August Hatch-A-Long!

[BY Chicken Lady]

I know my chicks aren't due to hatch til Thursday but I couldn't resist getting these two beauty's

Ha ha you sound like me, I have Silkies in the incubator and just had 18 day old Silkies delivered to me yesterday.

 

[familypendragon]

No, I just looked it up - please let this not be it!

Pullorum Disease

Pullorum disease, previously known as Bacillary White Diarrhoea, in poultry is caused by Salmonella Pullorum. It is an acute systemic disease of young chickens and poults.

Salmonella Pullorum

Pullorum disease is spread from infected parent birds via the egg to the chick. Infected chicks spread the disease laterally in the hatchery.

Reports of clinical disease in avian species other than chickens, turkeys and pheasants are rare.

Clinical signs of Pullorum Disease

Usually seen in chicks younger than 3 weeks old.
First indication is an excessive number of dead-in-shell chicks and deaths shortly after hatching.
Clinical signs variable and non-specific.
White diarrhoea, with pasting of the vent is often a feature.
Treatment and control

Antibiotic treatment not recommended as birds may become carriers.
Control is usually by testing and the removal of infected birds.

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

you may need to consult with someone from your region....I personally think 4 months is quit large enough to handle the weather...barely pullets anymore!

Oh yea I agree, my young birds are 4 mo right now and you can hardly tell a difference in them and my layer.

 

[Heidisgran]

Quote: I was referring to polish silkie

 

[Heidisgran]

Quote: oh know I'm so sorry!! UGH I had a hatch a few months ago it was obvious that the breeder had unhealthy birds the egg came from!!

 

[Heidisgran]

No, I just looked it up - please let this not be it!
Quote: an to my knowledge that is spread by unhealthy living quarters!!

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

That has some of the same info from the other article but even more detail - and then I followed the links to this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/39604/some-causes-of-early-chick-mortality, and now I am having google disease. Where you are sure your suffering from whatever horrible thing you find on Dr Google. The chicks from this batch of Welsummer hatched eggs all died but one. The ones that hatched and died all had labored breathing, chirping and death. The one had green liquid bubbling out of its mouth. The last one to die with the yolk sack that would never absorb had white poop come out right before she started gasping and died. So now I am freaking myself out. :/ And the lone survivor doesn't look well to me now. Won't eat, won't drink and chirps non stop, sleep standing up and wakes every few seconds. Gah!

b) Pullorum

It is an acute infectious and fatal bacterial disease of chicks characterized by ruffled feather, white diarrhea, labor breathing, chirping and death.

I know Google Disease quite well, lol. I actually won't look up any side effects to any new medication I am taking because I don't want to get the side effects possible. For safety sake I have my hubby read it, then only tell me if I first tell him about a side effect I am experiencing.

Keep in mind that all dying chicks (and humans for that matter) poop and pee a little when they die. (I worked hospice before). And those other things such as labored breathing will also happen as part of the death experience.

My newest chicks stand and fall asleep, then wake up seconds later...this is normal new chick behavior, they may not eat or drink but a tiny bit, if at all the first day. I would imagine that having a difficult delivery will make them exhausted.

Remember that it is possible that chicks that we assist at hatching would not have been born at all in nature...momma hen isn't going to assist them. Weak chicks will naturally not hatch because momma hen cannot take special care of weak chicks. As sad as it is for us humans, especially us mothers, we must accept that death is as natural as life, and for chicks it is even more so. Don't beat yourself up, don't worry yourself sick about a strange disease being at fault. Sometimes it just happens.

 

[Heidisgran]

Quote: those were shipped eggs right?

 

[familypendragon]

those were shipped eggs right?

Yes, I PMed the sender to see if there was any history of mystery illnesses and then seeming recovery and let him know what my fear was. I hope I am crazy, but I am afraid because the surviving chick was in the brooder with my 16 mutts and 7 shipped Cochins from Meyer - and my BF just took her 16 mutts home this morning to her brooder. I don't want to infect either of our flocks

 

[sweetappleacres]

Off topic for a brief moment... is a self blue the same as a lavender?