Chicks dying off one by one

[hellfire]

I'm at a loss on what to do. I've bread chickens and turkeys for years but never had a issue like this. I ordered in some eggs on line as its the only way I could get new blood and barred rocks. The feedback wasn't geat and knew some eggs wouldn't hatch as they were far too small. My broody hatched 4 out the lot and usually get very good rates so that's the first disappointment. Now one by one in the breeding pen they have died off. The first was a few days old and looked like mum had done it somehow as it was dead in the dust bath. The second I found limp cold and barely alive and couldn't revive. 2 weeks old. Now today into my 3rd week another dead!! Only one left. Never had this before. The only thing I've done different is I suspected a poor or no hatch rate so bough chick starter from a local shop that had been decanted into small clear bags but no label. After they hatched I went and got a larger bag from my normal feed merchant which I started to feed a week ago. If the first was medicated and they ate that for a week but the second bag was not could that kill them off slowly? The second one had a lot of water coming up from its mouth. This latest one had food in its croup but not a massive amount. Cocci??(can never spell it but u know what I mean)

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I know what you mean and I see the term cocci on this site all the time. And it is wrong.
Cocci is any spherical microorganism, usually bacteria. What people really mean when speaking of the intestinal problem they are dealing with is coccidia, which is a protozoa.
I doubt the change in feed was the problem. I've switched feed frequently and it was never an issue. The feed not having a label means you don't know how old it is or what the protein and calcium percentages are.
If the problem were coccidiosis, I would expect their deaths to be more protracted.
The best thing is to have a diagnostic lab perform a necropsy.
https://www.idexx.co.uk/en-gb/livestock/

 

[hellfire]

Coccidia is what I was trying to spell. Always forget it's dia on the end. Just the feed worried me incase the UN marked bag was medicated. I don't feed medicated feed so wasn't sure if feeding it for s few days after hatch then changing would do that.
I suspect having tests would be very expensive. If it happens again with another batch I will. All my other chicks in other breeding pens are all fine. Just this batch I bought in. Could they of come with something harbouring within the egg? This pen was thoroughly disinfected prior to hatch mum was wormed and this pen hadn't been used since last early spring.

 

[A.M. Eggs]

Where/Who did you get the hatching eggs from? I have read that there is high mortality in baby animals if parents are exposed to pesticide and herbicide chemicals. If the person you got the eggs from has used any of those chemicals in the past, it is likely that the parental chickens may have acquired the chemicals and have now contaminated their offspring. I hope that this is not the case. I am sorry about your loses.

 

[aart]

I suspect having tests would be very expensive.

Call and ask them about the cost and process.
Put the next dead chick in the refrigerator(not the freezer) so you can be ready to have the lab do it's thing.
Would be good to know what these birds are dying from in case it's contagious.

 

[Henriettamom919]

Where/Who did you get the hatching eggs from? I have read that there is high mortality in baby animals if parents are exposed to pesticide and herbicide chemicals. If the person you got the eggs from has used any of those chemicals in the past, it is likely that the parental chickens may have acquired the chemicals and have now contaminated their offspring. I hope that this is not the case. I am sorry about your loses.

I wondered this as well, especially given the small egg size that had you concerned from the outset. I wouldn't buy unlabeled food again but realistically it sounds like they were poorly from conception

I'm very sorry this happened! I would definitely contact the shipper/breeder and notify them! Just for future reference, most state labs/universities do necropsy on 5-10 birds for about 50-85$. So if this were to happen again, store deceased in the fridge, not freezer and contact them. They'll usually have a coordinator who can walk you through what to do!

 

[hellfire]

Thanks for the replies everyone. The last chick is still alive but decided if it dies to defiantly have it checked out. I contacted the seller and they said they'd send more eggs which I've declined right now. I've found out now after having a good dig that other people who have bought eggs from this person has had bad hatch rates and some mortality so suspect it's something to do with their flock and it's settled my mind it's nothing I've done. Still besides to point as it's upsetting and a totally waste of a lot of money when your trying to increase your own stock and have rarer breeds. One of them that died was a Sussex chick which I had not ordered so bad enough the eggs got mixed by them. I don't often order in eggs but when I need new blood I do any never had a problem. I was meant to be increasing my barred rocks. Luckily it wasn't a more expensive rarer breed but again it's not all about that I hate it when my chicks are dying off and I don't know why! My own bred ones are all doing very well with 0 deaths. I've kept strick quarantine between breeding pens just encase it's something contagious. Mothers fine thankfully and looking after her last chick.

 

[RoosterML]

Sounds like maybe your broody was not that good of a mama. If one died from being cold is it possible mama is not watching after them that well? Also in regards to small(er) eggs I don’t believe it means much. My cream legbar lays a small(er) egg and I wasn’t expecting much from that egg. To my surprise the chick hatched very healthy and actually what looked to be very close to the same size chick as in much larger eggs.

 

[hellfire]

The chick was cold as was collapsed barely breathing and mum was stood with the other under her. Hens like all animals will leave a weak of sick one too look after the others. When I say they were small eggs I mean like bantam eggs and this is a large fowl. You do not hatch eggs that small from large fowl. The eggs were smaller than my spangled appenzella hens eggs and this breed is twice the size.
QUOTE="RoosterML, post: 21474100, member: 527954"]Sounds like maybe your broody was not that good of a mama. If one died from being cold is it possible mama is not watching after them that well? Also in regards to small(er) eggs I don’t believe it means much. My cream legbar lays a small(er) egg and I wasn’t expecting much from that egg. To my surprise the chick hatched very healthy and actually what looked to be very close to the same size chick as in much larger eggs.[/QUOTE]

 

[aart]

I've found out now after having a good dig that other people who have bought eggs from this person has had bad hatch rates and some mortality so suspect it's something to do with their flock and it's settled my mind it's nothing I've done.

When I say they were small eggs I mean like bantam eggs and this is a large fowl. You do not hatch eggs that small from large fowl.

Sounds like maybe they were selling pullet eggs as hatching eggs.