Early Chick Mortality! Help! Any thoughts from fellow BYC members?

[Arizonachick]

I'm having a situation and not a clue as to what is causing it. Last year my broody hens hatched and raised super healthy chicks without any problems or mortality what so ever. This year I've had 2 hens go broody so far. One hatched 3 of six shipped eggs and those chicks did ok for a couple of days and then started dropping off one by one. Just became lethargic and weak, had labored breathing and then died all before their first week of age. The second broody hatched one of her own eggs and several shipped eggs and we lost all four with the same symptoms. I also have 11 feedstore chicks that I brooded myself inside and they are over 3 weeks old now and super healthy and happy. I have tried everything I can think of with my broodys. I have cleaned and disinfected the brooder pen. Dusted with Permithrin and DE. I had ground up wood chips in the pen (the power company grinds up trees that interfere with the power lines and drop off truckloads of chips for us) for litter but I was worried that perhaps it might be the bedding so I raked it out and left a mostly dirt floor. I have paper litter in the nest box. I switched to medicated starter. I dont know what else to do and lost my last surviving chick this morning. I have another broody sitting on a clutch of expensive shipped eggs due to hatch in a few days and am so stressed out wondering how to prevent this happening yet again. I don't know if it matters, but my flock has had dry pox in the past. I don't know if that can affect newly hatched chicks? Should I vaccinate at 1 day and then at 6 weeks?Should I give them antibiotics? Does this sound bacterial? What else could this be? All the adults are healthy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Judy]

Dry pox shouldn't do anything but give them lifetime immunity. I would be very skimpy with the DE; it is highly irritating to the repiratory tract. Sorry, I don't know what else to tell you.

 

[Arizonachick]

Thank you. I didn't know what else to try. It's so upsetting to lose all of them. I can't think what it could be.

 

[winteree]

I wouldn't use Permithrin around chicks they have little tolerance for it other then that it could be a number of things if you can get the chicks vaccinated for Marek's disease, Newcastle disease, and lastly look for Coccidiosis but i would suggest that you take them to a extoic vet to know for sure that your fighting like my grandpa said "you can't land a TKO with a blindfold on. Most of the time"

 

[Arizonachick]

I'm trying everything. This next batch I will have to take to the vet if it looks like things are going downhill...or maybe I should just take them from Momma and brood them indoors. I hate to do that to a good mother. Have another batch set to hatch on thursday/friday. I might just try to keep these in a different pen and see how things go.

 

[winteree]

yeah because if it is a illness caused by humid condition's or by bacterium in the ground it self all you can really do is medicate them and move them to a completely different area

 

[Arizonachick]

Well I live in Arizona...so its usually pretty dry until monsoons hit. We did have snow last week and then fog when it melted the next day...maybe that was enough. I have a large chicken tractor that is off the ground. I was thinking, I should disinfect it, and put cardboard over the grate (so chicks wont fall through) and try moving the next broody and her clutch into that. That way they are in a clean environment, have lots of fresh air and not touching the ground. I was also thinking about taking half the chicks indoors to brood. Then, if they do fine..I know its something outside in their enviornment. Thanks everyone for your input. It's very frustrating.

 

[winteree]

i hear ya it always burns my butt to see all my hard work go down the drain i wish you luck

 

[pawtraitart]

I'm having a situation and not a clue as to what is causing it. Last year my broody hens hatched and raised super healthy chicks without any problems or mortality what so ever. This year I've had 2 hens go broody so far. One hatched 3 of six shipped eggs and those chicks did ok for a couple of days and then started dropping off one by one. Just became lethargic and weak, had labored breathing and then died all before their first week of age. The second broody hatched one of her own eggs and several shipped eggs and we lost all four with the same symptoms. I also have 11 feedstore chicks that I brooded myself inside and they are over 3 weeks old now and super healthy and happy. I have tried everything I can think of with my broodys. I have cleaned and disinfected the brooder pen. Dusted with Permithrin and DE. I had ground up wood chips in the pen (the power company grinds up trees that interfere with the power lines and drop off truckloads of chips for us) for litter but I was worried that perhaps it might be the bedding so I raked it out and left a mostly dirt floor. I have paper litter in the nest box. I switched to medicated starter. I dont know what else to do and lost my last surviving chick this morning. I have another broody sitting on a clutch of expensive shipped eggs due to hatch in a few days and am so stressed out wondering how to prevent this happening yet again. I don't know if it matters, but my flock has had dry pox in the past. I don't know if that can affect newly hatched chicks? Should I vaccinate at 1 day and then at 6 weeks?Should I give them antibiotics? Does this sound bacterial? What else could this be? All the adults are healthy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Sometimes broody hens just aren't good mothers. Early in the season I typically take the chicks away from my broodies and raise them up myself in a brooder.

 

[Judy]

Maybe something here will help:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/39604/some-causes-of-early-chick-mortality/0_20