Possible baby chick dying- he’s gone

[JeffandLori]

Just went to check on him again and he died in the last hour or so. Now the question is: Is there anything to learn from cutting him open? If he was diseased, I don’t want it getting to the rest of them.

Thx

And yeah, makes me sad even though in about a month he was going to be processed. My wife and I are firm believers in the humane stewardship of God’s creatures from the moment of first care to dispatch.
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I have a batch of 36 Cornish Cross that are four weeks old in the brooder. They've been doing well and active. I feed them about 10hrs/day per the breeder (Hoover's Hatchery).

This morning when I put the feeders in, one of them didn't get up to attack like the rest do. I picked it up and it is just limp. It is breathing, but as the day goes on it's getting worse and will barely open its eyes. Crop feels normal. It had a small amount of runny, yellow poop on its butt.

I tried to give it some water via syringe, but it didn't care for that. I did get a couple of CC down. I checked its temp with the infrared thermometer I use to check brooder temp and it was about 95 which seemed to be the same as another, super feisty one I picked up.

I do have some VetRX I could give him. If it is just random "grew too fast", that's the way it goes. I weighed 10 of them at the end of Week Two and they were 7.7oz average. Last Wednesday at the end of Week 3 I weighed 15 and had an average of 16.2oz.

Any thoughts? I don't know what to look for to indicate Coccidiosis.

Thx,

 

[WoDia]

I have a batch of 36 Cornish Cross that are four weeks old in the brooder. They've been doing well and active. I feed them about 10hrs/day per the breeder (Hoover's Hatchery).

This morning when I put the feeders in, one of them didn't get up to attack like the rest do. I picked it up and it is just limp. It is breathing, but as the day goes on it's getting worse and will barely open its eyes. Crop feels normal. It had a small amount of runny, yellow poop on its butt.

I tried to give it some water via syringe, but it didn't care for that. I did get a couple of CC down. I checked its temp with the infrared thermometer I use to check brooder temp and it was about 95 which seemed to be the same as another, super feisty one I picked up.

I do have some VetRX I could give him. If it is just random "grew too fast", that's the way it goes. I weighed 10 of them at the end of Week Two and they were 7.7oz average. Last Wednesday at the end of Week 3 I weighed 15 and had an average of 16.2oz.

Any thoughts? I don't know what to look for to indicate Coccidiosis.

Thx,

@Wyorp Rock
@nuthatched
@Debbie292d
@Jenbirdee
@Eggcessive
@Lacy Duckwing

 

[Farmgirl283420]

I have a batch of 36 Cornish Cross that are four weeks old in the brooder. They've been doing well and active. I feed them about 10hrs/day per the breeder (Hoover's Hatchery).

This morning when I put the feeders in, one of them didn't get up to attack like the rest do. I picked it up and it is just limp. It is breathing, but as the day goes on it's getting worse and will barely open its eyes. Crop feels normal. It had a small amount of runny, yellow poop on its butt.

I tried to give it some water via syringe, but it didn't care for that. I did get a couple of CC down. I checked its temp with the infrared thermometer I use to check brooder temp and it was about 95 which seemed to be the same as another, super feisty one I picked up.

I do have some VetRX I could give him. If it is just random "grew too fast", that's the way it goes. I weighed 10 of them at the end of Week Two and they were 7.7oz average. Last Wednesday at the end of Week 3 I weighed 15 and had an average of 16.2oz.

Any thoughts? I don't know what to look for to indicate Coccidiosis.

Thx,

Hope the little one makes it!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

With Cornish Cross (meatbirds), they should have both food and water available to them 24/7. It can be stressful to them should they not have food any water all the time.

How clean is the coop? Coccidiosis breeds in dirty environments and a common sign of it is bloody poops. Depending on the amount of space they have to the amount of birds you have per a coop, I suggest cleaning them every 1-2 days. (Even then it can be impossible to keep them clean!) How is it's legs? These are known to have leg problems. Has anything caused any extra stress to the flock or have spooked them within the past 24-48 hours? They are known to have heart attacks. Is there a possibility that it got stepped on or trampled? Sadly, with these birds, once one starts showing signs of illness, it's best just to cull. It's common to lose at least one (even multiples) in each batch. They have a lot of health issues and are not meant to live very long lives.

You can try giving it some sugar water to give it strength. If it doesn't drink it willingly, you could put it in a syringe. If you do a syringe, be careful to give it slowly as the water could accidentally go down the wrong hole.

Edited to add: Are the brooders currently 95°F with them at four weeks old? That is way too hot for them, even if you've got them in an outdoor coop. These birds generate more heat than your average chicken, so overheating is a huge risk. I would have them at 70-75°F at most, with dropping the temperatures down by 5-10°F based on amount of birds per a coop and average room temperatures (the temps if they didn't have a heat source).

 

[JeffandLori]

@Lacy Duckwing

Thank you for the reply.

I just cleaned the brooder yesterday and while I tried to be slow about it, there certainly was stress. Maybe a bit more than last time because they are bigger. I have about .75 sqft per chick.

I did try to give it some sugar water- 1/2 teaspoon to about 12 oz water. I think I got about 2cc down.

