4 Week Old Chicks SICK and Dying HELP!!!

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cackleberries

cackleberries

Songster
11 Years
Dec 14, 2008
116
2
119
Arkansas
I had 25 BR chicks hatch on march 7 (1st time on my own) They were all fine until my thermometer went out on my brooder it was scorching hot when I got in from work 0n 3-30-10. My poor babies were actually sweating, now they are coughing, have watery icky eyes and some even have drainage out there noses. Three have died and I have Two more that can barely open there eyes. If I don't hurry I'm afraid they will all die. I'm sure they have a bad cold from the temperature change but do I us Vet RX or Duramycin-10? Have the 1 quart size. what dosage do I use (PLZ in Idiot terms I suck at math). Thx ya all for helping ahead of time. I know I can always count on Backyard Peeps to help me when it's most important.
 
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I'm not sure that anyone quite knows how to help your poor chicks. Do they have an area of the brooder where it is warmer, and areas where it is cooler? The whole brooder should not be the same temperature--they should be able to choose what temperature they can be at by where they are in relation to the heat lamp. I'm very confused about how you are heating your brooder. Measure the temperature by laying a thermometer on the floor of the brooder and letting it sit for a few minutes. You change the temperature by raising the lamp, and/or changing the wattage. By four weeks they should be well feathered out and not need a heat lamp much. By four weeks, mine were starting to go outside (no lamp) for the nice days. If you are keeping it too warm, they will not feather out properly, and going outdoors will be too much of a shock. Vet Rx probably wouldn't hurt, but having a properly heated and ventilated brooder is the first step.
 
I suck at the math too but I gave some 1/2 teaspoon Duramycin to a gallon of water for a few days. Sounds like they got too hot and got wet too. Chickens don't sweat...they release body heat by panting. They had to have gotten wet, and that likely decreased body temp too quickly. I think they should be treated. If they were mine, I'd increase brooder size, get the waterer up on a brick, and treat them with an antibiotic. I hope they get better!! Wet brooder's are bacterial breeding grounds! They must have picked up something from that...poor babies. Keep us posted!
 
Yeah by 4 weeks they really don't need much heat. It's in the mid-60's outside tonight and I have March 13th chicks outside who are CHOSING not to sleep anywhere near their heat lamp!! They've been out a while, so they are more acclimated to it, and there's 12 chicks to snuggle with, but still. I'd think they would want at least a little heat!

It's important that your brooder be the "recommended" temperature only in one place, where they will probably chose to sleep, and they need to be able to get away from the heat if they are too warm.

Chickens don't sweat at all. They pant. Is your brooder covered tightly??? Did the heat evaporate their water and respriation and condense back on to them like rain??? I"m not sure how they got wet.
hu.gif

Most people use a WIRE cover- so the chickens get proper ventilation.
 
First thank you for every ones help. I see a lot of things I done wrong by just reading what ya all had to say. The box was not covered tight but I think it was to small for them to get far enough away from the heat lamp when it fell. Also they were feathered almost completely when this happened. They were wet because they tipped their water over(most likely trying to get away from the heat)
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I don't know what I was thinking. I gave them antibiotic for the last 3 days and the 2 I was afraid would died are still alive and they all seem to be doing better but they are still wheezing. I'm hoping this will go away. Someone said I should use a product called TYLAN any comments on this????
 

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