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I am sorry to hear about all the problems you are having with your chicks. It does sound like a problem with genetics,food or water. Is this feed the same as the feed you are giving your older hens. It may have too much calcium if so.
I put my second round of chicks on lockdown Tuesday. These are being hatched in my home made incubator. The one made from the wine incubator. I will find out if the modifications made a difference. 12 eggs made it to lockdown. I have 4 pips so far this evening:). I should wake up to some little ones in the morning.
I have the next round of eggs ready to go after these. They will be silkie americauna mixes. I am anxious to see the results.
 
suncatcher said:
Sorry, you hare having to deal with this.
hugs.gif
Is hard seeing them thrive one day and be gone the next. Are they getting a draft somehow? Not sure what could be going on since you have had them for over a week one would think they are pass the initial shock of being shipped. Maybe it is the hatchery????? To far to travel? If I remember correctly, you had trouble last year too with the same hatchery.

Could it be the organic feed is off somehow? Maybe a small bag of medicated feed for the first week would help, sure can't hurt. I have never done the AVC or vitamins in the water with any of mine, so I have no experience with that. Are any of your girls broody? Could you put some out with a momma hen? My advise, keep it simple, is what Mother Nature does!!!
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I am going to pick up some new food tomorrow. I gave them plain water today. I was thinking maybe they don't like the flavor and aren't drinking enough? Yes, same hatchery as last year with the same problems. My daughter and I were just talking about how our first few batches of chicks we didn't do anything special, cardboard box with a light, plain water, and food and didn't have any losses. I think I need to go back to that. No drafts, and there are two brooders in separate rooms in the house so if it was that we should only be having losses in one area.

Pozees said:
Call the hatchery. If it was coccidiosis you would see some with symptoms (droopy, puffy). What breed are the chicks? Find out if others who have received chicks, particularly the same breed(s), are having losses. Meanwhile get some Oxine if you can and put 2-3 tablespoons in a nebulizing humidifier and mist them - with chicks that young I would suggest warm mist, a few minutes at a time, 5-6 times a day if you can. It cannot hurt them and may help.

Sudden, asymptomatic death usually indicates cardiac or genetic problems. There is no way to be certain it is one of these two things, I just can't think of any infectious cause that would not have symptoms - sneezing, lethargy, refusing food and water, etc.

Only other thing I can think to try is changing food and giving them bottled water with maybe a teaspoon of molasses per quart. The feed could be mixed wrong, the water may have something in it, but again, I still think you would be seeing some kind of symptoms before death. I think this is nothing you can control, there is something wrong with the chicks' genetics. I am sorry you are having this problem. The hatchery should know by now if others are having problems.
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The first couple we could tell weren't going to make it, they acted weak and wobbly and had no interest in food but the last 4-5 have been complete shocks. I check on them before I go to bed and they are acting fine, wake up and they are dead.
I am on a thread for this hatchery that has quite a few people that have received chicks and aren't having the problems I am. They are all different breeds so it's not just one. One other person said they lost 10 out of 80 chicks they got from this hatchery once that were unexplained but that's it. I have let the hatchery know about it just in case others have similar problems.

samsr said:
I am sorry to hear about all the problems you are having with your chicks. It does sound like a problem with genetics,food or water. Is this feed the same as the feed you are giving your older hens. It may have too much calcium if so.
I put my second round of chicks on lockdown Tuesday. These are being hatched in my home made incubator. The one made from the wine incubator. I will find out if the modifications made a difference. 12 eggs made it to lockdown. I have 4 pips so far this evening:). I should wake up to some little ones in the morning.
I have the next round of eggs ready to go after these. They will be silkie americauna mixes. I am anxious to see the results.
Click to expand...

It is the same brand of feed but it is starter, my older girls get layer. I'm very anxious to see your silkie americauna mixes too. It's a mix we want to try ourselves one day.


I think our little bantam blue americauna is a boy (I can see very faint ridges on its comb), and also one of the frizzle bantam cochins. If anyone is interested they'll be for sale. I'm going to let them grow out a little more to make sure of their gender but thought I'd put it out there just in case. :)
 
Update on the pips. One is bow out and my daughter tells me that another will benout soon. I still have the other two pipped also. No silkie eggs have piped yet. They seem to be a little slower at hatching than the larger eggs.
 
wsmith said:
From my Doms, got 12 eggs from 14 hens yesterday!!! And 3 EE eggs too!
7 of the 8 breeders laid yesterday. Pen 4 is picking up!
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Outstanding. I got 10 eggs out of 13 hens yesterday. I would like to see about purchasing some of your eggs for hatching the next round if you are selling them yet. Send me a pm with a price when you get a chance.
 
trsturself- I agree that going back to the basics is best. Sugar water and all that can cause dehydration very quickly (which causes cardiac issues.) I just use plain water and sprinkle probiotic powder on their food for a couple of days.

Congrats on the eggs and the hatchings you all! My ladies have picked up the egg production as well. Breakfast is extra special!
 
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