Oh wow! Didn't realize you were a native Kansan.
I love Yoder, we go down every now and then and buy up baked goods and pies. You have a respiratory illness or diesase going on. The popping you hear is common and is related. It's most likely fluid in the lungs-- BAD. I would say to treat with VetRX, but since you already lost a bird, this sounds much more serious. And the popping noise would indicate a much more aggressive illness. I would get to your vet and ask for injectible Baytril to give them. No more than .5cc a bird. It's not that expensive-- I paid about $30 for half a vial and ended up injecting several birds when I had something go round. Don't over dose them, the Baytril is ONCE a day. My vet had told me twice a day, and I came home and did my own reading up on it because that sounded like an awful lot of drug. Indeed, it would have killed them, and I'm glad I had the sense to double check him.Ok so I posted this in sickness/illness section but I have not had a responce and these are my blue silkie babies!!!! so I thought I would come here for help...I have my silkies and sebrights together in the brooder... 5 of the silkies are a week older, the other 4 blue silkies and 8 sebrights just came on Thursday...they were weaker and one of the sebrights had died and most chicks had pasty butt, which I have kept clean...they ate and drank sugar water with vitamins and all seemed great that night, the next day Friday I found my 2 year old son with one of the sebrights and I thought he had crushed it (and he may have) as it was having trouble breathing and with every gasp there was a popping sound in it's chest and it was very lethargic, eyes closed...I thought dying, well by that night it was no worse and by the next morning (Saturday) it was up and eating, I still heard some popping in its chest but it was more active so I thought it was fine...and it might be....that was yesterday, last night all was fine I checked for pasty butt, which has almost cleared up, loved on them and said good night...This morning I had one of my new blue silkies down... very lethargic, floppy feeling, with a popping coming from its chest, eyes closed, gasping and with every breath its head would bob up and down,....I freaked set up a sick box separated it and checked the rest over, and another blue baby was down...this one has a bum foot and we call it hop along
Should I re-separate the first chick that seems fine now,
could it be the same thing and the 1st chick recovered, would it still be contagious
WHAT COULD THIS BE!
I am so scared I dont want to lose them all!
I fully cleaned the brooder and have the one baby separated so far and am awaiting further advice
My vet refuses to do blood work ups on birds, he says they are carriers of EVERYthing and to pin point down what exactly it is that is causing the trouble could be difficult. So we run a broad spectrum antibiotic and hope for the best. Necropsy can be done after the bird has died to see what killed them. Not only that, but it is very difficult to get enough blood to run a lab while they are alive. Unless you have an entire flock sick and don't mind sacrificing one to save the rest for the necropsy.
