Help! My chicks are dying one after the other!

[mchlldickson]

So I've raised chickens before, this is my second time brooding. Last time was very successful, I'm sure due completely to all that I've learned from here. This time I'm having the worst luck!

I started with 2 golden sexlinks and a rir, then I added 3 ameraucanas and a light brahma from another breeder, then from the same breeder as the declines I added 2 buff orphingtons and a speckled Sussex. All chicks are between 1 and 2 weeks old.

Since Sunday, all 3 ameraucanas and the light brahma have died, and now I just came home to my super sweet Sussex dying in front of my eyes!

I started treatment with corid, I've been giving electrolytes and probiotics for a few days (since I noticed they we going down hill). Their brooder is set at 89 degrees, I supply fresh food and water daily. I'm so frustrated! I just want to cry. What's going on with them? Anyone have any answers?

 

[enola]

Describe what they are doing.

 

[donrae]

When you say the brooder is set at a specific temp, is that the entire brooder? It should only be a warm spot, not the entire thing. They need to be able to move to a cooler area to self-regulate temps. That's my first thought, as more chicks are killed with overheating than being too cool.....

what are the symptoms? Are they having issues with pasty butt?

 

[mchlldickson]

No that's directly under the lamp. The other side is low 80s.

They're fine, running around, eating, drinking. Then they get lethargic and sleepy and within 8 - 12hrs they die.

 

[junebuggena]

Pictures of your brooder setup? Are you feeding medicated feed? Have your adult birds ever had any potentially contagious illnesses that you might have introduced to the chicks?

 

[mchlldickson]

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They are on medicated feed. My adults are almost 4 and they've never been sick.

 

[junebuggena]

Do you have a thermometer in the cold zone and the warm zone? Are they huddling at all? Are the bigger/old chicks keeping the younger chicks away from the food, water, or heat?

 

[mchlldickson]

Yea I regularly check their temps. They are good about moving back and forth if they get too warm or too cold. They get along well, everyone eats good. I'm honestly stumped.

 

[realsis]

do they have ruffled feathers,? are they sleepy and lethergic? What does their stool look like?? You might be dealing with a case of coccidosis. Remember there ARE different strains of cocci and NOT ALL COCCIDOSIS PRODUCES BLOODY STOOL.If you agree and suspect coccidosis, you can treat successfully with AMPROLIUM.The brand name of the Amprolium verys place to place but here it is called CORID. it can be purchased at the farm supply. just ask for AMPROLIUM for poultry. You can also order it online but I wouldn't wait that long for it to arrive. You would treat ALL birds. I hope this helps. I wish you the best.

 

[realsis]

if the Corid isn't helping, (I just read you tried it)doesn't sulmet kill some different strains that Corid wont. ? I know Corid kills most common strains. I would look into seeing if you could try sulmet after corid? I think you can but I'm not positive. if you look deeper into these two product I think sulmet kills different cocci strains but corid kills most common. at a loss of what else to do you might consider switching to try to help.I'm really not sure what else it could be by the symptoms given unless for some reason that particular hatch was week or ill. I have a friend who that happened to. for one reason or another every bird in that particular hatch she had died. For no reason that she could see.I do hope you get it figured out. I'm so sorry this is happening.I wish you the best