Baby chicks with swollen belly/butt

[LDHite]

I got 6 baby chick's from TSC. The 3 yellow baby chicks all have swollen bellies and it looks really strange. The other breed chicks are all normal. I am uploading pics if anyone can give advice if this is normal.

The reason the yellow chicks have blue on them is they were pecking each others feathers out so I read to put this medicine on then that died them blue.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Do you know if you could have accidentally bought a few meat birds? They kind of have that broad butt look. They are for butchering for meat around 6-8 weeks old, and may have bare spots and different feathering patterns--kid of ratty looking. They usually are giants and eat all the food. Sometimes TSC and other feed store employees don't always tell you about meat birds. Were they labeled as to breeds? Anyway, hopefully they are not, but just bare butted from the feather picking. A picture of them from the front might help. How many chicks in how much room do you have? Chicks need around 2 square feet per bird. Is it cold where you live? Are you using heat on them? How many weeks old are they.

 

[LDHite]

They are in a large kennel with a heat lamp. I have had them almost 4 weeks now.
I went back to TSC to confirm breed after they got so big so quick and they say they think they are Cornish meat birds

 

[Eggcessive]

That's what I suspected. If I were you, I would post them on Craig's List or a similar site and sell them. I'm sure someone would be interested in them. Then I would get some new baby chicks while they are still available. Many of the people at feed stores like TSC are not that informed about chickens until they work there awhile. When I am there, I always worry that people are accidentally buying those birds, only to find out they may die young of heart failure or broken bones, since they are bred to grow quickly and be butchered so young. I helped a friend butcher a dozen meaties one year to learn how, and one of them had died already at 6 weeks of a heart attack. Sorry that this happened.

 

[LDHite]

Thank you so much for your help. We did rehome the 3 meat chickena and I am shocked at the difference the remaining 3 now eat and way less mess. The 3 meat chickens were eating a bag of medicated food every other day. Hopefully these 3 remaining chicks are all hens. Might not buy chicks from TSC again but it was a learning experience as I have always just bought adult hens.... this was my first time with babies. Thanks again!

 

[Eggcessive]

Glad to help.