Chicks Dying Daily

[MINchick]

Always make sure when buying chicks that they have been vaccinated

Vaccinated against what exactly? We've never vaccinated in the past and have never had an issue.

 

[MINchick]

Is there any blood in the poop?

No blood.

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

Hmm...

@Eggcessive @aart @Wyorp Rock @azygous

 

[KingD]

Vaccinated against what exactly? We've never vaccinated in the past and have never had an issue.

Unfortunately my chemistry skills are not what they should be but all i know is that it is always recommend to make sure they are vaccinated against various diseases and viruses ect. I think they often get sprayed at the hatchery.

 

[KingD]

Have you checked for vent blockages?

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

Vaccinated against what exactly? We've never vaccinated in the past and have never had an issue.

Chicks don't need to get vaccinated. As far as I understand it, a Marek's vaccination doesn't stop the bird from getting Marek's, it just stops them from showing symptoms. I do prefer to have birds vaccinated, but it's not necessary.

 

[MINchick]

Have you checked for vent blockages?

Yes, one of the chicks had a pasty butt but I found it pretty quickly, all of the other ones are fine in that area. I check daily.

 

[KingD]

Also. Are the chicks under the heat or around it. Chicks that are too warm will get diarrhea and will eventually lose the lining of their intestines. They will get lethargic and die.

 

[azygous]

A call to the breeder would help a lot. Ask if any of their remaining chicks from the same hatch as these chicks have had the same symptoms and have been dying. That will tell us the source of the problem is with the breeder.

From my own experience, when a chick suddenly goes lethargic, followed quickly by lameness, then death, it's due to petroleum distillate exposure. Petroleum distillates are in glue, paint, fuels, insecticides, paint thinner, etc. Anything with a strong odor of benzene will contain this powerful deadly toxin.

Another source of toxin that produces the same symptoms and death is mold. Any mold is dangerous. Check the feed, bedding, water, any fruit or veggie treats for signs of mold.

 

[MINchick]

Just wanted to update; I talked to the breeder and she's convinced that's it's our heat source. We use a heating plate instead of a heat lamp. She couldn't tell me why that would make a difference but she insisted that they were healthy when they left.