Chicks Keep Dying - any ideas?

[LadyEquus]

I would also switch to medicated feed. Shipping causes stress maybe get them settled in for a couple weeks. Then start offering the additional goodies. I feed my hens from my organic farm but I always keep food in the box just so that they can keep the nutrient balance needed if they want it. I feel your pain and watched one by one as chicks that were stressed in shipping lost their battle. I can empathise as I realized as I researched what could be wrong with my chicks that there are a LOT of things that can kill chickens.

That's for sure! There's a ton of things it could be and it doesn't seem to be any of them! So frustrating! The thing is, last year I did it "normal" with pre-made feed and such and they were sick that time too. It was a local hatchery (big mistake, I'll never do that again) and the owner apologized and gave a partial refund. But that time I couldn't figure it out either and they cleared up after they were loaded full of medication. This time I am very frustrated and want to find out what it actually is so I can know how to deal with it instead of succumb to it again. I just need to know the root of the cause. They are getting a natural probiotic for a few days and I hope that will help. None have died YET today (crossing my fingers). But even if this does clear it up I want to know what they got and why they got it.

LadyEquus,

With the greatest respect for what you're trying to do, I think you do need to look more closely at the feed, as what you're feeding is quite definitely wrong for chicks. Flax (linseed) is never recommended for young chicks because of antinutritional factors and/or toxins which cause the bird to be unable to absorb nutrients from food. Crushed eggshell is given to layers for calcium; too much calcium will kill chicks. (Incidentally, the white droppings could be kidney failure from too much calcium.) Barley is also not recommended for chicks. When you see 'barley' written on a feed bag, it's quite likely to have been cooked first, or to have added enzymes making it digestible. Chicks simply can't digest barley well at all, not without heat treatment or extra enzymes.

Nobody doubts that your heart's in the right place and I think it's commendable that you're trying to learn how to do something from (literally) scratch.

There are other possible causes of white droppings and chick deaths you might think about. I don't want to alarm you, but it's possible they might have been infected with salmonella (which would cause white diarrhea, and could result in staggered deaths among infected chicks), or fowl typhoid (also causes white droppings in chicks). However if you added quite a lot of eggshell (say above 5% of the feed), and if there's no actual diarrhea sticking to their bottoms, I'd be suspecting kidney failure first.

Good luck,
Erica

edited typo

I've heard it debated both ways with linseed....so I'll just drop it and add in oats instead, since that's not so debated. Then I'll at least know if it is the reason.

I know it's not the eggshells because I added those in AFTER they started dying. And the chicks have normal poo until about half hour before they die, if that means anything.
Also it isn't really white diarrhea-like substance, it's more solid liquid if that makes sense.

 

[klmclain1]

To those that are losing so many chicks - refrigerate the next one, contact your county extension agent, and get a post-mortem done.

 

[cnj-tx50]

@cetawin - AMEN!!!!! Thank you for that very resounding post!! I am sometimes amazed at what people do with their birds. This "organic" thing sometimes is out of control. Poor babies. If they had their momma's they would not be eating any of this. Please just feed them! They need so much as their little bodies are growing so fast.

 

[Cetawin]

LadyEquus, I am sorry you think me vicious but I find myself (and always state it clearly) to be direct, to the point and no pussy-footing around. My family and friends accept me that way and I see no need to change me for your post nor have I changed for the other 50 people before you that posted the same or similar questions/problem/failed attempts. As you mentioned nothing of bloody poop, I dismissed the thought of them having cocci although it is POSSIBLE not likely but possible. One thing for sure...they are not getting adequate sustenance.

Mixing feed is not a big deal until you eliminate everything the little guys need to thrive and grow. You feel your feed is adequate and clearly it is not because they are dropping like flies. In 5 years, I have lost 4 chicks in the first few weeks of their life and I do not feed just plain chick starter from the bag, and as my birds range in age currently from 4 weeks to 5+ years, I think my methods work pretty danged well. Clearly they work far better than yours have thusfar.

What you do not know....

My birds free range daily
they do not get just commerical feed
they are all healthy and happy
I go so far as to cook for my birds


My chicks get medicated starter which is formulated for their needs in order to thrive and grow. They also get scrambled eggs, boiled peas, applesauce and yogurt...they hit the ground at a couple days old, if weather permits and they began getting fresh grains when they are around 6 weeks old and their digestive tract is capable of processing it.

So please do not ASSume that I put all of my faith in commercial feed. But I also do not give them crap herbs that have beneficial properties for equines, canines or humans. Not all animals eat or benefit from the same food.


