5 1/2 week old white rocks dying

[mmktdox]

Hi gang, I'm new at this and need some help. I have 23 (used to be 25) white rocks. Up until now I've free fed. I lost one two weeks ago that never grew as fast as the others, he looked like he couldn't breath so we put him down. Lost one big one last Friday night to what I think was a heart attack. He was dead, flat on his back! So I read some posts on this blog and decided to only feed ever 12 hours (my aunt recommenede this too). Wasn't too bad this morning but when I fed them tonight they were crazy hungry, pushing and shoving, gorging themselves. Now I have two that look like they have indigestion, they seem to be almost burping or hiccuping. Another one had been badly pecked during the day today so I've segregated him, think he might go under the axe soon. A cousin told me never withhold feed because they will gorge themselves and the commercial feed swells in their stomachs and kills them. He also recommended mixing some grains into the feed to prevent that swelling. I'm not sure what to do now . . . HELP!!!

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

free feed them for 12 hours then take away the feed.
save what your cousin told you for next time.

 

[card5640]

I dont do the 12 hr feed schedule I keep the feed out always and have kept them for up to 10 weeks with only 1 death in the last 3 years. good luck

 

[mmktdox]

Thanks for the advice . . . everybody seems settled for the night. Who knew chickens were this stressful!!!

 

[SteveH]

Unless they're under lights, they should stop eating at night. It soundss like the problem was caused by being out of feed during the day. When putting my own on controlled diets to raise to breeding age, allowing them only what they could consume in about 20 minutes [but access to grass and other vegetation for the rest of the day] I started pouring water over their feed thanks to reading here at BYC of someone who raised their chicks on a wet mash. Just before starting this, one of my near adult CXs filled its crop with an unbelievable amount of dry crumbles, ran to the waterer, and dropped dead after drinking.