week old baby chick dying?

[meltel]

Hi,
Use bottled water. Take out the electrolytes and go buy a bottle of Bovidr labs Poultry Nutri-Drench. Put it in their water for the next 2 weeks. The water should look like very weak tea. http://www.nutridrench.com Tractor Supply or your feed store should carry it. The chicks should not be huddling. If they are distress cheeping, there may be draft. They should be spread out comfortably under the light. Maybe you have drafts fron the open door and they ar ehuddling to get out of the draft and smothering the chiks on the bottom. Your pine bedding should be hardwood shavings not softwood shavings. the white bale, not the yellow bale at Tractor Supply. When you open the bale, it should smell like fresh dry cut wood, not turpentine. Also , check your bulb. It must not be Teflon coated, as those bulbs outgas carbon monoxcide which kills birds of any age. Personally, I am going with a draft problem from the open door. And the chicks piling to get out of the draft and smothering those on the bottom.
Best,
Karen

Ok another sick chick-one that was perfectly healthy-again distended abdomen but no pasty butt and white watery diarrhea??? just standing in the middle of the coop by itself while everybody else is eating and drinking...

 

[mustang56]

I'd get a dropper and some poly vi sol.....
I'd take the shavings out...... and put down a towel.... yes you will have to change it more frequently....
I'd make some scramble eggs and break it up in tiny bits, and keep it in the fridge trying to offer them
food when ever they look well enough to take some....
Something could be wrong with the feed or their bedding....
It might be worth a try..

 

[meltel]

I'd get a dropper and some poly vi sol.....
I'd take the shavings out...... and put down a towel.... yes you will have to change it more frequently....
I'd make some scramble eggs and break it up in tiny bits, and keep it in the fridge trying to offer them
food when ever they look well enough to take some....
Something could be wrong with the feed or their bedding....
It might be worth a try..

I changed their bedding to straw, actually had a bottle of the nutridrench and mixed that up, and got some egg yolk, broke it up and mixed it with sand this morning. Maybe it's just what others said in this thread-I think out of 37 I have 24 left and all but the one seem alive and very healthy. The weak or bad ones just didn't make it. I think 4 that died were pasty butt or chill from pasty but and I will be all over that right off the that when the next batch comes. They are all getting butt lube

thanks everybody for the help and encouragement. I bought this next batch from my pet chicken-same quantity but hear they don't send extras so I want to see if I notice a difference.

 

[mustang56]

to help prevent pasty butt..... use room temperature water.... it seems to be helpful =)

 

[PatiHF]

same here tonight....all 3 have been fine, but I did notice that a couple days ago, this one seemed like she wasn't growing as fast as the other two (same hatch, just over a week old)
I came in tonight and the other two were sleeping and sort of sitting on her. I moved them and picked her up and she acted like her neck was broken....she is just floppy, I revived her a bit and she cheeps but eyes are closed, when she does move she wants to throw her head backwards....don't think this little one will make it, but I'll hold her and keep her warm till it's over. yep, she's gone....
I'll bury her in the morning.....

 

[PatiHF]

Update... I lost two of my three 1week old blue lace red standouts chicks. First one just got weaker and died, two days later, the second one looked awful, holding her little wings out, and not very active. The third seems fine, I couldn't get more of the BLRW, so got two Buff Orffingtons for company. They were a little older, an twice as big! Oops! But they got along like old friends right from the first meeting! The little blue lace is the boss! So, the changes I made was to get more air circulation,so they are in like a hamster cage that's about 30" X 12" I bed them with rice hulls and a little "Woody Pet" which is a Pelleted horse bedding... no turpentine, but a great moisture absorber. I have a heat lamp and keep it about 80-90 degrees. I also added terramycin to the water and they are on medicated chick starter. So far so good after 2 days, but I'm noticing the water is turning an orangish color. I premixed a gallon of water with 1 teaspoon of powder and replace the water in their dish as needed. Maybe 3-5 times a day. Should I make a new batch? They l are chirping, eating, drinking and pooping. How long before they can go outside? I'd say they are 2 and 3 weeks old.

 

[MsAlana]

I'm having the same problem now. ] was given 21 baby chicks and I've lost 5 in the last 2 days. I have been holding the last two that might go next. I've saved chicks before so I will do whatever I can to keep these 2 alive. I just fed them some water by a spoon and they took it. Seems like they are dehydrated but I don't understand why they would be, they have water.

 

[ckelley]

We just picked up a dozen baby week old chicks last sunday and they have been thriving doubled in sized in 7 days very active noisy peepers... tonight all of a sudden they all got quiet , fell over and started dying  we lost 6 chicks in 1/2 hour.  And 3 more a little while later. Can anyone offer advise.  

I know that some people have posted this happening when they didn't use chick starter feed and didn't provide grit.

Sorry to hear about your chickies.

 

[junebuggena]

I'm having the same problem now. ] was given 21 baby chicks and I've lost 5 in the last 2 days. I have been holding the last two that might go next. I've saved chicks before so I will do whatever I can to keep these 2 alive. I just fed them some water by a spoon and they took it. Seems like they are dehydrated but I don't understand why they would be, they have water.

Did you dip their beaks in the water to show them how to drink? Some don't automatically figure it out.

 

[jbern58]

I've read through most replies and don't think anyone has mentioned adding a probiotic to water to aid in digestive system bacteria placement and as an excellent prevention for pasty butt. I can't speak from personal experience as I'm just underway with my first hatch, but I've been told giving a probiotic via the water is a game changer! Just thought I'd throw it out there