2 Chicks died in the past week

[Larkspur88]

I had a 3 week old silver sebright suddenly die on me. It was the liveliest of the bunch and the next morning was flat out dead! This happened on Wednesday (5/4) or late on Tuesday night. He was fine when I did my nightly rounds. I highly doubted he was sick. I'm still highly confident one of my serama roosters chased him around the brooder and he (being very flighty) injured himself. For some reason my oldest serama cockeral decided he didn't like my sebright chick and was picking on him. And since this incident I've noticed all of my seramas fighting amongst each other and distressing the other chicks in the brooder. I think it is time for me to move the seramas! They are about 5/6 weeks old. Is that old enough for me to remove them from a heat lamp since they're so small? I'm so scared to hurt them!

Now yesterday I noticed a phoenix chick seemed a little "light". I've had a number of pets over the years and I know that feeling. He was still moving around and doing his thing though. Tonight my husband surprised me with a silkie chick and after crawling out of bed sick I went out to see the chick and check up on the others and the chick was even more lethargic and I could tell by feeling in its crop (?) area that's it very empty like the chick has been off food. When I showed it the water it drank a lot like it hadn't even been going to the water. It's weak enough now that it will lay on its side. Poor thing looks like a goner so I removed it from the brooder so it won't pass on and get pecked at during the night...yuck.

I'm concerned now about my other chicks, but not completely sure if this a chicken disease going around or a coincidental bad luck that just happened within a few days of each other. I'm worried about my other chicks in the brooder. I have 10 more chicks of various ages to include the brand new silkie added today. I'm going to clean all their housing equipment and such tomorrow and hope and pray nothing else happens. I have an array of chicks (cochins, seramas, silkies, batams, etc) in that brooder I don't want to lose!

 

[Larkspur88]

There is potentially a third who is not quite right. It's a bantam I got 3 weeks ago at the same time as my sebright. He seemed quiet ever since the sebright died. Eating/drinking/etc normal. Just not as playful, but then again his best bud has been the sebright chick. Those two would stick together. He's still eating, but he seems less interested. Out of curiousity I sprinkled a few crumbles of bread in the brooder and the chicks went nuts, but for some sleep heads (it is midnight of course) and he pecked at a piece that fell in front of him and ate it, stood up, but wasn't running around like mad to eat the pieces like everyone else. I'll keep an eye out. I'm thinking there isn't much I can do other than just watch. I have some meds (I don't remember what its called) I will add to their water in the AM that was to help with cocci. I think it helps with a few other things too. I haven't lost any chicks yet until now so this has me stressed. I guess getting chicks from all over came back to bite me in the butt. I have TSC chicks I bought at multiple different times, feed store chicks, recently had the seramas shipped to me, etc.

 

[chkn]

I wonder if they could have a respiratory infection? But the chick starter feed should have antibiotics in it....

 

[Larkspur88]

Definitely a bug. My other bantam is cornered with head under wing pretty listless. He used to be very active. After really thinking about it I think all the signs remind me of one of my chicks I got recently. It was in shock from shipment. Acted the same way for days. It pulled through though so this bug could be from it and me not quarantine. Just a thought. Hm. I added neomycin to their water this am. Only thing I have. Hope it helps if any give a little meds to them. I made the bantam drink some. And he kind of pushed around some food then went and slept.