Cornish cross chicks doing terribly

[Kmagers]

This is our 3rd time doing cornish cross for meat and this is the first time I've experienced any of this. We received about 113 chicks in the mail the first week of September, everyone alive and well. Within the first 7 days a few died. We then moved them into the chicken tractor out on grass because it was getting so warm in the brooder and started finding 1-2 dead every day for unknown reasons. Many didn't (and still don't) walk well and started looking deformed in the legs. They don't eat or drink much, just lay around. We are down to probably 90 chicks and they're 5 weeks old and look like they're 2 weeks old.
They're processing date is in 2 weeks, which I'll be cancelling.

I don't know if anyone has thoughts. There's plenty of feeders and waterers, I've given ACV and electrolytes, the feed is from Homestead Heritage and is 20% protein. We've done the exact same process as we did with our last 2 batches where we only lost 2 chickens from day 1 to processing day and ended up with healthy, 6+ lb chicken.

I'm concerned they're even healthy to keep and eat in the end..

Thank you all!
-concerned chicken mama

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Can you post pics of a few of these? And maybe a pic of the setup you're keeping them in? What is the temp in the brooder? How do their poops look? Are their crops full at night and do they empty in the morning? Is there plain water available as well as the ACV water?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Can you send one of the dead chicks off to your state lab for a necropsy to determine cause of death? Do not freeze the body, but double wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to send off. Stand by for a list of state labs.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

State labs for necropsy:

https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

If you've done this before with no issue and now you're having a major issue, I wonder if the batch you got is just unhealthy. Which hatchery did you get them from? I'd call them and say what is going on. At least maybe you could get a partial refund or something. I know that doesn't help the living chicks you do have, which is sad, but it is what it is. I agree with others about the necropsy.

Maybe try giving chicks who look sickly a boost. I've had to do that with some CX I've had. You can use a syringe (without the needle) to hand feed them. You can give them egg yolks, nutri-drench, a molasses/water mix, etc. I had to do that with my current batch and I didn't have anything on hand so I used the recipe from this article and they all bounced back! I'm not saying this will 100% fix your issue, but it's worth a shot to try it any time you see a chick looking weak. I'll usually hand feed them 2-3 times per day, usually 1-2 ml at a time.

 

[Kmagers]

State labs for necropsy:

https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

This was a super helpful resource. I called the one in Center Texas and the vet got on the phone with me and he said it sounds a lot like rickets. I get our feed from a local Homestead that makes their own and I have used it in the past and I’m using it for my layers currently. But if the chicks have rickets, is that something that I could change their feed and it would be good in the end? Or is it too late?

I am also going to send a couple to them Monday to check.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

This was a super helpful resource. I called the one in Center Texas and the vet got on the phone with me and he said it sounds a lot like rickets. I get our feed from a local Homestead that makes their own and I have used it in the past and I’m using it for my layers currently. But if the chicks have rickets, is that something that I could change their feed and it would be good in the end? Or is it too late?

I am also going to send a couple to them Monday to check.

I know nothing of rickets. Let's ask some of the Educators.
@Eggcessive
@Wyorp Rock
@azygous
@coach723

 

[Eggcessive]

I would definitely get a necropsy from the state vet. Did you get these meat birds from the same place you have before? It sounds like they could be suffering from shipping stress, or were a weak batch, possibly from breeders that were not given a balanced diet. Rickets is a vitamin mineral disorder related to calcium, vitamin D3, and phosphorus balance. Is your feed a balanced good feed for meat birds? Here is some reading about rickets:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...ement-poultry/mineral-deficiencies-in-poultry

 

[coach723]

I've never dealt with rickets, but meat birds do need a higher protein feed since their growth is so rapid. Don't know if that is a a contributing factor or not, the necropsy would be a very good idea to ID what is going on, and I would try a higher protein feed intended for meat birds specifically, and see if it helps. I have, in the past, gotten a batch of layer chicks that didn't do well, seemed like the genetic line, or whatever hatch conditions were, was just not good, so it can happen. The parent stock could also have been deficient, setting them up for issues before they even hatched. Hopefully necropsy will give helpful info.