3 Dead Chicks

[61963]

Hi everyone,

I owned four Brahmas earlier. The four were stolen around 4 months ago. I purchased two more two weeks back and one died. He was all droopy and lethargic. So to keep the remaining one company, I purchased 3 more. Cleaned up the cage and changed the feeding equipment. They were all fine and four days ago the second one from the first pair dropped dead (this one had similar symptoms to the first one but in addition had a yellow discharge blocking its nose). And day before yesterday one of the 3 new chicks died.

Only two remain and one is already showing similar symptoms. Which is why I registered here. I wanted advice from experienced folks in this field. Anyways, I shall be buying another batch of 5 or 6 chicks soon. I do not know what caused the deaths. Just heavy gasping, one had some yellow discharge frm its nose, another had pasty butt. Went home last night saw the last two sleeping and I picked one up to say wassup. Twas pretty sleepy so I put it down and it hopped! like crazy! and then fell down paralyzed. But then it stood up again after a few min. Sad. All of them were lethargic and droopy. I dunno how to tell if the poultry feed is moldy. Coz i got them from a exotic market and all of them were pretty healthy when I selected them. There are no avian vets here. None that we know of. So I figured out from the internet that my chicks showed symptoms of Mycoplasmosis. Anyways I dont think I can blame the feed coz all of them were in contact with earlier sick chicks until i isolated each one of them. Plus I hear that during summer the risk of chicks prone to diseases are high. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[AndreaS]

I'm so sorry for your losses!

Do you think you could give us some more information about them? Their age, what type of bedding you have them on, the temperature in their brooder, what type of feed, is it medicated? Are They getting any treats? etc....are they vaccinated for anything?

The food should smell fresh and sweet, with no signs of mold.

I would hold of from getting any new chicks until you figure out the problem, or at the very least keep them separate from the others.

In the meantime, I will post a link that has an article about treating respiratory illnesses. It is about half way down on the second post on this thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2788452


Good luck and

 

[fiberart57]

Sorry about your chicks and the stolen ones. I'm not sure what's going on but I do have some ideas.

First, I wouldn't put more chicks in the cage until it and all the equipment has been cleaned and sterilized. Sterilize with bleach or 30% hydrogen peroxide.

Second, I would not put new chicks in with the old ones until you are sure that they aren't sick as well. You need a 30 quarantine period.

Third, I would chose another source for my chicks since you've gotten sick chicks from this one.

You say that they were healthy when you selected them but were there sick chicks in the bin as well? That's a good sign that all's not well.

Unfortunately, unscrupulous sellers can cover the fact that their stock isn't healthy by placing only the ones not showing symptoms out for sale. The fact that it was an exotic market makes me wonder about cross contamination from other birds. Some diseases won't show symptoms for a few days and this seems to be what's happening here.

I'm also wondering about the cage. Is it a wire-bottomed cage? Chicks raised on wire are more prone to cocci. Baby chicks do fine in a cardboard box with a thin layer of shavings on the bottom. I raised 11 in a file cabinet box.

Are you feeding good quality chick food, preferably medicated? If you live in a hot humid environment and have limited storage options it might be better to buy their food in small quantities.

Do you use electrolytes in their water? If so, read the dosage instructions carefully. It takes a very small amount of powder to mix a solution. If you don't use electrolytes my recommendation is to get some and use them. The little bit of vitamins seems to help. Also make sure the chicks find and drink the water by dipping their beaks in it. Even though they've been drinking earlier, chicks are dim and need direction.

Pasty butt is not uncommon for young chicks that have been stressed. You might find out what they've been fed and use that while gradually switching over to the food of your choice. Pasty butt is easily cleaned with q-tips and water. Soak the q-tip and get it really wet and then use this to soften the poo on the bottom until it can be gently wiped off. Do not pull on the poo when it's hard because you may take off some of their skin.

Check the ambient temperature. It's summer and many people have the air conditioner on and think that since it's hot that will take care of it. Chicks still need to be kept warm; 95 degrees for the first week dropping five degrees per week after. They can't be 95 by putting them in the sun, they'll need better regulation.

I apologize if you've been doing what I said here but you didn't give much information. Are you here in the U.S. or elsewhere?

Good luck, Mary

 

[Slater1995]

Quote:
This is excelent information Mary, I am not sure what I would add other than to check their poop to see if it has blood in it. That would be a signe of Cocci. I lost 4 to it before I knew what it was.

 

[61963]

Thanks for the great info Andrea S and Mary. Sad news again. The same evening I posted my topic, one of the chicks died. Earlier we isolated the sick chick (which was the most healthiest) but then yesterday the last remaining one died. He was ok in the morning, playful and everything .. two hours later he was gasping and then died within another 3 hours.

I live in Bahrain. Its mid summer here with the temp touching 41 C. Kind of new to raising chickens. I had them in a box with a newspaper and some cloth to the corner so that they get some nice warmth. I had a 60w bulb close to the sleep zone (but at 2 feet above) - basically its one of those living room lamps and its bendable; so I just bent it looked stylish and the chicks were fine. And I had 6 other boxes for quarantine.

Andrea I am not sure of their age but I presume they were four-five days old when I got them. And I am not sure if the feed is medicated. But they sell them in closed packets 1kg each for about $3 equivalent. Yes they smell fresh and no signs of mold. Its not branded or anything. Just normal starter feed packed up. Its similar to the one they use in the farms here.

Thanks for the link. Very helpful. I am going on a vacation soon. I'll probably buy new chicks once I return.

Mary I purchased the first two from one guy and since one died from that, I got the remaining three from another guy. All were very healthy. But all of them were in touch with one sick chick at any point during their stay at my house. Bought two, one died, bought another 3 for company, remaining one died two days later, all three died one after the other. I have a question at this point but I'll post it close to the end. No, I did not use electrolytes. Just regular drinking water that we use at home. I never knew about electrolytes.

I cleaned up their butts earlier with ear buds dipped in water and then tissues to clean up. And yesterday .. my Dog went to investigate the box with the remaining sick chick and picked it up in its mouth and brought it to my brother!! But he did not clamp hard and the chick was fine. Just wet. I'll have to take the dog to the vet now. Vets here are a luxury which is why you find a large number of unvaccinated pets. My chicks werent vaccinated. But I did search around for Baytril. I dont know where the poultry farms get their medicine from.

I want to ask something. If they fall sick why dont they fall two or three at a time. Why one after another?

I learnt a lot from both your posts. Thanks a lot!


Regards,

Aravinth