- Oct 16, 2014
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Hello, I know this has been discussed before and I read as much as I could, but I thought I would share my story anyway...It's long, I know... but I'm really puzzled.
So, I hatched out 10 chicks and all was fine until about 2 weeks after hatching I noticed that 4 were developing pasty butt. So, I cleaned them and dried them and tried to make them comfortable, even trying epsom salts to wash them and tried some in their drinking water. But then, I noticed that really they had diarrhea... I was feeding them some mash from the pet store. I thought I could perhaps add something to the food to stop the diarrhea so I added some ground corn and ground barley that we feed to our adult chickens as well as some dirt just in case they wanted grit. (I'm not very experienced, I'll admit so I'm sorry if what I'm doing is making some of your cringe, I was just trying anything) So, The diarrhea eventually cleared up in three of the four in the next week and the pasty butt started healing in them.
Then at 3 weeks after hatching I came home to find that 7 of the 10 were bleeding from their vents when they were fine in that morning. I observed them and they were pecking each other. I had been keeping them in a large box about 4 or 5 square foot with a 150 watt light to give them warmth. They couldn't be too hot because the lamp was on one side of the box and the other side was cooler so they could go where they preferred. Anyway to distract them I put them outside in a much bigger metal pen that we have that is open at the top, only 2 foot high probably 50 square foot. There is lots of grass and such to keep them busy and a big barrel to hide in for shelter. They stopped pecking for the most part and I took them in at night and covered them with a towel and turned off the light so they couldn't peck at night.
They were happy and I put them outside again. (it's only about 70-75 though during the day currently, so I'm hoping they aren't cold out there, but I can't keep them in, or they peck. Then, yesterday, when I got home from work, one chick had been pecked again very badly when I thought they had stopped, two others looked slightly pecked but no blood. The badly injured one was bleeding quite badly and the one that never recovered from the diahrrea was still doing very badly, so I asked my husband to put those two out of their misery. I couldn't handle it any more... I didn't know how to help them... So, I talked to a friend that raises chickens all the time and he told me my food was no good probably, so I went to a farm store and got formulated chick crumble that I've started today.... I'm hoping that the real issue was their food.
Last time I raised chicks I had the same number in the same size box heating with a lamp with no issues at all. I started on the pet store mash and then went to the formulated crumble as well..... so I have no idea what has caused all the trouble this time around.
Thank your for reading.... I'd appreciate any help or thoughts.
So, I hatched out 10 chicks and all was fine until about 2 weeks after hatching I noticed that 4 were developing pasty butt. So, I cleaned them and dried them and tried to make them comfortable, even trying epsom salts to wash them and tried some in their drinking water. But then, I noticed that really they had diarrhea... I was feeding them some mash from the pet store. I thought I could perhaps add something to the food to stop the diarrhea so I added some ground corn and ground barley that we feed to our adult chickens as well as some dirt just in case they wanted grit. (I'm not very experienced, I'll admit so I'm sorry if what I'm doing is making some of your cringe, I was just trying anything) So, The diarrhea eventually cleared up in three of the four in the next week and the pasty butt started healing in them.
Then at 3 weeks after hatching I came home to find that 7 of the 10 were bleeding from their vents when they were fine in that morning. I observed them and they were pecking each other. I had been keeping them in a large box about 4 or 5 square foot with a 150 watt light to give them warmth. They couldn't be too hot because the lamp was on one side of the box and the other side was cooler so they could go where they preferred. Anyway to distract them I put them outside in a much bigger metal pen that we have that is open at the top, only 2 foot high probably 50 square foot. There is lots of grass and such to keep them busy and a big barrel to hide in for shelter. They stopped pecking for the most part and I took them in at night and covered them with a towel and turned off the light so they couldn't peck at night.
They were happy and I put them outside again. (it's only about 70-75 though during the day currently, so I'm hoping they aren't cold out there, but I can't keep them in, or they peck. Then, yesterday, when I got home from work, one chick had been pecked again very badly when I thought they had stopped, two others looked slightly pecked but no blood. The badly injured one was bleeding quite badly and the one that never recovered from the diahrrea was still doing very badly, so I asked my husband to put those two out of their misery. I couldn't handle it any more... I didn't know how to help them... So, I talked to a friend that raises chickens all the time and he told me my food was no good probably, so I went to a farm store and got formulated chick crumble that I've started today.... I'm hoping that the real issue was their food.
Last time I raised chicks I had the same number in the same size box heating with a lamp with no issues at all. I started on the pet store mash and then went to the formulated crumble as well..... so I have no idea what has caused all the trouble this time around.
Thank your for reading.... I'd appreciate any help or thoughts.
