Bantams stink worse than large fowl chickens?

[JessicaThistle]

Has anyone else experienced their bantams stinking worse than their other chickens?

I recently adopted 3 silkies and 1 cochin 3 week old chicks from someone. I have them in the same brooder set up that I had my 8 large fowl chicks until they were 5 weeks old. These 4 chicks stink to high holy!

Like nose-burning stink!

There are only 4 of them and they are tiny! Why would they stink worse than my other 8?

I thought maybe the food that they were fed previously caused the problem. They have now been eating the same food as my others for a week but still stink. I scoop, dump or add shavings every day to calm the smell and also take them outside every evening to put waste out there rather than the brooder.

I just don't understand and wonder if anyone else has noticed this or is it just me??

 

[aart]

Is it a lot warmer than it was before?
Are you sure the brooder is not wet somewhere?

 

[JessicaThistle]

I suppose the temps are higher now outside. I have them in the house. We don't have AC or the heater on. We did run the heater when the other 8 were in the house and used a heat lamp on them. I'm not using the heat lamp on these guys. I clean the brooder every day so there isn't anything wet.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Are they showing any signs of cocci? That can make them smell bad.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Are they showing any signs of cocci? That can make them smell bad.

They seem healthy with no issues. They are all eating, drinking, peeping and pooing. No one is lethargic. I've taken them outside each evening for the last 4 days and they happily each grass and chase bugs.

I notice their poos seems runnier than the "bigger girls" but there's no blood int their poops. Is their something I should look closer for?

 

[Chilali]

If they have runny poo I would probably go ahead and run a treatment course of amprolium. Cocci can come on quickly and kill before blood ever shows up in the droppings. Been there, done that... Learned quickly to go ahead and run amprolium if in doubt and follow it up with a water-soluble vitamin mix after a couple of days.

 

[Dogue]

My bantams are practically stink free. If yours are stinking that much, I think something is wrong.

 

[JessicaThistle]

I have examined their poos and matched them to the poop chart. They are all normal. The chicks are active, eating and drinking. They don't show any symptoms of anything wrong, but stink.

I am going to pick up a bag of medicated food to feed them and some Corid to have on hand though.

I'm thinking the box is just too small and I need to move them outside to the garage in a bigger brooder. Seasonal allergies are killing me right now and I think that I am just way more sensitive then I was in March when I was brooding the 8 other chicks.

 

[lazy gardener]

Have you tried fermented feed? It cuts way down on the wasted feed, which can be smelly if it gets in the bottom of the brooder and then gets wet. It also "strengthens" the poultry's gut, giving them lots of good beneficial bacteria to help with their digestion, and it also makes the gut lining proliferate with more villi to absorb nutrients better. Chickens on fermented feed have more solid poops, drink less, and have much less odor to their feces. There are lots of fermented feed threads to help you get started.

 

[The Hustons]

I kinda had similar situation myself. I got 6 lil silkies & I noticed no odor at all until about 2 hours after I had them home in the transition cage aka big tote while finishing our coop. They were 1/3 the size of my 6 red sex links & jus smelled awful!! So I was really concerned examining poop etc. I had given them medicated food which is what I had on hand & that's not what they were on before so I thought mayb could be that ,but sounds like your guys weren't on medicated yet. Anyway I decided check them over & found lice

..well I'm a chicken newbie so I have no idea if this can contribute to the weird smell or not all I kno is I dusted them and day after no more to very lil odor. by 2nd dusting (week later) no smell at all . Good luck!