I purchased 35 Bantam Cochin chicks from McMurray Hatchery. They were shipped last Friday. I picked them up from the post office early Monday morning. Upon acquiring them, I dipped their beaks in water with Quick Chick in it and showed them the feed. They all started eating and scurrying around. Throughout the day I checked on them multiple times, the first time I noticed about half of them were huddled together so I moved the heat lamp slight closer. The second time I checked on them they were all spread out in the brooder doing well, eating, pecking at food on the ground and they looked really healthy. The next morning I went out and one of them was lethargic. Laying on its side listless with closed eyes away from the heat. I warmed him up closer to the heat lamp, fed him some water with sugar in it and he still couldn't get his balance. He'd fall on his back and his neck would flop. He died that night. The next morning I went out and 3 more were dead. Several others were flopping (almost in a paralyzed state) with their eyes closed. I dipped their beaks in water and they were responsive and drank it. I sat them up, but they'd fall right back over. That day 10 died. The same thing has been happening all week. Today I have 8 left. What in the heck is going on? I'm assuming they got way too cold and dehydrated being in the post office all weekend. I can't figure out, for the life of me, what could possibly be wrong with them. They were vaccinated for Marek's and their poop has no blood in it, so Coccidiosis is not a culprit. Thanks to McMurray, I'm getting a refund for those that DID die, but I plan on buying more at a local farm store. (The new chicks will NOT go in with the other Bantams if they happen to survive.)
What happened here?
What happened here?