Need help with my new chicks

[DaquariPatrice]

Hi all, VERY NEW TO THIS! A hen recently adopted my husband and Mr by venturing into our garden one day, and never left. A month later, we decided Henny isn't going anywhere and we couldn't stomach finding her a new home. We built a coop and run on the side of our home, trapped her, and now she is safe and secure. I'm assuming she is very happy as she has started laying eggs, which she hasn't done in our garden. I am assuming she is a plymouth rock, based on research.



We got Henny into her new coop this past Monday (4 days ago).





We knew she'd need some playmates so I did my research and though Silkies would be a great fit as they are on the smaller and docile side. We found a "breeder" called Fabulously Feathered Silkies. Here is where I made a huge mistake. I didn't do enough research on the breeder and this is where I need help!



Tuesday, the day after capturing Henny, we visited the breeder and she had nearly a flock of 60 different types of silkies and other breeds. I wanted 2 HENS and wasn't too concerned about them being pure bred as I sae her flock and they were just so beautiful. She convinced me to get 3 "juveniles" because they don't require the heat lamp and I can slowly start integrating them with Henny.



I got home late so I put the juveniles in my spare room for the night. When I woke up, there was blood in their area. The 2 smaller ones seemed just fine, but the white one, who appears a bit older, was breathing funny. She was breathing with her beak open. So, I started researching and instantly saw coccidiosis. I immediately ran to the feed store and started them on corid.



I contacted the breeder and she questioned me and was very condescending. Again, these are my first chicks / birds I've ever had so at this point I'm feeling so defeated and just don't know what to do. I felt like I had dying chicks on my hands. All eating and drinking just fine.



Fast forward to the afternoon, the white one just seemed off. Still breathing weird. The 2 Littles were acting fine.



I took them outside to get some sun in a play pin and looked at the white ones beak and noticed her 2 holes were completely covered in yellow hard stuff. So that would be a hood reason she felt the need to breath with an open beak. I looked up ways online to unclog, and used a small amount of hydrogen peroxide and got the gunk off. She seemed to breathe better.



I seperated the white and the 2 littles last night. I woke up today and see the two Littles had blood in their poop. I lifted them up and saw blood on one of their bottom so now I know exactly who is pooping the blood. They are acting completely normal, which is a good thing.



The white ones beak is still pretty clear. However, I still hear that weird congestion/crackle near her beak area when she breathes at times.



I was hoping what was covering her beak was dried food, but since she still sounds a little congested, I'm thinking it isn't



I am so upset with myself. I should have done research on the breeder. I only looked at her Google reviews. But once I came across this site, I saw horrific reviews and now I am petrified that my babies all have viruses that will be transmitted to my main girl, Henny. I also read alot of people end up with roosters, and not hens, which I'm also petrified of. I'm just a total mess.



Lastly, she swore these babies were coop ready. When I showed the feed store pics, their jaws dropped. They said they weren't pure silkies, and they are WAY TOO YOUNG and still need a lamp. So, I bought the whole lighting system. Not to mention, I spent $100 on them, which I could care less about. But I want healthy babies that can be apart if my flock!



I am so sorry for the long post, but I needed to vent to folks who can relate and give advice. I feel so alone and unsure of what to do. I am calling around to see if there are any avian vets locally, but no luck.



I am in the bay area, California. Not sure if anyone knows of a vet in this area who can see my babies.



Any advice would be so appreciated. Thank you so much

 

[nuthatched]

I'd definitely file a complaint with the police or animal control on that lady. I'm sorry this has happened, its awful.
I'd get your money back and order some healthy chick from a good hatchery.
Your hen is not likely to get since as long as you're careful on keeping them seperate and washing your hands.
I'm calling in the calvary.
@Wyorp Rock

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Wow. So sorry for your difficulties. You've got a lot of headache on your hands by an irreputable breeder.

All you can do is keep on keeping on.

Keep giving the babes Corid. You might add some elderberry tincture (a dropperful) to the water. That can help ward off viruses, which the white one appears to have. The white one may also benefit from some Tylan antibiotic, which you can usually get at the feed store.

You will need to keep these babes on lighting until they feather in and appear about 6 weeks old. Silkies (and their mixes) are more delicate.

Be careful to wash your hands and change your boots/shoes and outer clothing before going into your backyard and tending to Henny. I like to keep a "chicken coat" and "mudboots" that are designated chicken use only.

Can't help you with local vet as I'm not in your area. Sometimes it is hard to find a vet willing to treat chickens, so you may have to use BYC as your resource.

It will take weeks before these chicks are ready to try integration with Henny. Be aware Henny may not take to them kindly at first. Chickens can be very competitive, and Silkies can get picked on and hazed by standards like Henny.

Chances are Henny will be happy with some company, though. Most BR's are curious, friendly birds.

But right now, you have to tend to the babies and get them well while being careful to not track germs to Henny or your backyard.

Good luck. Hopefully with some diligence all will work out well.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

...and yes, depending upon how invested you are on this, you may wish to simply take those chicks back to the breeder and get your money back. That would be a natural course of action, however I get the sense that you were in it for the long haul as you felt sorry for the little ones.

If you do decide to get other chicks, you might consider finding a pullet or two of the standard type like your Henny. She likely would enjoy that more after the initial adjustment in pecking order. Chickens are funny creatures. There is a distinct pecking order that has to be settled before anyone is happy. Getting and keeping birds fairly uniform in size can help with the integration. You might consider getting another one or two Barred Rocks.

