Chicks flip over and can't get up.

[bock]

Thanks everyone! Unfortunately, I went out there at 2:30 last night and two more were dead, lying on their backs. One of the EEs and BRs were flipped over too and struggling. After about 5 minutes, the BR died. This morning, the EE was on its back again and several others are getting weaker.

I do not understand. They are definitely warm enough, they even got too hot yesterday. I raised up the lamps and they seem perfectly comfortable. I feel terrible, and I just lost about $40 worth of chicks. I am emailing Belt hatchery about this to ask about a refund. I was planning on starting a small egg business with these chickens, it is going to be awfully hard if they are all dead. I don't want to go to the feedstore just to have all these die off too. I have raised over 40 ducklings and 15 chicks over the years with minimal deaths, and now I can't even keep 24 chicks alive for 4 days!

Sorry, I am off my soapbox now.

 

[JustAChickenLittle&More]

I know how you feel

I lost about $200.00 on eggs in the last 6 months. This has been a season so far. I still think it has to be related to this crazy weather somehow. I have one chick in the bator I need to cull. He can't stand up. I don't know how to do it painlessly. ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chickened]

Sounds like congenital tremors. Not much you can do. Sorry

 

[KatieBugg]

I have a little production red chick that I got at Orscheln last week do this, she would look up and fall over backwards and couldn't get up. Now I don't remember where but I had read about chicks looking up (stargazing) and falling over, the article said it was a vitamin deficiency, sorry can't remember which vitamin. I treated the chick with Poulrty Drench vitamin supplement for 3 dys and fed her egg yolk, she is now 8 days old and running around like nothing was wrong!!! The little chick was freebie the sales lady threw in with the rest because she didn't think she was going to make it and thought I could at least give her a chance.

 

[HEChicken]

I'm so sorry to hear you are still having issues with these chicks. I agree this sounds like some kind of condition but I'm not familiar with what it might be. I was hoping someone might have been able to give you a better idea of it by now. It does sound like you are doing all the right things - heat, food, water, checking on them regularly etc. Someone else mentioned putting them on towels and I think that is a good suggestion. The advantage of towels for you with the issue you're having might be that they would be able to get more purchase with their claws in the cloth, to turn themselves over?

I've brooded multiple batches over the past few years and always done the shavings covered by paper towel for the first few days as recommended by many on here. This last time, when it came time to remove the paper towels I didn't want to - I like how much cleaner it stays with them in there. So I replaced the paper towel with an old towel and then for good measure got some more old towels from the thrift store. They're now 4 weeks old and I've replaced the towel with newspaper (didn't do this until they were 3 1/2 weeks old though, when there was no danger of them slipping on the paper). I'm sold on towels now and won't go back to shavings.

 

[pips&peeps]

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[bock]

Thanks for the support everyone. When I went out there again an EE was dead and an RIR died after I helped her up. There are three more that are not looking good. The rest of them are completely fine though. I got a thermometer that is consistently 6 degrees off out of the old bator. So, the brooder temp is about 96 degrees.

What are congenital tumors? Is there anything I can do to help them, and will the others die from it too? Are the tumors the hatchery's fault technically? Thanks everyone.

 

[chickened]

They are tremors not tumors and they are thought to be hereditary or from hatching problems/injuries. I have had some limited luck propping the chicks up in a makeshift box and they made it but then I am not sure it was tremors at that point. I would contact the hatchery promptly and take some photos and ask them what they think it is and work with them and usually this will make replacements easier by showing the hatchery you did all possible on your end.
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[bock]

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Oh tremors, my mistake. I am not sure if I would want a replacement, since it would probably happen again. I will definitely take pics for a refund though. Thanks again.