Are these chicks old enough to go outside?

[aart]

Might be good to have those dead chicks necropsied...
so yo know what you've exposed your other birds too
...CA has a good state lab from what I've read.

...and get some more coops set up if you plan on continuing to hatch.

 

[Chickassan]

The thing with shipped eggs the chicks have resistances to things but only in the area where they originated from they don't have a thing for where they're hatched.
Also worth mentioning medicated feed helps with cocci but isn't a fail safe.
It helps to expose them to soil from your existing setup to build resistance to strains that are present in your area.

Hatching eggs from eBay. None of the chicks hatched out from my flock got sick, only the eBay chicks. I lost 2 more today, but the Svart Hona's appetite is back, so I think she'll be okay. Oh also, all of the eBay eggs came with Npip certification.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

NPIP is a national program administered by states beginning in the 1930s.
It was a successful attempt to eradicate pullorum and typhoid which were devastating to the poultry industry and is deemed to be a threat to this day. Occasionally those diseases show up through testing.
That said, a chicken that is NPIP tested and P-T clean can theoretically have a hundred other diseases. So as was said, NPIP doesn't guarantee a healthy bird, it just doesn't have pullorum or typhoid.

 

[tayjamieson]

Also - I have had 4 friends who bought new bulbs/lamps and had their barns or coops catch fire in the middle of the night. I've been told to only use a heat lamp in an unsupervised area such as a coop in the middle of the night when there is no other choice. Inside your home with heat lamps is generally safer because people typically are there to supervise or notice a fire if one should start, and homes are equipped with fire alarms. It's always good to use new bulbs and lamps/equipment. I was told it is often the cords or outlets that start the fire in the first place, so using extension coryou can gauge your outlets by using your hand to feel the outlet that your heat lamp is plugged into often and if it feels hot unplug so it can cool down. If the outlet you're using is getting hot regularly then it's smart to relocate to a different outlet. Make sure you are not using a bunch of extension cords, and to only have the heat lamp plugged into the outlet alone with no other electronis/items plugged into the same outlet.

I set up a sub-brooder in the coop to keep them separate from the older chicks. The older chicks are skittish but curious. I'm monitoring to make sure they aren't bullying the younger ones, but I think the new brooder is tall enough to keep them away from the younger ones. I also gave them their own food and water to reduce competition.

Thats great! I had to do the same thing at first so my adult hens got used to seeing the chicks. It's inevitable for them to establish the pecking order, violently at that lol, but at least the chicks will be protected while they are growing/developing. I hatched/raised my ducks and chickens in the dead of winter, it was rough because we really couldn't put them outside for a long time. Good luck with transitioning your little babies! They look adorable.

 

[FowlWitch]

Also - I have had 4 friends who bought new bulbs/lamps and had their barns or coops catch fire in the middle of the night. I've been told to only use a heat lamp in an unsupervised area such as a coop in the middle of the night when there is no other choice. Inside your home with heat lamps is generally safer because people typically are there to supervise or notice a fire if one should start, and homes are equipped with fire alarms. It's always good to use new bulbs and lamps/equipment. I was told it is often the cords or outlets that start the fire in the first place, so using extension coryou can gauge your outlets by using your hand to feel the outlet that your heat lamp is plugged into often and if it feels hot unplug so it can cool down. If the outlet you're using is getting hot regularly then it's smart to relocate to a different outlet. Make sure you are not using a bunch of extension cords, and to only have the heat lamp plugged into the outlet alone with no other electronis/items plugged into the same outlet.

Thats great! I had to do the same thing at first so my adult hens got used to seeing the chicks. It's inevitable for them to establish the pecking order, violently at that lol, but at least the chicks will be protected while they are growing/developing. I hatched/raised my ducks and chickens in the dead of winter, it was rough because we really couldn't put them outside for a long time. Good luck with transitioning your little babies! They look adorable.

I actually ended up taking the heat lamp away because the old chicks kept trying to jump on it. So far all of the youngest chicks have done fine without - I check and they cuddle up together in the pine shavings on the floor and that seems to have kept them warm enough. They were running around, eating, and drinking just fine. The older chicks haven't showed any sign of aggression, but the subadult serama cockrel did try to pick on them, so he's no longer in with them (he's out with the adult hens now).

My 4 week old chicks are actually bigger than him now! From what things are looking like, I think from here he might fill out but not get too much taller. He's smaller than a pigeon! I'm honestly surprised somebody was so quick to sell him for snake food because I thought the tiny seramas were in high demand We all love him, though, so I'm happy to keep him around.

Back to the topic at hand, though, my Svart Hona chick is crying nonstop. I recall the other chicks that died had the same issue, but I didn't realize it might be a symptom until it was too late. The Corid won't be in until tomorrow, if Amazon doesn't screw up my shipment like they tend to do, so I hope I still have time for her.

 

[Kiki]

Cross your fingers

And hope there isn't too much damage already done.

 

[FowlWitch]

Cross your fingers

And hope there isn't too much damage already done.

Thank you. I wish I could do more, but none of the booster drinks I've made seem to have helped. I'm going to try giving her some yogurt and see if that's distracting enough that she'll settle down and maybe even go to sleep :/

 

[Kiki]

Thank you. I wish I could do more, but none of the booster drinks I've made seem to have helped. I'm going to try giving her some yogurt and see if that's distracting enough that she'll settle down and maybe even go to sleep :/

I believe buttermilk can help...not cure.
@dawg53 Did I get this right this time?

 

[FowlWitch]

I believe buttermilk can help...not cure.
@dawg53 Did I get this right this time?

She's been crying all day, and the past 2 hours have been even worse. I gave her some water with a dropper and tried to give her the yogurt, but she wasn't having it. Think I can give her a little melatonin to get her to sleep? I was thinking of dropping one of my melatonin tablets in some warm water to dissolve and give her a couple of drinks from a dropper.

 

[Kiki]

She's been crying all day, and the past 2 hours have been even worse. I gave her some water with a dropper and tried to give her the yogurt, but she wasn't having it. Think I can give her a little melatonin to get her to sleep? I was thinking of dropping one of my melatonin tablets in some warm water to dissolve and give her a couple of drinks from a dropper.

No.
Do not give her that.