New to meat birds

[Betsy57]

Hello everyone,

My question is anyone else having issues with their Cross Rock Broiler Meat Birds?

I received my birds of Friday morning 3/6/15 and three right out of the box looked kind of wobbly, kind of expected that seeing they were in there almost two days, and with temperature in the low to mid 20's. Also one of my ducks ordered was already on the brink of death and died less then a minute after being taken out of the box.

An hour or two after placing all the birds into the brooder supplying them with some fresh water and some grow gel (I believe that's what it's called) they all started looking better. Since that point it's been down hill from there. We lost one of the three about two hours later, by the next morning there were five more looking very bad and we lost all five by dinner time on Saturday. Figuring they maybe too warm we moved them to the new brooder house, I built just for them. Last year we lost three because the temps were to high. Now that they are in their new house they all seem better, only to have the situation start all over again. As of this point I have lost 10 out of the 50 I ordered. It seems all they want to do is sleep, several I'm positive have fallen asleep under the heat lamp and ended up dehydrating, thus becoming another victim.

This is my third year raising this type of chicken, I'm confused and irritated not knowing what is causing this. Anyone have any suggestions or are others having they same issues with their meat birds?



These are two were nursing now, notice their both sleeping with their heads beak down directly under the lamp. It's not looking good for these two. I have to force them to drink and eat otherwise all they do is sleep and then die.
KWS

How sad! I raised my first batch of meat birds last fall. I just lost one. Maybe the shipping was rough on them. There's so many factors that can affect the chicks once you get them. You don't know how the temperature was kept for them, how rough the ride/plane ride, how they were handled in the box (thrown around). Anything is possible these days. What hatchery did you buy from? Usually they have a guarantee and will replace them. One order of egg birds I got from Meyer Hatchery in Ohio had a 30% rate of loss. They credited my account so that was nice but I was still out a bunch of birds I had wanted. Pasty butt can be a big issue and often neglected to care for (feed stores are bad about this). Keep us updated. So sorry for your losses.

 

[KWSRetMSgt]

Yes Betsy I've not had any serious issues before this year. So far in four days I've lost more then the first two years combined.

 

[KWSRetMSgt]

To this point i have lost 14 chicks & 1 duck. Ive spoken with the hatchery i purchased them from and all I'll say is "Beware of Fed-X". The hatchry has disclosed that the Fed-X truck driver parked the vehicle knowing there was live animals in the cargo he was hauling. With temps dropping below 30 it seems most of the shipments had little chance of surviving. I've lost almost a third of the chicks i purchased, and one fifth of the ducks. Granted the weather was pretty bad this past week but I find it hard to understand why someone would park their vehicle knowing it had live animals inside.

 

[KWSRetMSgt]

Hello Everyone,

Hope things are going well for you all.

Things aren't any better for me, I'm up to 18 chicks now being lost.

The issue is they just seem to eat get fat and die, not sure if it's related to the issue with being half frozen in shipment, or what. It's almost like they can't empty themselves after they've eaten their fill. So far the last 5 I've lost have all been the same.

Lower section of the body get's all puffy and once they get like that it's "head towards the light" time.

I've attached two pictures, if anyone has seen anything like this before I'd appreciate some info.

Thanks KWSRetMSgt

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes. I lost 2 chicks last year to the same issue. One from my own incubator, and one of my Pioneers from MMc. I believe what you're seeing is peritonitis. Most likely an infection that is from the umbilicus at hatch. How old were they when they died? When did you first notice that they were acting even a little bit off?

 

[Betsy57]

Hello Everyone,

Hope things are going well for you all.

Things aren't any better for me, I'm up to 18 chicks now being lost.

The issue is they just seem to eat get fat and die, not sure if it's related to the issue with being half frozen in shipment, or what. It's almost like they can't empty themselves after they've eaten their fill. So far the last 5 I've lost have all been the same.

Lower section of the body get's all puffy and once they get like that it's "head towards the light" time.

