all my chicks are dying

[penelope77]

i don't know what is the problem. i've raised chicks before. lately everyday when i get up i find an almost dead one. i have two brooders, both have lamps as it has been pretty cool in here at night, they have chick starter and clean bedding, fresh water. 6 of my seven guinea keets died, my two little splash cochins

, now my welsummers i searched so long for are dieing. i only have one of those left now. now the chick starter is not medicated cause they haven't had it in for two months, would that be why? the chicks are about 3wks old now i think. i'm getting down to the mutt chicks and two of them are my four yr. olds and she loves her little chicks especially her feather legged bantam. anyone know what's going on? anyone have any ideas of what i can do? i added vitamins to their water. i'm to eight and i had over 20. help!

 

[Matt A NC]

Any other symptoms? Bloody poop, listless, waterer eyes, discharge from nares, Pasted up vent?

Matt

 

[penelope77]

well their butts are fine. one of the cochins was acting slow the day before it died. the others i just find laying in the cage breathing slowly but can't stand up. then they die. no oozing from any parts.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

What type of bedding are you using? Did you check your food for mold? I seen someone lose all their chicks over moldy food...says they were acting in the same way your describing yours to be acting. The poor babies! I do hope the rest are ok

Good luck!

 

[penelope77]

they're actually on hay bedding right now. the food is fine. i got some wormy feed from the feed store a few weeks back so now i check everything.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I wonder if they are eating the hay? Do they get grit? Maybe try switching to pine shavings with paper towel over for a while to see if that helps the ones that are still ok. Doesn't hurt to try.

 

[Ms. Lewis Rich]

A few years back I lost chicks from spraying deodrant in the house close to brooding chicks anyspraying going on anywhere,

 

[penelope77]

well hay is what we have right now. i've used it before and never had any problems. not to say that these little chicks don't have a problem with it. nope, no spraying around the chicks. yes they get grit. i could switch them to shredded newspaper, they had that before, but i got tired of shredding it. they aren't eating the hay though unless they wait till i go to bed. which i suppose is possible. i just don't know.

 

[jessupfamily]

Hay bedding, may very well be mold. And mold in hay is not that easy to spot! From the description, it sounds like mold or some sort of repository issue. Switch the bedding for sure and see if that helps.
Blessings,
Amy J.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Ya I agree with Jess...that mold is VERY hard to see in hay and mold is the cause for lots of chicks dieing on this site...just in the few months I have been here I have seen that happen alot which is why I changed my mind about putting hay or straw in the coop to putting pine shavings. It's just to hard to tell what's moldy and what's not. Good luck! I will pray for your babies! keep us informed on how they do.