lost 14 of 15 peachicks...can anyone help?

[Tinaln]

Worming should be done before the breeding season as most wormers will render them sterile for a period of time. Get everyone on amprollium medicated chick starter (it wont hurt the adults to eat this for awhile and mom will be used to it when the chicks hatch) and get a medicine chest together. Corid or sulmet, safeguard cattle or goat drench, Tylan, and Fish zole for starters. You should also get some baby bird formula and syringes and tubes incase you do have to do a little tube feeding. I have seen mother hens step on and land on chicks, all were fine, and I've never seen one smothered by their mom, I think you have another issue and given the age I'd bet cocci. Symptoms of cocci and blackhead can be virtually identical, I tend to think cocci first because I've lost chicks to it in the past, but have never had blackhead here, casportpony above tends to think blackhead first because she has had past experience with that nasty little bugger, but I think if you cover both bases as well as worming them you will have a much better survival rate. I wish you much luck I know how it feels to lose them.

Thanks, I will start getting those things together soon.

 

[Tinaln]

Hi Tinaln I like to have my peahens raise peachicks too although this year I am not letting them do that.

Last year all of the chicks died. What happened was there was a lot of rain when the peachicks were little and while they would get under a shelter with their mom, the rain made them cold. I think all of the rain was too much for them and they couldn't find enough time to eat because they were busy shivering. I didn't realize they would die from all of the rain, but evidently from what my dad told me wild turkeys have a lot of chick deaths when it is a very wet year when the chicks are small.

Another issue I have found is if the peachicks can get through the fencing, I think the local hawks noticed this and ate ones that ventured out or something got them. It is good to have small fencing around the bottom of the fence so that the peachicks can't get out. My first peachicks never left the pen, but then the next time I had peahen raised peachicks they would venture out of the pen.

Once when I had peahen raised chicks, both peahens had several peachicks and in the end due to peachicks wandering out of the pen both peahens ended up having only one peachick each survive and the one that survived was normally the one that stuck very close to mom and didn't wander as much. For me I don't want to have peahens raise their own chicks again until there is smaller fencing and as for the rain I could probably put up a heat lamp or try something to keep them warm.

I have thought that maybe having an indoor area just for a peahen and her peachicks might be a good idea. That way they will all be safe and out of the elements and then when the peachicks are bigger and won't have issues with the rain you could let them out.

Thanks for infi. My pea chicks cannot get through the fence and they have an indoor coop. I think the medicine chest idea and worming is the best bet for now, better a little late than never.

 

[casportpony]

Thanks for infi. My pea chicks cannot get through the fence and they have an indoor coop. I think the medicine chest idea and worming is the best bet for now, better a little late than never.

Must haves for my first aid kit are:

• Corid 9.6% solution - For coccidiosis. Easy to give orally in an emergency. Dose is 9.5ml per gallon for 5-7 days. In addition to that, I also give and oral dose of .2ml per 2.2 pounds.
• A sulfa drug like Dimethox or Albon (Sulfadimethoxine), Sulmet (sulfamethazine) or SMZ/TMP (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim).
• 250mg metronidazole tablets - For blackhead protozoa and some intestinal infections.
• 10% Baytril (100mg/ml) - For most gram negative infections.
• Tube feeding syringe and tube.
• Kaytee Baby Bird Food for tube feeding.
• Pedialyte
• Safeguard (fenbendazole).
• Scale.
• 1ml syringes.

-Kathy

 

[Tinaln]

Thanks, this is very helpful.