3rd dead chick in 3 day! worried about my remaining 5 brooder mates & flock of 10 just moved to coop

[GigiE]

OK new chicks got last Sat @ Tractor Supply swap from 2 breeders.

They lived in a new box w/ pine shavings, in my living rooms, w/ a nice red infared light. They had sav a chick, well water, & complete medicated starter feed. They were loved on & handled well.

I spotted Sussex had what looked like hiccups, or strugging to breath & shook its head, & didn't seem to have any lumpy food in its crop. I read somewhere that could be a worm thing. But the diagnosis required opening beak, looking for a worm.. this task I found impossible to do though I tried alot. The "HIccup" died 1st.

Next my mini bantam chochin "Primrose" died the next day & I thought it was just some genetic defect of her maybe being a micro bantam chochin (she was super tiny) .. she never did the hiccup or neck thing. So I thought/hopped they were unrelated.

This morning the last/2nd fancy frizzle bantam chochin "Frizzle" was dead. This bird hung alot w/ its sister "Primrose".

I can't take the death & worry & the pain w/ my kids every morning or day now. This morning I again gave them a new cardboard box, new bedding, bleached the waterer & feeder. And filled the waterer w/ sav a chick.

Now I have a flock of 10 6 week old girls that just spent their 1 night in coop. They were raised in a box next to the new guys when I got them last Sat. This flock of 10 has 1 Blue Silkie Bantam "Hedwig" & my son let him "visit" the new chicks as there we 2 bantams in there. So I am very very concerned I have an epidemic of some sort.

The breeder who sold me the Bantam Cochins is very good & reputable she has no issues w/ her other birds. She thought "Primrose" might be a micro too, & they just "aren't right".

The other breeder who sold me the other 6 including hiccup is a reputalbe breeder but I haven't heard back from him yet.

HELP will this kill all my other 5 from this flock, will this kill my other 10 who we are REALLY attached too. Will this harm my children?!!!

 

[rungirl]

If these chicks were only a few days old, it wasn't likely worms. You should always quarantine new chickens from your existing flock because you never know what new germs you're bringing in. Other than that, it sounds like you're doing everything right. You'll just have to wait and see unless you can identify some symptoms and treat it. I wouldn't panic. Chicks die for lots of reasons. Hang in there.

Lisa

 

[leadwolf1]

I think that I would treat them all for coccidia.

 

[rungirl]

I think that I would treat them all for coccidia.

Agreed. Though she mentioned she was using medicated feed and it sounds like she's keeping the brooder clean, but that's no guarantee and they could have been exposed to coccidia before she got them.

GigiE, see if TSC in your area has Corid to treat your chicks. If you can't find Corid, look for Sulmet.

 

[leadwolf1]

Medicated feed does not stop your chicks from getting coccidia. It is just a low dose of meds designed to ward off coccidia...if the coccidia load is high, the medicated feed will not protect your chicks.

 

[GigiE]

Thank you for responding. Any help anyone has is very appreciated.

The chicks seemed 1 - 1/2 weeks old when I got them last Sat.

Last Sat when I got the 7 new chicks for my house I also got 8 for my neighbor. They were all living in the same box until they got them Sun afternoon. This am their only speckled sussex died too.

The issue w/ my neighbor is they added the new 8 to a box of 10 they got from Southern States.

The 5 remaining of mine & the 7 remaining of theirs that I got from the same breeder all all "Easter Eggers" Or the chicks that didn't come out Naked Necked that he sells for 4H etc.. so the mixed Easter Eggers were a dollar cheaper.. but my neighbor does have 1 Naked neck guy in their 8.

I am bit more less emotional vs. this am. I went to my favorite local friends Greenhouse garden center & enjoyed all the lovely LIFE & bought some nice herb & had a huge Fanta Grape Slurpee as a treat.

I will call the store about Corid, & yes I assume Sulmet as last resort as now have read ALOT of chicken info & many state it seems harsh on the chicks or don't like it for some reason.

Again if anyone has any other idea or thinks I should do an autopsy on the 1st bird w/ the gagging hiccups to look for a worm let me know. I am willing to do it to save my birds.

 

[smithfam0908]

I heard pine shavings and or ceder shavings can cause resportory ( sp) issues. Not sure if that is true or not. I keep my baby chicks on newspaper and straw ( mainly just the newspaper) Sorry to hear about your babies.

 

[leadwolf1]

I've used pine in my brooders and coops forever...no problems. Newspaper, however, shouldn't be used because of the slippery surface is causes. Many leg problems are caused by using newspaper in brooders.

It is quite likely that they came with coccidia. However, they are not old enough for any worms to have formed.