in introducing new problems to my flock, either. Prevention is always best, I think. If I can feel comfortable that these guys are fine, then I will be delighted to introduce them to my flock when the time comes.

Again, I have no intention of started a war on this thread, I am simply hoping for some suggestions as to what might be wrong with these chicks and what else I might check for.

Thanks.

Mandy H:

They are very nice and toasty. The chicks are at 4 weeks (or so) now. Five other chicks have been moved into the barn under a different light. No problems with the other chicks. Heat is not the issue.

do you know if your chicks where started on pine shavings, or something else. if they where started on shavings they could have eaten them instead of food and the crop is full of shavings, that would cause not thriving

Are they too hot? What is the temp in the brooder?

What are you feeding them?

Any treats?

Do they have access to CHICK grit?

Please don't worm or medicate unless you know for sure what is going on.