Chicks acting lethargic, dying

[Walkerchicks]

On Saturday 2/18 we brought home 21 chicks,
When I took them all out of the boxes to carry them home I checked their vents for pasty butt, cleaned anyone off that needed it and then placed them in the brooder showing them water and food.
Immediately two of them were unable to stand, heads drooping. They died within two hours of coming home.
The next morning everyone was acting normal, but that evening one died and in the morning another was dead- these two gave no indication that I noticed- no lethargy- just found them dead, but they could have started showing symptoms in the night.

I initially thought maybe the first two had gotten trampled and the third and fourth ones ones as well…
Then Tuesday night another one was dead in the brooder.

And today as I checked on them one is supporting itself with its wings and drooping its head. I checked its vent and it needed attention, so took care of that, then held it and had it drink some water…..

So now I’m thinking they are sick and passing something around. But what?

I purchased them from our local rural king, they were together in a bin labeled assorted layers, I have no idea what breeds they are.

The brooder temp was a bit of an issue in the beginning I had to adjust it multiple times to get it right. After checking their butts when we got home and putting them under the light I checked the temp and it was 105 then I adjusted it to 90-95 where it has been until today when I adjusted the light to 85-90. The first night we dropped into the 20s and last night we have been in the 70s so the environmental temp is all over the place.

Currently the temp is 85-90 under the light, with areas of the brooder in the 70s.

No bloody droppings. I have checked every day for pasty butt. They had electrolytes in their water for the first three days and are getting medicated feed. I have cardboard on the bottom of the brooder that I change out every couple days.

It’s been 5 days since we brought them home and 5 have died looking like we are on our way to 6.

Does anyone have any advice for remedies or thoughts on what it is? Is it the temperature?? The thing that makes me think it’s not that is that everyone else acts normal and then one (or two) will act strange and be dead shortly after.

Thank you.

 

[nuthatched]

What type of heat lamp and brooder?
That's rough, siery about that.

 

[Walkerchicks]

It’s a 125 watt heat lamp

The brooder is one of those plastic panel round ones with no bottom.

The chick died.

I checked the temp again and it was 95, but the lowest in the brooder was 88 so maybe it is the temperatures??

They are kept in our mud room which is not insulated… do you think the temp fluctuations is causing the issues??

 

[Eggcessive]

What is the air temperature in the mud room? I usually brood chicks inside, and use 90 degrees the first week, and decrease each week. I would suspect they could be dying from shipping stress, since it is Feb, and temps are all over the place in the country. Do you know how long they were in rote before you got them? Is the heat lamp you are using for chickens, or did you get it from the feed store? There have been deaths from Teflon coated heat lamps not normally used on chicks, that have given off toxic fumes in the past. I sure hope that you don’t lose any more. Poultry NutriDrench or Poultry Cell are good tonics containing vitamins, electrolytes, and amino acids, and good to give a couple of drops orally into the beak once a day for stress. The boost is quick for a weak chick, and they don’t have to drink a lot of water to get the same result. I would also try to get them on a non-slip surface such as pine shavings, so they don’t have leg problems. Good luck.

 

[Walkerchicks]

What is the air temperature in the mud room? I usually brood chicks inside, and use 90 degrees the first week, and decrease each week. I would suspect they could be dying from shipping stress, since it is Feb, and temps are all over the place in the country. Do you know how long they were in rote before you got them? Is the heat lamp you are using for chickens, or did you get it from the feed store? There have been deaths from Teflon coated heat lamps not normally used on chicks, that have given off toxic fumes in the past. I sure hope that you don’t lose any more. Poultry NutriDrench or Poultry Cell are good tonics containing vitamins, electrolytes, and amino acids, and good to give a couple of drops orally into the beak once a day for stress. The boost is quick for a weak chick, and they don’t have to drink a lot of water to get the same result. I would also try to get them on a non-slip surface such as pine shavings, so they don’t have leg problems. Good luck.

Thank you!

 

[Walkerchicks]

Well we have gone 36 hours without losing one. Trying not to get excited yet.

We moved the brooder inside and I am starting to think it was the temperature just being too hard to keep consistent. it doesn’t explain the two that died as soon as we got home….

Less pasty butt today in the morning and evening… so that makes me think we moving in the right direction….

Thanks so much for the help!

 

[drangle]

are they huddling together under the light or running about? what temp is the room? is the floor cold?

was the room freshly painted or are there any chemicals in the room? in other words, how is the air quality?


just tossing some ideas around, sorry you are having trouble. Hope you get it figured out!