Legs seem fine. It’s just really weak.

I check the brooder temp a couple times during the day and try to keep it about 75 or so. I’ve been watching and they are generally clumped up in groups in various places, and stretched out. Not “hunkered down” like if they were cold. Even though I measure the temp, I’ve been going by behavior as well.

Zero chance it got stepped on by a human. 100% chance it’s been stepped on by other chicks.

 

[nuthatched]

What are you feeding? Brooder temperature?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

@Lacy Duckwing

Thank you for the reply.

I just cleaned the brooder yesterday and while I tried to be slow about it, there certainly was stress. Maybe a bit more than last time because they are bigger. I have about .75 sqft per chick.

I did try to give it some sugar water- 1/2 teaspoon to about 12 oz water. I think I got about 2cc down.

Legs seem fine. It’s just really weak.

I check the brooder temp a couple times during the day and try to keep it about 75 or so. I’ve been watching and they are generally clumped up in groups in various places, and stretched out. Not “hunkered down” like if they were cold. Even though I measure the temp, I’ve been going by behavior as well.

Zero chance it got stepped on by a human. 100% chance it’s been stepped on by other chicks.

Did the sugar water help at all and how is it now? Check it's comb, face, and feet. Does it appear to be loosing color or turning purple in any places? Do you have this one chick currently separated?

For your other chicks, I would expand their brooder space if you can, especially if their bedding is looking like it's solid within 24 hours. (By solid, I mean it's all poop with none to very little shavings left clean.) If the other chicks are stepping on each other a lot, they could be too crowded. How many feeders and waterers do you have per a brooder? I suggest having a least two of each brooder (more depending on feeder type, space in brooder, and bird amount). By having more feeders and waterers, it gives everyone access to them with less trampling.

 

[JeffandLori]

What are you feeding? Brooder temperature?

I am feeding them Nutrena Meatbird feed from TSC. 22% protein. I am trying to keep the brooder temp at about 75. There's enough space they can get away from the "hot spot" of the lamp which is above 80 during the day, but the lamp is high enough they can all get under the beam if necessary. It's been chilly (high 40s) the last couple of nights so I've been watching it more closely.

Did the sugar water help at all and how is it now? Check its comb, face, and feet. Does it appear to be loosing color or turning purple in any places? Do you have this one chick currently separated?

For your other chicks, I would expand their brooder space if you can, especially if their bedding is looking like it's solid within 24 hours. (By solid, I mean it's all poop with none to very little shavings left clean.) If the other chicks are stepping on each other a lot, they could be too crowded. How many feeders and waterers do you have per a brooder? I suggest having a least two of each brooder (more depending on feeder type, space in brooder, and bird amount). By having more feeders and waterers, it gives everyone access to them with less trampling.

Unfortunately, no. He died sometime before 4:00. No discoloration, but I did separate him. I think he was just too weak to respond to anything.

I mention they step on each other because they are jerks. I've seen one sleeping all by himself in the middle of the brooder and another decide he has to go from "Point A" to "Point B" by way of stepping on the other chick. lol. Sometimes they'll be lined up sleeping along the side and someone will go walking over them like a mosh pit. Again, not due to lack of room, just "because".

I have two feeders and one 5 gal waterer. I never see them crowded for space at the waterer and other the first 5 min or so when I first put the feeders in in the morning, there's plenty of open space on those too.

I don't let the bedding get that bad. Once it gets pretty compacted or not fluffy, I either add another half bale or scrape it all out. I added a picture from the last 24hrs. This was a fresh half bale yesterday afternoon. There's a bit of a "high traffic area" on the right where one of the feeders hung. The other was to the left of the waterer.

Also, I know that you said "food 24x7", but when I first ordered them I asked the Customer Support rep and she was adamant 10 on, 14 off to prevent heart and other issues. This is the guide they have on their website: link. I know that's different than what others do. She did say once they go out in the tractor, food all the time is fine. Based on feathering, I don't see that happening until Week Six at this rate.

Thanks for all your help. The rest seem pretty active.

 

[JeffandLori]

In the interest of not having to dig a hole in the dark, I went ahead and buried him now. I did take a picture of the goo coming out of his backside. It looks like "vent gleet". I'm not sure if cockerels can get that or if it's possible he just had some sort of fungal infection. If you zoom in, you'll see a yellowish fluid about the consistency of Thousand Island dressing.

Also seems to be slow on feather development back there.

 

[Eggcessive]

Very sorry for your loss. Coccidiosis can cause yellow liquids droppings, while sometimes a little blood. Yellow urates can indicate ascites (water belly) from heart failure in meaties. I know little about meat chickens, but I do think that the current trend is to not let them eat all day long to control weight, leg and heart issues. Those are problems with meat birds. When one dies, you can send in one for a necropsy, or you can open their abdomen to have a look at intestines, liver, and other organs. It can help to rule out coccidiosis, liver problems, and others. Take pictures if you do that to post here. Here is a link with autopsy/ necropsy pictures of organs with coccidiosis:
https://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/diseases-of-poultry/206/coccidiosis