3 week old chicks dying

[Babernosky]

Any information would be much appreciated. We are new to chickens. We got 6 chickens about 6 weeks ago (they were a couple days old when we got them) they did great! they are probably a couple pounds each now and super healthy. Well my father didn't seem to think that 6 was enough and brought home 14 more from the same place we got the first 6. They seemed like they were doing fine the first day they were here (yesterday) but this morning when i went out two of them had died and one was on it's way out. It was laying under the heat lamp breating hard but not moving, i picked it up and tried to stimulate it and tried to give it some water by dropper but was nervous as i didn't want it to aspirate, but it was useless it died within a half hour. We have them in our chicken coop, in a box separated from the bigger chickens with a heat lamp. The rest of the chickens seem a bit dosile, just not nearly as active as the other 6 were. I'm wondering if my bag of chick starter (unmedicated) may have gotten wet? (mold?) The other 6 chicks are eating it with no problems. I went to the local feed store and bought a bag of medicated chick starter and some electrolytes. I started them on this about 10 this morning. 10 hours later and i'm not noticing much of a change? Also, i was told chicks shouldn't be put in shavings because they will eat them and make them sick, that i should use newspapers, so i changed their box out no more shavings, just newspaper on bottom. I feel like the newspaper is too slippery and they can't get their footing well. Any suggestions? Thank you for any information you might beable to give us. We have a 3year old son who is in love with the chicks and was devastated this morning when we found them dead.

 

[PunkinPeep]

I'm sorry you're having these problems.

You mentioned the medicated chick starter. Medicated chick starter is only helpful if they're being exposed to soil and/or adult feces. If the older chicks have been exposed to the soil, and the younger chicks have been exposed to the older chicks' feces, it might also be helpful to them, mildly. But if coccidiosis (which is what medicated chicks starter is for) is the problem, then i would want to get them on Corid in their water right away. Have you seen any bloody droppings?

If they have been inside on their own clean shavings the whole time, then something else is probably the culprit.

Three-week old chicks should not have any problem with shavings.

If the older chicks aren't having problems, then that rules out the feed being the problem, in my opinion.

If they have not been exposed to soil at your house, my very best guess, is that they might've been exposed to coccidiosis before they came to your house. I would look for bloody droppings in their bedding. The reason i keep going back to cocci is that 2-3 weeks is the incubation time for a good infestation in their intestines. If they were exposed shortly after hatch, this sickness would be right on time.

 

[Babernosky]

Thank you for your help. I really think that they might only be 3 days old. They are very small and don't have any feathers yet. I think there must of been a misunderstanding in the communication either my dad heard weeks instead of days or the farmer said weeks instead of days. I know to avoid this we should have bought them from an actual cbrhicken place, but like to keep our business local as well. We have moved them inside and have given them their shavings back. I will keep my fingers crossed that is all that is wrong. Even though our chicken coop is new i'm sure it was too drafty for them! I just wish i'd gone with my gut feeling yesterday, I said i thought they were only 3 days old.

What is Corid?

Thank you for all of your wonderful information!

 

[PunkinPeep]

Oh dear! I guess you have probably gotten to the bottom of this then.

Corid is a brand name for Amprolium, which is the same medication in medicated chick starter. It blocks the absorption of certain vitamins that the cocci protozoa need to live in your chickies' intestines. All chickens need to develop resistance to coccidiosis protozoa over time, but sometimes it gets to be too much for them, and they can get sick. IF this happens, then you can medicate their water to help them get through the over overwhelming infestation, known as coccidiosis. After this, they are usually resilient for life.

 

[Babernosky]

Fingers Crossed! I'm learning alot about chickens in a hurry! My husband had chickens as a kid but that was too many years ago for him to remember everything! Thanks for the info!