This is what my birds get mixed with their commerical grower and layer feed...plus they are treated to an 11 grain scratch treat daily. So I am completely aware of mixing feed for my birds.

Have a great day and good luck with your chicks.

 

[just1morechick]

I posted on another thread before I found this, but my chicks are dropping like flies. I use chick starter from TSC. I even tried grinding it finer thinking they weren't able to eat the crumbles. I hatched 22 last week and only have 5 survivors. It has happened with our last few hatches. I am using hay in the bottom of the brooder... a big plastic storage box. Could this be causing the problem? I have had a friend suggest terramycin???

Hi just1morechick,
that's a big death rate.

Were these incubator hatched? Losses in the first week are unusual, as hatching alone requires a chick to be in pretty good shape. Usually in the first week losses tend to be either brooder inadequacy (e.g. too hot, too cold -- easily fixed), or if that's ruled out, something like a germ acquired during hatch (septicemia via the navel will kill chicks slowly, often over a few weeks. In the latter case they cheep a lot, huddle, don't eat and then weaken and die, often with a discolored, darkish abdomen). A good clean and airing in sunlight would kill most germs in the incubator, but there are also some good sterilizer products you could use. I don't think there's much success with treating septicemia, I'm sorry.

If you had many eggs not hatch, I guess it's possible there were nutritional inadequacies in the parent birds that are slowly killing the chicks... But I wouldn't expect so many deaths so quickly; and there would be leg problems galore, I'm sure. In other words I think you'd be seeing other symptoms.

I suppose it could be coccidiosis, but I've never seen that in chicks below 2 weeks of age, personally. However if they were put onto ground that was very high in coccidia oocysts (e.g. that had been used to raise many batches of chicks, often past 3 weeks of age when cocci shedding really skyrockets) it's possible. Treatment would be corid or similar.

Sorry I can't help greatly, but these are some ideas that may point you in a direction that helps.
best wishes
Erica

Yes, Erica. They were incubator hatched. The thing is, 2 hatches back I hatched 10 guineas and all have survived! They are now 4 weeks old. It must be something in incubator or brooder. I will have to clean and sanitize AGAIN!! What do you suggest to sterilizer? I had used a bleach cleaner in the past and left it to air in the sun. After talking with my hubby, he did not use the bleach cleaner last time. He used simple green as it is non-toxic and pet safe..... However, I don't know how sanitary or anti-bacterial it is.

As far as parent birds, they are fed a layer pellet and crumble mixture with oyster shells and DE. They are also turned out everyday for free rage and given most all veggie scraps, and occasionally day old bread from a local bakery. They seem very healthy.

Local feed store recommended Sulmet. He said a local breeder of show bantams swears by it.....puts a cap full in all chicks first water. I usually use sav-a-chick for first few days. Can I use both the Sulmet and sav-a-chick?

Thank you and everyone else so much for your willingness to help. It is very comforting to know that there are still people in the world who are kind and helpful; even to a perfect stranger.....Especially when there is so much ugly out there. I guess "Chicken

People" are just good people!

 

[hokankai]

If it is coccidiosis, probiotics aren't going to do anything for you. Coccidiosis is a parasitic infection that invades the intestinal lining and shreds the cells, causing the blood. You don't always see the blood until the very end of it, or maybe not at all.

If it's coccidiosis you need to treat (check your feed store) it ASAP as it kills extremely quickly.

Signs of coccidiosis are lethargy, diarrhea, droopiness, blood in the feces, and (for Eikenella acervulina) "weight loss and a watery, whitish diarrhea".

If you want to be sure, take the next chick and cut it open to look for hemorrhaging in the intestines. If it's coccidiosis it will be full of blood and look swollen and irritated. You can also have a vet confirm by bringing in a stool sample.

This illness is extremely easy to treat and prevent, and is a terribly painful way to die for the chicks. My parasitology professor did his graduate studies on coccidiosis in chickens, so I got an earful on it. He actually helped me treat my own birds who got it (they had bad immune systems though). It's nasty, a fast killer, and could well have come from wherever the chicks came from and is just being passed from one to the other.

 

[RedChickBarn]

If you are still around, how did things turn out? Did you ever find the cause of the losses?

 

[Yosemite Turkey]

I hear ya Its so sad to lose these baby chicks. I have one today that is a week old and sounds like a frog croaking? Later today it Larthargic. I brought in in my living room by itself so it could rest without getting trampled on by the others while its weak. UGH

 

[Wendy75309]

I'm sorry... good luck...

You don't have any cedar shavings around them do you?

Is Cedar bad for the baby chicks?