I've attached two pictures, if anyone has seen anything like this before I'd appreciate some info.

Thanks KWSRetMSgt

Wow. So sorry for your losses. I don't know whassup. I'd still say the stress of the shipping got them.

 

[KWSRetMSgt]

Hey Lazy Gardener,

So far this shipment of 50 broiler chicks I have lost 13 to (we suspect shipping issues) and now the last five to this strange issue. The one pictured was approximently 10 days old. And I just looked in on the remaining 32 and it looks as if two more maybe going down. I did notice that one of them had what looked like blood coming from it rear.

As I stated before they are in a brand new brooding house with all new materials, clean straw and fresh water and water with a vitamin supplement.
The only thing different from years past is the new house, instead of a brooding box.

KWSRetMSgt

 

[WildfireSmitty]

I would get them looked at by a professional.

Could be something more serious than shipping issues. Especially if you are still losing them at 10 days old.

 

[KWSRetMSgt]

Just in case anyone else wants to know what all this is,

What is peritonitis?
Peritonitis (pronounced pear-ih-tuh-NYE-tis) is an inflammation of the peritoneum. The peritoneum is the membrane that lines the wall of the abdomen and covers the abdominal organs.
Peritonitis is also called Acute abdomen.

What Causes Peritonitis?
Peritonitis can be caused by many different things. Some of the most common causes are: complication of kidney failure, complication of liver failure, the spread of infection from the digestive organs, and complications of peritoneal dialysis.
Types of Peritonitis
There are three main types of peritonitis:

1. Spontaneous
2. Secondary
3. Dialysis Associated

Peritonitis - Spontaneous
Spontaneous peritonitis is an infection that occurs as a complication of the collection of fluid in the area that surrounds the liver and kidney. This usually occurs when there is liver or kidney failure.

Peritonitis - Secondary
Secondary peritonitis is an inflammation of the membrane linning the abdominal cavity that is caused by another condition. The most common condition that causes is it the spread of an infection from the digestive organs or bowels.
Peritonitis - dialysis associated
Dialysis associated peritonitis is an acute or chronic inflammation of the lining of the abdomenal cavity that occurs in people receiving peritoneal dialysis.
How is Peritonitis Treated?
In order to properly treat peritonitis, the cause must be determined. The treatment will depend on what caused it. Treatments will include surgery and antibiotics.

This infromation was taken from this address; http://www.mamashealth.com/stomach/peritonitis.asp

So.. it looks like I'll be contacting the hatchery again ,

 

[KWSRetMSgt]

M wife suggested to look up pneumonia and hypothermia

Acute Hypothermia

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Hypothermia is a condition that develops when body temperature drops below 95˚F (35˚C). Acute means the condition starts suddenly, gets worse quickly, and lasts a short time. Hypothermia can happen if your body loses too much heat or cannot keep a constant temperature. Hypothermia is classified according to temperature. Mild is 90-95˚F (32.2-35˚C). Moderate is 82.4-89.9˚F (28-32.1˚C). Severe is below 82.4˚F (28˚C).
RISKS:

• Hypothermia affects all of your body functions. Blood flow to your muscles and tissues decreases. This can damage your blood vessels and lead to muscle and tissue death. You may develop pneumonia (lung infection) or pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs). Heart, liver, and kidney functions may slow or stop. You may lose fingers, toes, or other parts if frostbite damage is severe.
  
• Damage to your bladder and kidneys may not return to normal. Hypothermia changes the way your blood clots. You may bleed more or develop blood clots, which can cause organ failure, a stroke, or a heart attack. Hypothermia can be life-threatening, especially if you have other health problems.

I'm not sure if anyone else, is seeing a connection here but it's beginning to look to me that, because of being almost froze, I'll most likely end up losing all the birds.

I'll definitely be contacting the hatchery again. I'm also felling kind of bad for them because (as far as we can tell) it wasn't their fault.

Fed-X & their truck driver should be the one's having to pay for all these dead or dying animals.