Choked to Death(?)

[1hawaiian]

In the past 5 days I've had 3 chicks die they were going on 4 weeks old....I believe it's from choking on slivers found in my wood shavings/sawdust

Has anyone experienced this problem before?

 

[azygous]

Are the shavings pine or cedar? If they're cedar, that's probably the problem as they're toxic to chickens.

I'm so sorry you have the grief of three chicks dying to deal with. It really hurts, losing them.

 

[junebuggena]

All 12 of mine have regularly nibbled on their pine shavings since they were days old. They have grown up just fine. Eating the occasional shaving won't kill them. Did you use cedar or redwood shavings? Those are toxic. Did they show any signs of illness?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Unless necropsy revealed a crop or digestive tract packed with shavings, I would doubt that is the cause - especially given the age of the chicks involved and the fact that multiple birds were lost in a short span of time. I would be evaluating any remaining birds (and thinking back over the ones that have passed) to pinpoint symptoms to aid in providing an actual diagnosis - and doing so sooner rather than later as with situations like this treatment time is of the essence to give any hope of saving remaining birds.

 

[1hawaiian]

Thanks for all the replies....

There's no cedar in these shavings I got from my local woodworkers shop.

The reason Im suspecting the slivers is that ALL of my 6 girls were doing great from now til about 3-4 weeks of age,
but as they are getting bigger they are really eating heavily and after the first 2 died a couple days apart from each other they died right next to the feeder.

So I put their feeder on a large cafeteria type tray and all seemed good...but when I checked on them late afternoon yesterday I found another one died probably scratching for food right next to the tray as the feeder was quite empty and I was planning to refill for afternoon feeding.

All these birds had been thriving and been strong just minutes before...they just upped and died next to the feeder, hence I believe it is from choking to death on small slivers of wood as there are sharp slivers in this batch of wood shavings/dust...somewhat a medium coarse mix.

I've never imagined these chicks would have the potential to choke on this stuff...for now Im going to remove all this material and put them on newspaper and order some wood shavings made for pets on AMAZON.

This has been a tough lesson learned and thought I'd ask if anyone else has experienced this before.

There is no toxic wood such as cedar or walnut shavings in this material as I asked the woodworker.

Im super bummed at the moment...thanks for your folks help much appreciated

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Thanks for all the replies....

There's no cedar in these shavings I got from my local woodworkers shop.

The reason Im suspecting the slivers is that ALL of my 6 girls were doing great from now til about 3-4 weeks of age,
but as they are getting bigger they are really eating heavily and after the first 2 died a couple days apart from each other they died right next to the feeder.

So I put their feeder on a large cafeteria type tray and all seemed good...but when I checked on them late afternoon yesterday I found another one died probably scratching for food right next to the tray as the feeder was quite empty and I was planning to refill for afternoon feeding.

All these birds had been thriving and been strong just minutes before...they just upped and died next to the feeder, hence I believe it is from choking to death on small slivers of wood as there are sharp slivers in this batch of wood shavings/dust...somewhat a medium coarse mix.

I've never imagined these chicks would have the potential to choke on this stuff...for now Im going to remove all this material and put them on newspaper and order some wood shavings made for pets on AMAZON.

This has been a tough lesson learned and thought I'd ask if anyone else has experienced this before.

There is no toxic wood such as cedar or walnut shavings in this material as I asked the woodworker.

Im super bummed at the moment...thanks for your folks help much appreciated

I still do not believe your birds are dying from the cause you suspect. What breed(s) are your birds? What temperature is the brooder in the warmest and coolest area of the space? What brand and formula of feed are you providing? While it is certainly your prerogative to remove the bedding and replace it with another type, your birds will be better served by actually determining the cause of death and taking appropriate measures to address that cause. As you have seen, the progression is rapid, so too must be the response and treatment.

ETA - you mention "the afternoon feeding" - how much food are you offering, how many times per day and how many birds, total, are you intending this feed to provide for?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Please don't use newspaper! Its slick, and you might have to add slipped tendons and splayed legs to your list of problems. Opt for paper towels, or even straw or grass clippings instead

 

[21hens-incharge]

Even pine if treated can be toxic. There are markings on the boards that indicate with treated if it is chemically treated or heat treated.
I would stick with good ole pine shavings for animals.