Colorado

[suncatcher]

I'm so frustrated. Chicks just don't seem to do well in this house! I thought maybe it was our brooder last year but with two new brooders in two different rooms in the house, I can rule that out. We lost another chick this morning (the last weak one from the start) and a seemingly healthy one just became lethargic and won't eat/drink. This is the same thing that happened last year. I treated for cocci last year just in case and it didn't change the outcome.
One brooder has the eco glow, the other has a lamp. The chicks run around like the temp is good, no huddling and no avoiding the lamp/brooder. They have food and clean water (changed multiple times a day with vitamins added). Their brooders are cleaned every couple days.
I can't figure out why we are losing so many. A few I could tell wouldn't make it as soon as we took them out of the box but the one today seemed fine the whole week. Very frustrating. I have tried force feeding them but it doesn't help or maybe it helps them last a day or two extra but it never gets them to improve. I wonder if there is something in the house that any chick with a weakness just can't handle? Problem with that theory is we seem to do fine with the feed store chicks, only lost 1 out of 9 of those compared to 8 out of 25 of the shipped chicks.

I don't think it is your house either, or you!!! Are you feeding medicated feed? I ask because I have used it with no problems. Also, why vitamins in the water? Just curious, as I have never used them, since the feed is a complete feed. Agree you can scramble or boil some eggs for those not doing well, is a great way to give them protein, or just as a pick me up, and they love them. With shipped chicks you may lose a few, and the one that just passed may have had something wrong with it to begin with, it just happens. I have never ordered chicks from Meyers, have ordered from Strombergs, and had five out of 25 DOA, but could have been due to temps, as they shipped in February, chicks did not travel far, only from NM.

 

[suncatcher]

This Sunday at the Brighton swap---am bringing this young pair of mille fleur bantam cochin. To go as a pair. Also wll have a mature rooster and 5 or so off color partridge straight run silkie chicks.

i

They are lovely Shylee. Hope someone here is interested in them, would love to see pictures as they mature.

 

[ShysCreations]

Did he take a position on vaccinations?  How interesting, I bet it was a good talk and good conversation afterwards!

He did offer suggestions appropriate for Colorado area and small flocks. But each person needs to consider their own situation and their flocks purpose. Below is quoted from his handout-
" Species Vaccines recommended if showing, in order
of importance

Chicken Marek’s, Salmonella, Newcastle, bronchitis, LT?,
Pigeon pox?, Avian pox? (there is no canary pox
for chickens), Fowl cholera?, encephalomyelitis?,
coccidiosis?,
Quail
Ducks Pigeon pox?, duck viral enteritis?
Game birds Avian pox?, fowl cholera?
Geese Pigeon pox?,
Pheasant LT?, fowl cholera?, encephalomyelitis?
Pigeons PMV (Paramyxovirus-1), salmonella, pigeon pox?,
Poultry, domestic Pigeon pox?,
Quail Pigeon pox?, quail pox?, encephalomyelitis? (Coturnix quail)
Ratites Encephalomyelitis?, fowl pox? EEE/WEE/WN virus?
Turkey Newcastle, Avian Pox?, Pigeon pox?, Fowl Cholera?, encephalomyelitis?

The ? indicates that this vaccine is available for that species, yet for the average home flock it is questionable in our area. What is recommended down south may be different than up in our area.
Commercial poultry facilities and show flocks are treated differently. For the average home flock Marek's vaccine is maybe all that is indicated, unless a disease has been diagnosed on the premises"

 

[saellis]

You can make up all of the excuses that you want, but WE KNOW that Spring Fever has you in its grips and you just want to get out there and build something - anything!

I've been forced to retrofit all my next boxes with rollaway bottoms to foil my eggeater. I have one girl that goes through egg-eating binges and then stops for no apparent reason so I built one special nest box last year to keep the eggs away from her vicious beak. Earlier in the week was the last straw. She raided an egg that was under another hen who was trying to lay. She just barged into the occupied nest box and shoved her head under the other girl to eat the egg. In the past when she had one of her egg cravings I would block off the other nest boxes but now that the girls are laying more eggs, I need more than one box at a time. So far they are all taking to it ok with only one egg being laid in a garden bed while I was building yesterday. The only problem I see so far is that some of my girls like to scratch and claw as they labour with their egg so the felt covered floors may take a beating.


The nest box floors have been covered with felt since taking this picture

 

[Cloudwatcher]

I am in Jefferson Colorado ~ looks like no body has posted since 2007-08. Are you all still out there?

 

[Mtn Margie]

I am in Jefferson Colorado ~ looks like no body has posted since 2007-08. Are you all still out there?

We are all here! Welcome!

 

[trsturself]

I have done egg for them, I'll give them some yogurt today. I did the vitamins because that had been suggested before. I didn't do medicated feed this time. I ordered some organic feed from Azure (Rogue) which is what I feed my older girls (expect layer of course). I just said to my daughter last night that maybe we need to go buy a small bag of medicated feed. A few of them had pasty butt but we took care of that (ACV and oatmeal) and we haven't had any problems with that for awhile. Woke up this morning to 2 more dead. Both of those chicks have been acting perfectly fine all the way up to last night. It's so confusing! I have no idea why they are dying. We are almost to 50% dead!

 

[suncatcher]

I have done egg for them, I'll give them some yogurt today. I did the vitamins because that had been suggested before. I didn't do medicated feed this time. I ordered some organic feed from Azure (Rogue) which is what I feed my older girls (expect layer of course). I just said to my daughter last night that maybe we need to go buy a small bag of medicated feed. A few of them had pasty butt but we took care of that (ACV and oatmeal) and we haven't had any problems with that for awhile. Woke up this morning to 2 more dead. Both of those chicks have been acting perfectly fine all the way up to last night. It's so confusing! I have no idea why they are dying. We are almost to 50% dead!

Sorry, you hare having to deal with this. 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!!!

 

[Pozees]

I have done egg for them, I'll give them some yogurt today. I did the vitamins because that had been suggested before. I didn't do medicated feed this time. I ordered some organic feed from Azure (Rogue) which is what I feed my older girls (expect layer of course). I just said to my daughter last night that maybe we need to go buy a small bag of medicated feed. A few of them had pasty butt but we took care of that (ACV and oatmeal) and we haven't had any problems with that for awhile. Woke up this morning to 2 more dead. Both of those chicks have been acting perfectly fine all the way up to last night. It's so confusing! I have no idea why they are dying. We are almost to 50% dead!

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.

 

[Pozees]

I am in Jefferson Colorado ~ looks like no body has posted since 2007-08. Are you all still out there?

What Mtn Margie said! Do you have chickens? Tell us about them if you do, tell us what you want if you don't have them yet