3 day old chick shaking head

[cherieangelle]

i hatched 9 chicks & all of them seemed to be okay & then I lost 2 of them to what seemed like the same thing. Both shaking heads, one closed eye, I had 3 other catch whatever it was & make it through very well.
I just hatched 2 more chicks & one is 3 days old, I put pine shavings in the brooder & as soon as I put it in, it started shaking its head and scratching. I immediately took it out of the pine shavings & changed the begging to paper towels. The second chick is not shaking or scratching at all. It’s one day old. It never touched the shavings. The first one is very active, very chirpy. I feel like I hear bubbles when it breathes. How at 3 days old could it be sick?! I’m beside myself & so stressed. I can’t find any info for a 3 day old chick to be sick like this. I just saw it poop & the poop was a dark yellowish color but bubbly. I’m so confused. Someone pls help me out & calm my nerves if this is normal

 

[Eggcessive]

Where did the eggs come from? Did you have humidity or temperature problems during hatch? Can you try some poultry NutriDrench or Poultry cell vitamins orally, and get the pm drinking and eating? Any pictures are welcome. I am not not a good authority on hatching problems, but I always disinfect my brooder and try to keep humidity and temperature stable. Hopefully others will chime in.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

i hatched 9 chicks & all of them seemed to be okay & then I lost 2 of them to what seemed like the same thing. Both shaking heads, one closed eye, I had 3 other catch whatever it was & make it through very well.
I just hatched 2 more chicks & one is 3 days old, I put pine shavings in the brooder & as soon as I put it in, it started shaking its head and scratching. I immediately took it out of the pine shavings & changed the begging to paper towels.

How old were they when they passed?

It may not be relevant or related.. but shaking their head is the only way chicks can clear their throat.. I start all chicks on paper towels until they at least know and recognize the feed they should be eating before introducing shavings. Yes, shaving can also get into and bug the eyes.. especially the fine ones verses the flake.. but even flakes have very small pieces.

The first one is very active, very chirpy. I feel like I hear bubbles when it breathes. How at 3 days old could it be sick?!

Some respiratory diseases do pass vertically through hatching eggs and chicks can be hatched with it. Was there any sneezing sounds going on? Are the eggs from your flock?

Crackled breathing *can* also mean water/fluid was inhaled.. either at hatch (from humidity issues sometimes in an individual egg) or after hatch when learning to drink. I've accidentally caused it when dunking beaks.

Also please note 3-5 days is kinda the critical period for seeing that everything internally is actually working well (ie, digestion should be switching over completely to feed from the original yolk, eating, drinking, and pooping).. While most are fine, plenty of chicks that hatch won't make it for various reasons.. Some may have unseen issues including neurological which sometimes is cause by nutrient deficiency in the hatching egg.. SOME head shaking could be considered neurological.. but your description doesn't currently specifically SOUND like that.. Still the Nutri Drench (or Poultry Cell) mentioned by the other poster *sometimes* works miracles.

I just saw it poop & the poop was a dark yellowish color but bubbly.

That's normal.. they're digesting the yolk they absorbed and the bubbles are essentially like fart gas passed with the dropping. This is another reason I prefer to use paper towels at first.. so I can see and easily verify everyone is pooping.

Have you still got more hatching? Are they all staggered?

Hope you get answers and the rest continue to thrive!

 

[cherieangelle]

How old were they when they passed?

It may not be relevant or related.. but shaking their head is the only way chicks can clear their throat.. I start all chicks on paper towels until they at least know and recognize the feed they should be eating before introducing shavings. Yes, shaving can also get into and bug the eyes.. especially the fine ones verses the flake.. but even flakes have very small pieces.


Some respiratory diseases do pass vertically through hatching eggs and chicks can be hatched with it. Was there any sneezing sounds going on? Are the eggs from your flock?

Crackled breathing *can* also mean water/fluid was inhaled.. either at hatch (from humidity issues sometimes in an individual egg) or after hatch when learning to drink. I've accidentally caused it when dunking beaks.

Also please note 3-5 days is kinda the critical period for seeing that everything internally is actually working well (ie, digestion should be switching over completely to feed from the original yolk, eating, drinking, and pooping).. While most are fine, plenty of chicks that hatch won't make it for various reasons.. Some may have unseen issues including neurological which sometimes is cause by nutrient deficiency in the hatching egg.. SOME head shaking could be considered neurological.. but your description doesn't currently specifically SOUND like that.. Still the Nutri Drench (or Poultry Cell) mentioned by the other poster *sometimes* works miracles.


That's normal.. they're digesting the yolk they absorbed and the bubbles are essentially like fart gas passed with the dropping. This is another reason I prefer to use paper towels at first.. so I can see and easily verify everyone is pooping.

Have you still got more hatching? Are they all staggered?

Hope you get answers and the rest continue to thrive!

They were 3 months old when things started getting crazy & they started passing. I got all the rest back healthy & I just hatched 10 chicks, there almost 2 months old now & not a single one acts like anything is wrong.

Sneezing, scratching head & kinda bubbly noise when breathing. It’s 4 days old I’m so confused as to how this could’ve happened
The eggs are from my friends flock.

That makes me feel better. I prefer paper towels too. I’ll never use pine straw again. Paper towels work best & easier clean up!

I’ll give them some poultry cell in their water! They seem to be eating good & drinking good from what I can tell!

I have my first 6 eggs from my chickens that will be hatching in 2 days. They are staggered so it’ll prolly be one a day! I wanted to see if they were fertilized so I was putting every one in that I got but now I’m worried about them getting sick from the others hatching in the same incubator

 

[cherieangelle]

Where did the eggs come from? Did you have humidity or temperature problems during hatch? Can you try some poultry NutriDrench or Poultry cell vitamins orally, and get the pm drinking and eating? Any pictures are welcome. I am not not a good authority on hatching problems, but I always disinfect my brooder and try to keep humidity and temperature stable. Hopefully others will chime in.

Humidity & temps were good. The first one hatched perfectly. Second one had issues turning bc it had a vaulted skull & I had to help it but it was more than ready!
I will give them poultry cell! They’re eating & drinking really well so far though!

 

[cherieangelle]

Where did the eggs come from? Did you have humidity or temperature problems during hatch? Can you try some poultry NutriDrench or Poultry cell vitamins orally, and get the pm drinking and eating? Any pictures are welcome. I am not not a good authority on hatching problems, but I always disinfect my brooder and try to keep humidity and temperature stable. Hopefully others will chime in.

I brought this one outside on the porch for pics! I’ll take a pic of the second one in a minute!