Baby chick suddenly crashing (need help)

[clickchicks]

This is day 6 of the corid. Several people are trying to help and I really appreciate it, but I've already gotten conflicting info so I'm just going to stick with my original plan and keep them on it for 7 days, to be safe.

I do have the pine, but if this chick is already sneezing, how will changing from a no-dust bedding to a very dusty bedding help?

I know there's been 10 pages of this already and I don't expect anyone to back read all of it, but its important to restate this isn't really a balancing issue (IE not being able to walk on the paper towel). It can be standing with both feet firmly on the ground and just collapse onto itself while eating, drinking, pecking at ground, etc. The legs are not splayed, it looks like its sitting on its hocks. This video shows it pretty well:

 

[AngBantamLuv]

This is day 6 of the corid. Several people are trying to help and I really appreciate it, but I've already gotten conflicting info so I'm just going to stick with my original plan and keep them on it for 7 days, to be safe.

I do have the pine, but if this chick is already sneezing, how will changing from a no-dust bedding to a very dusty bedding help?

I know there's been 10 pages of this already and I don't expect anyone to back read all of it, but its important to restate this isn't really a balancing issue. It can be standing with both feet firmly on the ground and just collapse onto itself while eating, drinking, pecking at ground, etc. The legs are not splayed, it looks like its sitting on its hocks. This video shows it pretty well:

It can be neurological and not be mareks.. its just something that happens sometimes.

 

[clickchicks]

Also I can confirm, they are all sneezing now.

I did recently switch the puppy pads I was using. All of them seem to say they have an "attractant" in them, but none specify what it is. Google say sometimes its a grass scent, sometimes it could be ammonia.

I can't smell any ammonia on the pads, but I wonder if that could be bothering them.

But its hard to ignore there is a condition that can cause lameness in addition to respiratory symptoms and the place where I got them all but outright stated (at least at one point, per that thread I posted earlier) they sell birds that can be infected.

EDIT: that other thread seems to have lost the image of the letter statement from Ideal, but I was able to find it pretty easily on Google:


Ideal Poultry is not MG clean, has never claimed to be and does not intend to be. NPIP does not require a hatchery or farm to be MG clean in the standard program, but does offer a separate MG program that we do not participate in. MG is a very common disease and is in most backyard flocks in the United States. Ideal Poultry supplies some breeders to most of the hatcheries in the United States therefore those flocks are also MG positive. None of the big hatcheries in the United States are MG clean. If our customers who are MG+ (again most of our customers are) obtained MG- flocks it would result in more problems and more sick chickens for them. Therefore Ideal Poultry having an MG clean flock would actually be a disservice to our customers.

Ideal Poultry has provided poultry to customers since 1937 and continues to be the largest provider of backyard poultry in the United States, selling over 5 million chickens annually.

 

[gtaus]

I did recently switch the puppy pads I was using. All of them seem to say they have an "attractant" in them, but none specify what it is. Google say sometimes its a grass scent, sometimes it could be ammonia.

I can't smell any ammonia on the pads, but I wonder if that could be bothering them.

Your chicks have their nose right down into the puppy pads. If there is a scent, it might be bothering them. You might not notice the smell from where you are. But I agree with taking out the pads and letting the chicks run around on the pine shavings. I only use towels for the first few days, and then they are gone.

 

[gtaus]

I'm trying not to lose my mind,...

Too late for me... Dear Wife insists that I lost my mind a number of years ago. Maybe.

More seriously, it's the same hatchery that would give me concern, not necessarily the same store. Our local stores will order from different hatcheries, but if they get bad feedback on their bird sells, they will switch over to another hatchery in a heartbeat. Nobody makes money off of chicks that do not grow up and eat lots of feed.

 

[clickchicks]

Ok, I’ll try changing the bedding to the shavings. I haven’t noticed any more bloody poops so I guess there’s nothing really stopping me. I do worry about the dust, though.

 

[clickchicks]

Happy update today. They are still sneezing, but it does actually seem to be less frequent. So maybe there really was ammonia in those puppy pads and I just missed it. I really hope that's the case.

Little chick also seems to be in high spirits. Its still sometimes collapsing at the food/water bowls, but its also forcing itself back up more frequently and seems to be able to stand for longer before it starts to squat. It weighed in at a WHOPPING... 58g. Hey, its not much, but that's 10g more than a couple of days ago so if nothing else, this little one is still putting on weight.

 

[clickchicks]

Pictures while I had everyone out to be weighed. You can see little sick chick (#3) still isn't feeling 100% but it was able to hold itself up like a champ.

Chick 1 (Orloff)

Chick 2 (Barnevelder)

Chick 3 (Barnevelder, sick one)

Everyone is 2 weeks old today.

 

[gtaus]

Looks like things are improving. Thanks for the pics.

There might have been some scent in the puppy pads to attract the puppies to pee on them. Don't know, never used puppy pads. But pine shavings have been used successfully for brooding chicks for a very long time. Speaking of scents, there is still much controversy over using cedar shavings for chicks. Some people say the cedar scent it too strong and can have a bad effect on the chicks. Others say no effect.

 

[clickchicks]

Not using cedar, its aspen (which I double and triple checked was ok. its what I use in my older hen's nest boxes).

Things seem to still be improving. Little chick is able to hold itself up for longer and longer. Everyone is still sneezing.

I stopped the corid 2 days ago and have been giving them the vitamin/electrolyte/probiotic supplement in their water. I only planned to give it for a couple of days to give them a little boost, but maybe that was too much. Little sick chick just had a strange looking poop. It wasn't diarrhea but it was soft/liquidy and yellow. I tried to get a picture but its so light it just blends in with the bedding. I took out the supplements and just gave them plain water. It had a distinct urate cap and didn't stink, so I don't think it was cecal.

edit: managed to catch it pooping again and get a pic:

Maybe this is normal and I'm just paranoid now. It is lighter colored and runnier than they have been.