Chicks gasping for air??

[jaredthefox]

I purchased 30 chicks from a hatchery.
RiR
Black star
Jersey giant
Brown leghorn
Buff Orpington
I received 36 chicks and the six extra are a breed I ain't figured out yet. They don't seem to be doing very good. 3 of them have been gasping for air and than die??? I had 2 RiR chicks do it and 1 brown leghorn chick do it. Is there something I can do to help??

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I purchased 30 chicks from a hatchery.
RiR
Black star
Jersey giant
Brown leghorn
Buff Orpington
I received 36 chicks and the six extra are a breed I ain't figured out yet. They don't seem to be doing very good. 3 of them have been gasping for air and than die??? I had 2 RiR chicks do it and 1 brown leghorn chick do it. Is there something I can do to help??

Were they shipped to you? How long has it been since you received them? What have you done with them since getting them home - what temperature is your brooder, did you show them food/water and are they eating/drinking/eliminating as would be expected? My first thought is shipping stress. The best thing to do right now is offer the best supportive care you can - hydration, warmth and nutrition - if feeding is not feasible due to current condition you can offer nutrition in the hydration using dissolvable products to provide basic system support to get them to the point of taking feed.

 

[jaredthefox]

They were shipped to us. When we put them in the brooder we dipped each beak into their waterer. We put a 1 to 8 ratio of gatorade in their waterer to give them an extra kick start. There is chick start in there that the healthy chicks are chowing away on.

 

[casportpony]

How old are they now?

What temp is the brooder?

What type of bedding are you using?

Do you have any pictures?

-Kathy

 

[jaredthefox]

They are only a couple days old. Temp is 98 deg. I'm using none slippery linoleum as bedding. I don't have any pics yet I can put some on here later

 

[enola]

98 degrees is too hot. What size is your brooder? What is the brooder made of? Do they have ventilation?

 

[jaredthefox]

It's a 100 gallon horse trough. Yes they have ventilation. The heat lamp is in a corner so the chicks can self regulate themselves. Get closer or farther to get Warmer or cooler. Where they are all huddled in a ball is 98 deg

 

[jaredthefox]

It's made of metal with the linoleum floor and the bedding the chicks came in.

 

[enola]

If they are huddled in a ball they are cold. Are you sure the thermometer is accurate?

 

[enola]

Are they huddled under the heat lamp? Are they quiet or chirping?