Chicks w Stuffy Noses & Labored Breathing

[Crazy_Coop]

This is my first time raising chicks and I've done a lot of research however Im feeling very stuck with my chicks right now.

I have 5 chicks and they are 3 maybe 4 weeks old, my worry started when I noticed one of them had stopped eating. I didnt do anything about it for the first day and luckily the next day she started eating again however her growth was slowing down a bit compared to the others. Later that day she began drooping her wings (yes im aware this can be a sign they are hot). I texted a friend who used to be a free range chicken farmer and she advised me to clean the brooder and just keep an eye on them. I did this and then the next day when I took the one who had first worried me out to clean her pasty butt she had diarrhea three times in a row (keep in mind this was within a 15-20 minute period) there was no blood but they where insanely watery and also slightly yellow and foamy. From what I've read sometimes foamy poop can be a warning sign but often isnt anything big. Regardless they where all starting to droop their wings more and more so I decided to start them on corid.

That was a week ago and we are now on day 7 of corid treatment. They have all improved significantly and there are no droopy wings when standing however they continue to do it when laying down (often times one wings is drooping more than the other im not sure if this means anything or if its just due to they way they are laying) I've decreased the temperature and the thermometer is currently reading around 70°F which seems too low for their age and I dont believe they are too hot because they've started fluffing out their feathers which I know is a sign of coldness.

Although they have improved with wings drooping they do have stuffy noses now, and I notice quite a bit of sneezing everytime im in the room with them. Additionally the one who first caused me worry has started breathing noticably heavier. I already posted one thread about 5-6 days ago and I recieved some help but now Im at a stand still.

I do have vet rx on hand but im not sure if thats okay for chicks or if it is even the right way to go. Please if anyone has any idea what I could do please let me know.

Also sorry for the very long thread I just want to be sure im including as much info as possible!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What you describes sounds like they are just sun bathing in the lamp heat. Is that a 250 watt bulb? It may be too much for a smaller brooder.

 

[Crazy_Coop]

What you describes sounds like they are just sun bathing in the lamp heat. Is that a 250 watt bulb? It may be too much for a smaller brooder.

Yes it was a 250 watt bulb but I've now been using a ceramic heat emmiter instead.

I forgot to mention that I did experiment with turning off the lamp for a few hours and opening the window to allow the tempurature to go down. I cant recall exactly how low the temurature got but it was a fairly cold day and they started cuddling up to eachother still with droopy wings.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Yes it was a 250 watt bulb but I've now been using a ceramic heat emmiter instead.

I forgot to mention that I did experiment with turning off the lamp for a few hours and opening the window to allow the tempurature to go down. I cant recall exactly how low the temurature got but it was a fairly cold day and they started cuddling up to eachother still with droopy wings.

Drooping wings can be just because those feathers are growing in and they are heavier and uncomfortable. It's quite normal. A few of my 3 week old chicks are doing it currently.

 

[Crazy_Coop]

Drooping wings can be just because those feathers are growing in and they are heavier and uncomfortable. It's quite normal. A few of my 3 week old chicks are doing it currently.

They keep improving little by little every day which is giving me hope. Thank you for telling me that you have no idea how much that eases my anxiety.