2 chicks dead and one with empty crop

[Nynaeve2005]

Hi! I'm a new chicken mama. Today I found one 5 week old silkie and one 4 week old buff orpington chick dead. One of my other silkies I saw gaping and stretching out his neck a couple times. I dont feel anything in his crop.
I have fed medicated chick starter from the get go (I got them when they were hatched). One from a hatchery and one from a local farmer.
I've used the electrolyte water until recently and started using nutri drench in the water bc I've heard silkies can get vitamin deficiency.
I'm worried about the rest of the flock. The buff orpington chick was my son's for his 4h project.
We have 9 other buff orpington and 7 silkies and 4 cochin chicks varying in age from 5 weeks to 2 weeks.
Please help!!!

 

[2ndTink]

What is the temperature they are in?

If you are offering nutridrench every day you will also want to have a plain water option they can choose from.

Are all the ages in together? Are they outside or in a brooder with a controlled two-week?

 

[Nynaeve2005]

I bought a heat pad from tractor supply. Big one that you can turn into a coop heater. One setting for brooder. 3 leg levels. On the highest level. All together. I have two waterers. One nipple and one normal. I can do one regular water. We did regular water for a day bc i wasn't around to mix the electrolyte water about 4 days ago.
They are inside. The room they are in is about 78-85 during the day and 67-75 at night. With option for heat pad.

 

[2ndTink]

Any odd droppings?

You can adjust the brooder plate's legs so one end is lower, have it at an angle so the smallest chicks can touch the plate in the back and the larger ones can get under it in the front.

The neck movement from the chick is probably it adjusting its crop.

What do you have for bedding?

 

[Nynaeve2005]

It can adjust. 4 legs and 3 settings. Pine shavings as bedding.
I was worried bc his crop was empty when I got him out. He was very active and aware when holding him.

 

[Nynaeve2005]

No odd droppings that I can tell

 

[2ndTink]

How big is the brooder?

Any chance they felt chilled and piled up and suffocated those two? Or got scared and trampled them?

Any mold in the feed or bedding? Anything toxic they could have eaten?

Any sneezes, coughs, runny noses, bubbly eyes, raspy breathing from anyone?

 

[Nynaeve2005]

I have a heat plate but the older ones don't use it. They just huddle together. I'm wondering the older one that was found under the heat plate got too hot? 4 weeks old. No mold that I see. Fresh food and water. Containers cleaned regularly.
Haven't seen any of those symptoms from any of them.
I gave them a small dust bath with sandy top soil dirt from my yard plus food grade diatomaceous earth. I saw what looked like poultry lice

 

[2ndTink]

If it is lice, they could have taken the chicks out. DE likely won't kill the lice, you'll need to take them out with a pesticide. See if you can find recommendations here on BYC for lice or mites on chicks.

Also, take a close look to verify what they are so you can treat.

 

[Altairsky]

I would test the temperature of the brooder plate. I've heard horror stories about the big black plates from TS.