All My Chicks Are Dying!! Please Help

[o-townchicken]

I got my chicks 2 days ago from a local feed store. they were a couple days old. i started with 14...im down to 8!!! (and 2 more are dying) so, slowly, 1 by 1 they are getting sick. i have a seperate brooder for the sick gals. They are still eating and drinking when i first notice listlesness. then they only walk short distances and start to breathe very heavy. then they stop eating and some stop drinking. i have been syringe feeding and watering, but, they all still pass...1 by 1. it is SO SAD. i want desperatly to save the rest from this fate. does anyone have any ideas??

 

[TeamChaos]

What is the temp in your brooder? Have you seen healthy chicks before? I'm not asking that to be a jerk, it's just easy to mistake the "chick melt" they do as sickness. What is the time frame from when you get them and they are active to when they get listless and stop eating/drinking and then death? Have to syringe fed birds before? I ask because their lungs are easy to aspirate. Gosh, I hope we figure out what's going on- so sorry for your losses!

 

[dawg53]

Could be coccidia. Is there blood in their poop? Are they fluffed up?

 

[o-townchicken]

my brooder is from 90-96..using light and by my wood stove. i check the temp a lot.
the first one died the first night they were home. then it seems like every 6 hours or so one passes.
as far as syringe feeding, i have tube fed other types of birds, but not chickens. the syringe i have has a pretty wide tip, so, im pretty careful to let them peck the water/crumble mash. mostly they just go for the water.
only one had bloody poop. she was one of the tougher ones. she really fought and held on. the others seem to go from listless/not wanting to get up much(even when the other chicks are all over them) to limp and lifeless with a heavy pant quickly.

 

[kathyinmo]

You say you saw blood in the poop. That would be caused by cocci. Medicated feed helps this, but is sometimes not enough. Corid 5 cc per gallon of water for 5 days will treat it.

Also, on the temp of the brooder.... be sure it is not too hot for them. Provide one end warm but allow them to go to the other end to cool down. Breathing heavily may be a sign they are too warm.

 

[Katy]

I'd suspect that they're too hot. They need to be kept warm but not hot.

 

[jenesis536]

I was going to say the same about being too hot... bring it down to 80-85 and see how they do. Do they have room to get away from the heat if they need to?

 

[heathersboers]

My sister had the same problem. Hers are hatchery chicks . The ones from an individual thrived.

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

I would get some corrid and add to water with some electrolytes you give to calves. I would also give them 1/2 cc of tylan 200 by mouth and see what happens. I would also add few tsp of sugar to water and feed them few bites of boiled egg with oatmeal mashed in it and give them bites by opening their mouths and getting them to swallow it. I even feed my baby chicks some raw beef liver cut up real fine if I think they are anemic. It will really give them a boost.

 

[PepsNick]

What you can do has already been said, good luck. I lost two to cocci, before I realized what it was.