Chicks dying...advice needed

[atabby]

Well, we lost another one this morning. I emailed the hatchery and they responded fairly quickly, and have recommended that I switch to shavings instead of sugar cane mulch. I am willing to give this a go. They are replacing my 3 chicks that I've lost.

I asked them about medicated feed, and was advised that cocci isn't really an issue in Australia, especially in Queensland, as it is a different type of heat. I bought my feed off of them, and it is not medicated.

Thank you to everyone for your advice, I gave them yoghurt and they absolutely LOVED it! They had some very cute, yoghurt smeared faces afterwards.

 

[Martine1]

I am not sure what feeds are available your side of the world.
Read the label and try to go for feeds that have about 15% protein.
It also depends what breed the chicks are. My silkies for one need feed that is only 12% protein and I always give them soured milk at the same time.
The bacteria in soured thick milk is what keeps the gut working as needed.
Also make sure they are drinking enough. Some breeders buy chicks in, without asking what drinkers they had at the hatchery, and if they give the chick water in a font and not a nipple drinker, the chicks die head in the air looking for the water.
He would have needed to force the chicks to drink with head down until they were able to drink by themselves. Simple but true.
Hope you come right. M

 

[atabby]

So our chicks are now almost one month old...and we lost another one! Very randomly. My partner checked on them when he left for work, and then I did the same about 2 hours later. They were fine when he left and then one was gone when I left.

Am really confused about what is going on. Do you think that I should just treat for cocci even though I'm pretty doubtful that it is??

 

[realsis]

I would treat for cocci. Coccidosis Can be present without having any bloody stool. depending on the strain of the cocci and the area it has infected in the intestine. There are 9 strains of cocci. Treat with corid or amprollium or amprol. Its all the same and it will kill ALL 9 strains of the cocci while other medications only kill SOME strains
because you can not know which strain they have use the corid or amprollium or amprol.people tend to think if bloody stool is not present then coccidosis is not present. That's just not the case. Birds CAN have cocci WITHOUT bloody stool. Symptoms can be as subtle as puffing up and lethergie. Some get very sleepy. Some just act slightly off. I really hope this helps and I would give the treatment a try. Depending where you live the medications brand name will be either Corid or Amprol. I wish you the best and really hope this treatment helps. Best wishes.

 

[Martine1]

Hi there, Sorry about your chicks. i think you need to examine very carefully the ones that have died and perhaps ask for a post mortem from your vet.
Also check very carefully the remaining chicks for any symptoms.
One can haphazardly dose for all sorts of things and still be totally wrong.
Take a dead chick and put it in the fridge, wrapped up, until you can get to the vet and get there as soon as possible as any clinical symptoms disappear within 24 hours.
Your problem is either genetic bacterial or viral.
Either way, you do need to act now so that you dont lose the rest.
Kind regards, Martine
ps be careful dosing with Amprol.
For young birds, it is poison no matter what the manufacturers tell you.

 

[atabby]

Hi Martine1.

Thanks for the advice I sent my partner yesterday to our local produce store which is owned by our vet. He described all of the symptoms to the lady there (she's the vet) and she has said that it sounds like cocci - her description was of them getting the flu. She has given us Amprolium to put in their water - the one she's given us is specifically for chicks and pullets. She also recommended putting Vicks Vapo Rub (it's a menthol and eucalyptus gel to help breathing) around the brooder and a little on the waterer (not in the water). I wasn't too sure about this but figured since it helps with respiratory issues in humans it can't hurt.

We're down to 11 chicks now as another one passed away just before we got the Amprolium unfortuntely. Fingers crossed that no more go.

 

[realsis]

How are they doing now? Update please. Hope things are better! Best wishes

 

[sepaditty1]

I just lost one to Cocci. It sounds just like what you've described. I asked around here on BYC on the disease forum and all agreed that treating the rest was the only option. Everyone assured me that giving it to a chick that doesn't have it won't cause any harm. And you can see what happens when you don't treat them. One heart ache after another.

As for the opinion that Corid is poison to chicks...I disagree. It is a medicine to kill parasites. Proper dosage is important, of course, but isn't that true with any medicine? Human or animal?

 

[atabby]

How are they doing now? Update please. Hope things are better! Best wishes

Well we lost 2 more in the space of 2 days. I spoke to a family friend who has had chickens for 20+ years and she said that, in her experience, once one gets cocci in the way that mine have, they generally will all get it even if you treat them with Amprol.

I contacted the hatchery yesterday afternoon and they have taken them all back and given us our money back. Apparently it's going through the hatchery as well so I'm guessing that when they replaced the original 3 we lost, one came home with us infected.

I am extremely disappointed and my house is way too quiet now

We're going to start building our coop this weekend and we will either get pullets or point of lays.

 

[realsis]

I'm so sorry you had such a bad expirence! I hope that things get better when you get your older birds! I wish you the best of luck ! Share some pics with us when your older birds come home. I hope everything goes well for you in the future!