2 week old chicks all dying

[Chickady bob]

We had 12 chicks, 2 from our incubator and 10 from a local farm. They all seemed fine then Friday 2 of them looked a bit sea sick. By Saturday morning 3 were dead, then Sunday another 2, this morning our 2 from the incubator and 1 of the farm chicks were dead, 1 more this evening. Before they die their wings start to droop, then they lose the ability to walk, then finally they die with legs stretched out behind them. We have 3 remaining, is there anything we can do. They are on straw with heat lamp. They are fed chick crumb and have had a few meal worms but none in last few days. They are cleaned every third day, water changed daily. We went to a vet yesterday but she said nothing you can do really with chicks as it could be so many things.

 

[nuthatched]

I'm sorry to hear about the chicks.
What's their diet?
Temperatures of their brooder?
Have you treated for coccidiosis?

 

[Chickady bob]

I'm sorry to hear about the chicks.
What's their diet?
Temperatures of their brooder?
Have you treated for coccidiosis?

Thank you for your reply. We haven't treated for coccidiosis as the symptoms seemed different to those described online. Do you think it could be that? Their symptoms seem like botulism symptoms, is that a possibility in such young chicks?

They are eating chick crumb with a few meal worms and have water with vitamins from the vet yesterday.

The brooder has a heat lamp 60cms from the floor.

 

[nuthatched]

Thank you for your reply. We haven't treated for coccidiosis as the symptoms seemed different to those described online. Do you think it could be that? Their symptoms seem like botulism symptoms, is that a possibility in such young chicks?

They are eating chick crumb with a few meal worms and have water with vitamins from the vet yesterday.

The brooder has a heat lamp 60cms from the floor.

Can they cool off anywhere?
Coccidosis is most likely and it doesn't hurt them to treat.

 

[SourRoses]

Corrid (amprolium) at the high treatment dose for coccidiosis is the first thing I would do, ASAP.
There are a lot of strains of cocci, some are worse than others, and climate has a lot to do with it.
I've lost a lot of chicks to cocci, even with preventative amprolium, because our strain around here is pretty nasty. It doesn't show in the stool, but they get cold (poofed up), get weak, stop eating and die. By using a strong treatment dose a couple of times during their growth, I haven't lost any more.
I've had the best results by treating them like chicks again, offering heat depending on the temperature / time of day and how they are behaving. Always offer a cooler area and monitor their behavior though. Moving is good, panting is bad. If they stop eating, getting warmed up can work a miracle in getting them to eat again.
And a bit of sugar in their water can help perk them up. I offer probiotics for their weakened digestive system, but no vitamins because it works against the amprolium.

If at first, they don't drink their water, put the straight amprolium in a small syringe and (very slowly) put it right in their beaks. It's easy to drown chicks and some have the skill to deposit it perfectly, but I don't so I always treat it like they're drinking from a drip. One drop, let their head free so they can swallow, then another drop, until they've had the drench dose.
Time is of the essence when dealing with this parasite, so don't delay treatment.

It could possibly be something else, but 95% of the time with chicks this age this is what it is.