lynellegold
In the Brooder
- Jun 29, 2020
- 11
- 14
- 23
Please help! My chicks are dying and I don’t know why!
Some background: The chicks were hatched underneath a broody hen. We decided to build the chicks a home of their own when we failed to introduce a couple of keets we purchased to the mama chicken in the hopes she’d adopt them. The adoption didn’t take, so we needed to put them some place warm. We figured we’d stick all the chicks together in a little homemade incubator.
We don’t have a thermometer in there, but I check on them regularly (seriously, like twenty times a day) and they have never displayed any signs of being too cold or too hot. They don’t huddle together (though they cuddle when sleeping, but not packed tightly) and they don’t puff out their feathers or stay in the corners away from the light.
In the bottom of their coop we placed clean, dry wood chips. I change their water regularly.
So that is our set up.
But we have a BIG problem. One by one, our chicks have been dying. First it was a couple of the smaller ones. Okay, we thought, they were just genetically weak. Can always expect to lose a couple. But even now, nearly three weeks since they hatched, seemingly strong and healthy chicks are suddenly becoming lethargic, weak, then dropping dead! We lose about one a day. We started with 16 and are now down to 6, with two currently on the death bed.
The chicks do not have diarrhea. There are no sores on their face or anywhere else on their bodies. No mucus coming from nose or eyes. Looked in their mouths, everything looks fine.
What happens is this: a seemingly healthy chick starts looking sleepy. I’ll notice his eyes are closed most of the time, but he will still be standing, moving around a little and eating (but at a reduce pace). The chick becomes progressively lethargic. Then woozy and wobbly; it starts to have trouble walking and finally standing. The chick lies down, breathing heavily, and finally dies. The whole process usually takes about 24 hours from the time it first starts to become “sleepy.”
On the advice of one vet who we spoke to over the phone, we bought Fluban (an antibiotic for treating thyphoid, etc.) But after only treating them for one day, my husband received different advice: If their droppings are normal and their is no mucus present, better to give them vitamin water than antibiotics. So my husband stopped treating with Fluban and started giving vitamin water. But today, I insisted we try antibiotics again for a full treatment cycle because they are DYING and it’s obviously some kind of disease! It may be viral, in which case Fluban won’t help, but at least we can try.
Does anyone have any advice? My chicks and I live in Tanzania, if that makes any difference regarding local diseases.
Some background: The chicks were hatched underneath a broody hen. We decided to build the chicks a home of their own when we failed to introduce a couple of keets we purchased to the mama chicken in the hopes she’d adopt them. The adoption didn’t take, so we needed to put them some place warm. We figured we’d stick all the chicks together in a little homemade incubator.
We don’t have a thermometer in there, but I check on them regularly (seriously, like twenty times a day) and they have never displayed any signs of being too cold or too hot. They don’t huddle together (though they cuddle when sleeping, but not packed tightly) and they don’t puff out their feathers or stay in the corners away from the light.
In the bottom of their coop we placed clean, dry wood chips. I change their water regularly.
So that is our set up.
But we have a BIG problem. One by one, our chicks have been dying. First it was a couple of the smaller ones. Okay, we thought, they were just genetically weak. Can always expect to lose a couple. But even now, nearly three weeks since they hatched, seemingly strong and healthy chicks are suddenly becoming lethargic, weak, then dropping dead! We lose about one a day. We started with 16 and are now down to 6, with two currently on the death bed.
The chicks do not have diarrhea. There are no sores on their face or anywhere else on their bodies. No mucus coming from nose or eyes. Looked in their mouths, everything looks fine.
What happens is this: a seemingly healthy chick starts looking sleepy. I’ll notice his eyes are closed most of the time, but he will still be standing, moving around a little and eating (but at a reduce pace). The chick becomes progressively lethargic. Then woozy and wobbly; it starts to have trouble walking and finally standing. The chick lies down, breathing heavily, and finally dies. The whole process usually takes about 24 hours from the time it first starts to become “sleepy.”
On the advice of one vet who we spoke to over the phone, we bought Fluban (an antibiotic for treating thyphoid, etc.) But after only treating them for one day, my husband received different advice: If their droppings are normal and their is no mucus present, better to give them vitamin water than antibiotics. So my husband stopped treating with Fluban and started giving vitamin water. But today, I insisted we try antibiotics again for a full treatment cycle because they are DYING and it’s obviously some kind of disease! It may be viral, in which case Fluban won’t help, but at least we can try.
Does anyone have any advice? My chicks and I live in Tanzania, if that makes any difference regarding local diseases.
