2 chicks down & I’m worried about the rest! Help!

[casportpony]

The vet asked us for the remains of the one who was sick, I guess Newcastle disease is resurfacing in California.

Is it?
https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Anima...d0rJkOfDQUsJKgmlNcnOA1HNoRRc8EFqCZdBRcGYKDBvM

 

[CayugaMama]

we ordered ours from Meyer as well and ours are sick too two have died fro different reasons but our are from two orders but were chirping loudly too

I'm so sorry for your losses. That's interesting that you ordered from them as well. Do you know what their hatch date and delivery date was? Maybe there is some outbreak right now.

 

[casportpony]

@casportpony
@ChickenCanoe
@Pyxis
Can any of you give OP guidance on sending a chick off for necropsy?

As for a necropsy, @casportpony has a writeup somewhere on the best way to package for shipping.

pictures that show how I do it.
How to Send a Bird for a Necropsy in California

 

[CayugaMama]

I think that is too hot for chicks a couple days old, even for weak chicks.
If you have a spot that hot, make sure they have space closer to 70-80. If they are ambulatory, they can find their comfort zone. If not and the whole brooders is that hot, they can succumb.

As for a necropsy, @casportpony has a writeup somewhere on the best way to package for shipping.
If it is hot out, I'll put a frozen freezer pack in the insulated box.
The lab always seems to think that is good.
You have several labs in TX. If you call them they'll tell you how they want the specimen packed. They may send you a FedEx label for shipping. Most labs have someone on call 24/7 but that person may not know how to do the shipping label on a weekend.


Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (Main)
483 Agronomy Road
College Station, Texas 77843-4471
Phone: 979-845-3414

Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory – Gonzales (Branch)
1162 East Sarah DeWitt Drive
Gonzales, Texas 78629
Phone: 830-672-2834

Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory - Amarillo (Branch)
6610 Amarillo Blvd
West Amarillo, Texas 79106-1706
Phone: 806-353-7478

Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory - Center (Branch)
635 Malone Dr.
Center, Texas 75935-3530
Phone: 936-598-4451

Texas Animal Health Commission State-Federal Laboratory
8200 Cameron Road, Suite A186
Austin, Texas 78754-3832
Phone: 512-832-6580

Yes, I always leave the heat source on just one side to give the chicks options. The sick ones seemed to want to lay just in the middle.
I feel like I have always heard they need to be in 95 until 1 week, so it is very interesting to find so many saying the contrary! I will take that into consideration for future batches.
Thank you for the necropsy info!

 

[debra and shenderra]

cackle hatchery said 97.5 so we placed the light on one end so they can get underneath and move away when they needed to. right now another of the new golden comet/isa brown, was just standing listless so my daughter decided to force feed the chick some growgel and place the little one in her bra to keep her warm and see if we can breath some life into her.

 

[CayugaMama]

We got 11 chicks on Sunday, and lost one today. Another also seems to be getting lethargic. She just sits and faces the wall. The other one who did died within 36 hours.

I reached out to the local farm where I got them, took rest to the vet and now all are getting antibiotics. The vet asked us for the remains of the one who was sick, I guess Newcastle disease is resurfacing in California.

I’m so sorry about all your chicks. It’s so sad.

Thank you. I am so sorry about your loss as well, that is sad to hear about the disease resurfacing. I don't know much about it but am going to do some research.

 

[CayugaMama]

My Meyer shipment chicks are still doing very well. I purchased two chicks from TSC the day after my Meyer chicks arrived to add to the baby flock and one of them got sickly after a couple days and died after a week of trying to support it. Its sister of the same breed is doing very well and integrated into the other 4 with no problems. The one that died was a wee bit smaller than the other but was very robust when I first got them. I think sometimes it just happens. *shrug*

I think you are right about that too. The first 2 that died of mine were definitely the runts.

 

[CayugaMama]

one of our golden comets head was stuck in the shipping boxes cardboard separator... it had a broken leg and was just chirping every time it moved...so we held it close to our breast taking turns trying to comfort it...but in the end administered mercy

I'm so sorry to hear that! Kind of you to show some mercy to it though. Sounds like shipping is just really difficult for them.

 

[debra and shenderra]

our isa brown/golden comets/production red... were all runts, but it was buy 25 and free shipping special

 

[CayugaMama]

cackle hatchery said 97.5 so we placed the light on one end so they can get underneath and move away when they needed to. right now another of the new golden comet/isa brown, was just standing listless so my daughter decided to force feed the chick some growgel and place the little one in her bra to keep her warm and see if we can breath some life into her.

Yes. I feel like the hatcheries always say 95-99, somewhere in that range. I just tried to keep it in the mid-90s. Putting them against your skin is a good idea too