LofMc

 

[chicklover_3221]

Wow. So sorry for your difficulties. You've got a lot of headache on your hands by an irreputable breeder.

All you can do is keep on keeping on.

Keep giving the babes Corid. You might add some elderberry tincture (a dropperful) to the water. That can help ward off viruses, which the white one appears to have. The white one may also benefit from some Tylan antibiotic, which you can usually get at the feed store.

You will need to keep these babes on lighting until they feather in and appear about 6 weeks old. Silkies (and their mixes) are more delicate.

Be careful to wash your hands and change your boots/shoes and outer clothing before going into your backyard and tending to Henny. I like to keep a "chicken coat" and "mudboots" that are designated chicken use only.

Can't help you with local vet as I'm not in your area. Sometimes it is hard to find a vet willing to treat chickens, so you may have to use BYC as your resource.

It will take weeks before these chicks are ready to try integration with Henny. Be aware Henny may not take to them kindly at first. Chickens can be very competitive, and Silkies can get picked on and hazed by standards like Henny.

Chances are Henny will be happy with some company, though. Most BR's are curious, friendly birds.

But right now, you have to tend to the babies and get them well while being careful to not track germs to Henny or your backyard.

Good luck. Hopefully with some diligence all will work out well.

LofMc

I agree. I will be praying for these chicks.. They look around a week old!! They look almost the same as my week old chicks... Make sure that the chicks have plenty of water and food. Keep us updated!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry about your experience.

I can't say one way or another about the breeder, seems there has been some "issues"? or accusations in the past, do a search here on BYC if you want to read more.

Personally, I would take all the chicks back and get my money back or if that's not possible, sad to say, I would cut my losses and cull them. Again, do some reading up on older threads here on BYC. Likely you are dealing with more than just Coccidiosis (which is common and treatable).

 

[DaquariPatrice]

Thank you all for the kind words and advice. This is how I found this site, is by the reviews on this breeder I have a vet apt with an Avian vet this weekend. I am taking in the white one, who seems to have the respiratory issues. They weren't able to see the littles as they barely squeezed me in. Depending on the outcome of the respiratory issue, I know I'll have decisions to make. I am devastated, but hoping for the best. This definitely ruined my excitement of raising babies. I am heart broken but I'm holding hope . Thank you all for your response

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you all for the kind words and advice. This is how I found this site, is by the reviews on this breeder I have a vet apt with an Avian vet this weekend. I am taking in the white one, who seems to have the respiratory issues. They weren't able to see the littles as they barely squeezed me in. Depending on the outcome of the respiratory issue, I know I'll have decisions to make. I am devastated, but hoping for the best. This definitely ruined my excitement of raising babies. I am heart broken but I'm holding hope . Thank you all for your response

 

[DaquariPatrice]

Hi all, update:

I was able to take Kandi, the white chick to an Avian vet who also has her own flock of Chickens at home. I figured this was the way to go.

She evaluated Kandi and said she suspects her to have Mycoplasma. Her symptoms are much more mild compared to some. She is currently on antibiotics.

She also prescribed me something for the other 2 babies that is stronger than corid. She gave antibiotics for the 2 littles in the event they show symptoms of MG. So far, they have not.

As of today (Friday), much less blood in stool and all 3 are eating, drinking and happy. Kandi, the white one, is still congested, but hoping the antibiotics does the trick.

I understand Kandi will be a carrier of MG for lifetime, and assuming the other 2 will be too.

I asked the vet about Henny and told her the situation. I am not looking for a huge flock, and wanting to keep my flock small due to living in the city and having other animals to tend to. I know if I put the babies with Henny, she will then be a carrier of MG. She told me that due to not knowing Henny's background, she could very well already carry MG as it is very common in backyard chicken flocks and most Chickens she's seen has the antibody for MG. She also mentioned that a lot of Chickens carry MG and will never have flare ups, and the things I read online are geared more towards industrial poultry farms or towards people who breed/raise chicks to sell eggs and since it can decrease egg production, that's why people eliminate/cull their Chickens if sign of illness. I am treating these girls as pets so it's a bit different.

Again, super knew to this. I love Henny and my new girls. I've invested time and money into them and do consider them pets. Am I being selfish by keeping them? I read about MG on quite a few sites and see that it is a "minor respiratory bacteria" that can flare up in times of stress, compromised immune system, etc.

I see so many YouTube videos on people treating respiratory illnesses in the backyard flock like it's no big deal. So if there's no such thing as a chicken "cold", are they dealing with MG, too?

Sorry if I'm all over the place. Just trying to wrap my head around all of this!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

No, you're not being selfish IF you do not sell your eggs for hatching (you aren't keeping a rooster, so no worry) as MG passes to the egg (and the chick to hatch). You also are not selling chicks or birds (they are pets). This is a "closed" flock meaning only birds coming in to live a happy life for the rest of their lifetime.

I had a bird with MG (suspected). It lived a happy, long life. It's sort of like chicken asthma. It flares up from time to time. You treat with antibiotics. Life goes on.

I too keep a closed flock (only birds coming into my flock...ie new chicks hatched), and I've had no symptoms of MG since the one bird (who I purchased from a reputable breeder and brought into the flock, sigh). I only give my eggs away for eating and breed for pretty egg colors and a sustainable flock for my own backyard.

I have happy, healthy birds.

You will have happy healthy pets.

LofMc