Chick's keep dying

[MONKEY2580]

So earlier in may I bought 13 imported English orpingtons. I was really excited to breed and sell their chicks. So that afternoon I was looking at a thread for coop brooding. So I was brooding them in the coop they had a heat lamp and the whole 9 yards. That Morin two were dead. About 3 days later another died. Then another then another. I lost 7 in total. None had any symptoms except they just got tired slept slot and died but some didn't even have that. There was one that had a violent seizure and died but I don't know what could have caused that. So the person I got them from agreed to replace them. He replaced them with older birds. The ones I got originally were one week old. The new ones are 6 weeks old. So when I got home from getting them I put them in a coop, and all seemed fine. Then about an hour later I went out to check on them and one was dead in the corner. I am so upset that this keeps happenening. I am raising them no differently than the other hundreds of chicks I have raised. I have three different coops. One for Ameraucaunas, one for pullets, and one for the orpingtons, the orpingtons' coop is about twenty or so feet away from the ameraucanas. I don't know if I need to quarantine them farther apart or what. Usually the ameraucanas free range in a big run that encloses all three coops, but for about two weeks I wasn't going to open it for them so they can't got to the orpingtons. I have no idea what is causing this or how treat it. I have the chicks on medicated feed, and electrolytes and vitamins, and I put VetX in their water. Then one of the chicks now had wry neck so I'm giving her nutri-drench orally because I read that is supposed to help. It feels like all possible chicken problems are happening to me all at once. Anyway if you guys have any idea what is going on and how to treat it, any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Okay....that is concerning.

My first thought is that the breeder is having something go through at his end. For it to happen so quickly on your property indicates strongly that the Orpingtons are bringing it with them unless some bizarre toxin is in that new coop or in the water source or that heat lamp is cooking them (but you indicate you've done lots of birds before, so I doubt it is newbie mistakes).

I would definitely keep the Orpingtons isolated, and 20 feet is closer than you probably ought to have things. If it is something infectious through dander or air, it could carry.

They are too young for Marek's, so my first guess is lurking Coccidiosis. Coccidiosis doesn't have to produce bloody diarrhea. Often the first and only symptom can be lethargy and death. The second guess is something bacterial that kicked in with the transition such as eColi or Pasturella.

The final thought, and I have had this personally, is that some specialty breeds suffer from too much in breeding such that they have very low immune systems. I had a very special type of breed that either didn't hatch or if it did hatch, the chicks succumbed to something or had to be culled within days or a couple of months. I lost the whole batch.

Sorry for your losses. I know exactly how frustrating this can be.

My thoughts.

 

[MONKEY2580]

Thank you very much for your input. I don't have a heat lamp in their coop because they are fully feathered out. When I got them they were already outside. I would gladly isolate them farther away but I have no other place for them to go. I don't know what else I can do. And the coop after all the young chick's died I went in and lathered it in bleach water. The only possible thong I think it might be is that I have young ameraucanas in there for a few days before, and when I brought them home I didn't change the bedding because there was barely any poop on it. Should I empty the frefers and waterer and clean them really super well?

 

[CuzChickens]

THAT IS DEVASTATING!!!!!!! I got nothin, except I am crying for you!!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Okay....that is concerning.

My first thought is that the breeder is having something go through at his end. For it to happen so quickly on your property indicates strongly that the Orpingtons are bringing it with them unless some bizarre toxin is in that new coop or in the water source or that heat lamp is cooking them (but you indicate you've done lots of birds before, so I doubt it is newbie mistakes).

I would definitely keep the Orpingtons isolated, and 20 feet is closer than you probably ought to have things. If it is something infectious through dander or air, it could carry.

They are too young for Marek's, so my first guess is lurking Coccidiosis. Coccidiosis doesn't have to produce bloody diarrhea. Often the first and only symptom can be lethargy and death. The second guess is something bacterial that kicked in with the transition such as eColi or Pasturella.

The final thought, and I have had this personally, is that some specialty breeds suffer from too much in breeding such that they have very low immune systems. I had a very special type of breed that either didn't hatch or if it did hatch, the chicks succumbed to something or had to be culled within days or a couple of months. I lost the whole batch.

Sorry for your losses. I know exactly how frustrating this can be.

My thoughts.

Quote: @Lady of McCamley has given you some good advice. Cocci is a strong possibility.

Another thought is did you get them locally or did their arrival include being shipped from another location. Shipping stress could be a factor.
I do recommend that you change the bedding, clean feeders/waterers.

Dosage for Cocci is 1 1/2 teaspoons Corid powder per gallon or 2 teaspoons of 9.6% Corid liquid per gallon. Give for 5-7 days - make sure this is the ONLY water available during that time period. Mix a fresh batch at least once a day.

Give probiotics or plain yogurt, and some poultry vitamins when they finish the Corid.

 

[MONKEY2580]

I thought the cord and medicated feed worked against eachother?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It's generally the same medication. The feed has a very small amount of amprol so dosing with Corid will be fine.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I've also used Sulmet and gotten fast results especially if you suspicion it could be something bacterial.

Transition stress easily triggers overgrowth of laten bacterial and coccidia presence.

And yes, the Amprolium in the medicated feed is the same medicine as in the Corid, just at a much lighter dose. It's intent in medicated feed is to keep the coccidia load low enough that the bird develops a natural immunity to it since coccida are almost always present in the soil. The point is to keep them at bay in the bird and in the environment. Once overgrowth develops such that it overwhelms the system, then stronger dosage is needed. You generally do not feed the medicated feed and dose with Corid at the same time (although I doubt it would really hurt anything as the Amprolium in feed is very low level).

These birds brought something in with them... because of the immediate flare up from transition stress....and yes if it was distance travel, then travel stress as well. That points to bacterial or coccida in the system with my thoughts of specialized breeding creating a general lower immune response.

LofMc