Worms? Heartbroken chicken lover here.

[Snakebiteholloway]

So for two years I've been working on my homestead, chicken flock grown from 2 to 30. But the price of Guineas has kept me from investing.
Wanted guinea for two years so badly.
Finally bit the bullet and ordered 10 from Hoover Hatchery.
(4 went to a neighbor who also wanted some.)
They arrived Friday past and i was as excited as a kid at Christmas.
Straight run, mixed colors, and so very gorgeous.
Small as my thumb.
I was worried they wouldn't be able to eat or something.
I crushed the recommended kibble and adjusted temps top and bottom and fussed like an old hen.
I followed the package instructions and was even able to resist the temptation to handle them overmuch.
Man was i ecstatic!
Initially they seemed fine. Weak, tired, took water, no food.
They were so weak i stayed up all night to make sure they drank. They couldn't walk very well.
I took a two hour nap.
I woke up to find one dead, and 3 too weak to move.
Over Saturday, those 3 did die.
Heartbreakingly. Slowly. I held each one.
Their heads curled up over their backs and twisted, legs extended too hard to bend.
In the few hours prior they'd take a bit of water. Then they stopped taking fluid.
While holding the last one, offering water, he defecated in my hand.

He was almost gone at this point. Couldn't hold up his head or sit.

The feces was only clear mucus with a lot of tiny white flat rice looking bits in it.
I've never seen that before.

Before it was the frothy orange usually indicative of coccidosis.

Two are still alive and seem perky, but I'm afraid to be optimistic now.

It could have been any number of illnesses, i realize.

The question here is if anyone has any experience with parasites in chickens. I've scoured the website to no real avail except admonishments to worm your birds - i do when they are older, but these guys are too small.
I now have them on electrolyte and immune therapy.

Can worms cause the 'wry neck' symptoms?

I should add this important note - the four that went to the neighbor are fine.

I have to say that I'm worried i did something wrong.
Why did 4 of my 6 die if not?

I followed the book to the letter. I've brooded over 40 chicks.

Any advice?

Thanking you in advance

 

[sourland]

My gut instinct is that they have died from shipping stress. I doubt that you did anything wrong. Hopefully the remaining keets will survive. How are the 4 that went to the neighbor doing?

 

[nuthatched]

Sorry for your losses.
Can you provide more detail on food, heat and water, also bedding and heat?
If they died within 3 days if you getting them, you can call the hatchery for a refund or replacement. How are your neighbors keets?
Keets are pretty delicate, shipping might have really shook them up

 

[Tonyroo]

With any type of baby bird heat is the top things of priority to look at. They can't regulate there temperature nor can they hold the heat. Just something to consider.

 

[Snakebiteholloway]

My gut instinct is that they have died from shipping stress. I doubt that you did anything wrong. Hopefully the remaining keets will survive. How are the 4 that went to the neighbor doing?

Apologies for the venting length of the first part. The other two seem ok so far, tho I'm treating pasty butt.
The four at the neighbor are fine as of yesterday evening.
Which is, of course, why I'm wondering what i did wrong.
I mean I've brooded 40 chicks, but i know these this young are different, and they are keets, so i was careful to get everything exactly right per the hatchery instructions.
I don't understand tho, how the other 4 are fine and 4 of my 6 died in the first 24 hours.

 

[sourland]

Vent away - that's what folks are here for. Check with the neighbor and compare everything that the two of you have done to see if there were any differences in husbandry.

 

[Snakebiteholloway]

With any type of baby bird heat is the top things of priority to look at. They can't regulate there temperature nor can they hold the heat. Just something to consider.

95 on top and 105 on the bottom. That was the hatchery instructions. So that's what i did, it seems over heated to me, but i shrugged it off as they are African birds so i figured the heat ... I'm just heartsick.

The neighbor has the same set up btw, i checked.

 

[Snakebiteholloway]

Sorry for your losses.
Can you provide more detail on food, heat and water, also bedding and heat?
If they died within 3 days if you getting them, you can call the hatchery for a refund or replacement. How are your neighbors keets?
Keets are pretty delicate, shipping might have really shook them up

I'm pretty sure they don't do replacements unless they arrive dead. I looked on the website. And the neighbors' birds are fine! All our care and brooding stuff is the same.
I can't get wonder if i did something wrong.

 

[Snakebiteholloway]

I'm pretty sure they don't do replacements unless they arrive dead. I looked on the website. And the neighbors' birds are fine! All our care and brooding stuff is the same.
I can't get wonder if i did something wrong.

Oh - food is the game bird high pro that the hatchery recommended, bottled water at room temp and warmer.
They didn't eat, in any case. Drank very little from a clean spoon. When they first arrived they were more active than they became several hours later. Soon after they were too weak to get water or food on their own legs so i soaked food in water and hand fed them. After a few more hours they refused to take that, either.
Or even plain water

Then their heads kinked back over their backs and they died slowly.

 

[addctd2plnts]

So for two years I've been working on my homestead, chicken flock grown from 2 to 30. But the price of Guineas has kept me from investing.
Wanted guinea for two years so badly.
Finally bit the bullet and ordered 10 from Hoover Hatchery.
(4 went to a neighbor who also wanted some.)
They arrived Friday past and i was as excited as a kid at Christmas.
Straight run, mixed colors, and so very gorgeous.
Small as my thumb.
I was worried they wouldn't be able to eat or something.
I crushed the recommended kibble and adjusted temps top and bottom and fussed like an old hen.
I followed the package instructions and was even able to resist the temptation to handle them overmuch.
Man was i ecstatic!
Initially they seemed fine. Weak, tired, took water, no food.
They were so weak i stayed up all night to make sure they drank. They couldn't walk very well.
I took a two hour nap.
I woke up to find one dead, and 3 too weak to move.
Over Saturday, those 3 did die.
Heartbreakingly. Slowly. I held each one.
Their heads curled up over their backs and twisted, legs extended too hard to bend.
In the few hours prior they'd take a bit of water. Then they stopped taking fluid.
While holding the last one, offering water, he defecated in my hand.

He was almost gone at this point. Couldn't hold up his head or sit.

The feces was only clear mucus with a lot of tiny white flat rice looking bits in it.
I've never seen that before.

Before it was the frothy orange usually indicative of coccidosis.

Two are still alive and seem perky, but I'm afraid to be optimistic now.

It could have been any number of illnesses, i realize.

The question here is if anyone has any experience with parasites in chickens. I've scoured the website to no real avail except admonishments to worm your birds - i do when they are older, but these guys are too small.
I now have them on electrolyte and immune therapy.

Can worms cause the 'wry neck' symptoms?

I should add this important note - the four that went to the neighbor are fine.

I have to say that I'm worried i did something wrong.
Why did 4 of my 6 die if not?

I followed the book to the letter. I've brooded over 40 chicks.

Any advice?

Thanking you in advance

I'm sure shipping stress contributed, but when you gave water, was it WARM water? Also did the water have probiotics and vitamin mix in it, or chick starter?

I've seen this happen when ducklings are very young and they are given ice cold water out of the tap. Or when ducklings haven't had water in a long time and they drink a bunch of ice cold water. I assume it's because their normal body temperature is very high and they have such a small body mass that the tremendous temperature change, sends them into shock, and kills them. This isn't as much of a factor when they get bigger. But it's also a factor in their first swims too. the water should be warmer than tepid and they need to dry fully off and be kept warm under the light while drying or they can easily get chilled and die.