Ok so I have two momma hens raising baby chicks outside. They'r four weeks old. They're free ranging and doing well, except we had a chick die last night. They were all asleep in the nest and I was checking on them and counting them and picking them up to be examined. The mom who had 10 chicks, one of her babies was acting lethargic. All the other chicks were fine and acting normal. He allowed me to hold and pick him up and flip him over which was really weird because they hate being held, his feathers were all fluffed up, he wasn't holding his wings up properly, and his crop was completely empty. He'd move around when you sit him down and he would try to run away, but as soon as he got still he'd just fall asleep on his feet. Also his poop was watery yellow white with the solid stools instead of the usual solid stool. We brought him inside and fed him plain greek yogurt mixed with water (because that has energized sick chicks right up in the past) dipping his beak in it carefully and then he'd swallow but he wouldn't make an attempt to eat anything solid on his own. He'd just fall asleep. I spent two hours feeding him the yogurt water and put him a sick bay for the night. He was dead when I got up. This afternoon a few minutes ago I discovered another sick chick, same exact symptoms, same mother. What is happening? What can I do to save him and prevent this and any idea what this is? Coccidiosis perhaps? We had that occur with this batch of chicks a few weeks ago and lost three in one day before we could get the meds fast enough but after a week of meds they were all doing fine. And this seems different then the coccidiosis, they had pasty butt and these ones don't, but idk. Any help would be hugely appreciated because we're frustrated and sad and at a loss at what to do and we really really don't want to lose any more.
Baby Chicks Dying: Help!!!
- Thread starter tori852
- Start date
If they’re free ranging, I’d be looking around to see if they’re getting into something toxic.
- Thread starter
- #3
We haven't put any weed killer or fertilizer out so if it's a toxic something then it must be some sort of plant. We're going to lock them into the run tomorrow.
Sparrowsong98
Songster
I would defintiely look around for anything they could have gotten into. I just saw a thread from a user who was sure their cats could not have gotten into their rat poison but a storm blew it down and that was the cause of the problem. Make sure nothing is down for them to get into.
- Thread starter
- #5
Thanks, I'll go look, but I'm not sure if I'll find much since they roam in a really large space, much of it the woods.
- Thread starter
- #6
Best I can suggest is to confine them and momma wirh the babies and put them all on a broad spectrum antibiotic or It' possible they have cocci.has the ground been pretty damp where you live? With it warming up and wet muddy ground about...they can b more suseptable to cocci .I think you can use tylan and got it together
I meant tylan and corid...
- Thread starter
- #9
Ok so some more symptoms we noticed. His entire abdomen is really really bloated, mostly near the rear, but his vent is completely fine. Also the bottom of his feet are a weird yellow hue that is not normal for his color. He's not going to make it, he's kind of in death throws now. Opening and closing his beak repeatedly while extending his neck over and over again.
The ground has been pretty wet lately...
The ground has been pretty wet lately...
Babies can choke on anything perilite m weeds bugs they are babies It happens hun
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