Did I buy the wrong starter feed?

[barred2rock]

Dave,

I'm kind of new at chickens, however I recently had a 15 week old chicken die from Wry neck. She did not develop it until she was about 6 to 8 weeks old. I was told she got that and it was probably passed on from her parents who were low on Vit E. Well my chicken died today from Wry neck. Previously i would not feed the medicated food, now however i am a firm believer in it. It would have prevented my baby Blue from getting Wry neck. I now also add Save A Chick to their water as it contains Vit E. I also feed them yogurt, it has loads of protein. I learned allot from other people who have chickens and from the Barn where I got my chicks. Now I have 14 healthy chickens, and i will continue to always be sure I give baby chicks water with Vit E "Save A Chick " in it and medicated chick starter food, the crumble is easiest for them to eat, and they love it. Good luck to you, I hope this helps. My baby Blue, RIPView attachment 1027830

It's tough enough to lose them as chicks, it's got to get worse over time. I'm sorry for your loss, may Baby Blue rest in peace.

 

[debid]

I saw that when researching BMD after I got home and thought, gee, that doesn't sound right at all! Thanks for all the input, everyone!

And debid, I'm in Middle TN myself! Howdy, neighbor!

I wonder if you were shopping at the same store? I went in not too long ago and got a bag of unmedicated but it's very strange how they question you about your flock before reluctantly selling it. You'd think the opposite would be true -- question people wanting medicated about their needs/goals so they get the right kind.

Dave,

I'm kind of new at chickens, however I recently had a 15 week old chicken die from Wry neck. She did not develop it until she was about 6 to 8 weeks old. I was told she got that and it was probably passed on from her parents who were low on Vit E. Well my chicken died today from Wry neck. Previously i would not feed the medicated food, now however i am a firm believer in it. It would have prevented my baby Blue from getting Wry neck. I now also add Save A Chick to their water as it contains Vit E. I also feed them yogurt, it has loads of protein. I learned allot from other people who have chickens and from the Barn where I got my chicks. Now I have 14 healthy chickens, and i will continue to always be sure I give baby chicks water with Vit E "Save A Chick " in it and medicated chick starter food, the crumble is easiest for them to eat, and they love it. Good luck to you, I hope this helps. My baby Blue, RIPView attachment 1027830

How does feed that blocks uptake of thiamine (B1) prevent a deficiency of vitamin E? I don't understand how those things could be related?

 

[PerlAddict]

You never know, Debid ... it's a small world out there! But probably not. They didn't ask me anything, actually; I just started blabbing.

I ordered this little kit with our chicks that includes a couple of "Sav-A-Chick" packets: http://chickensforbackyards.com/Kick-Start-Health-Pack-MV21.htm

From reading the descriptions on Sav-A-Chick's website, it looks like we just give this to them when they first arrive to help boost them after the stress of shipping. Any thoughts on if I should give them plain water without the supplements, too? Or at least how long to give the supplemented water for (not sure how quickly 8 chicks will go through a gallon of water?). Saw something that said giving Vitamin E for too long was bad for them. So much information - sorting out the facts from the opinions is the hard part! My wife also read somewhere that the water is supposed to be warmed to about 98°F the first day, but I can't find anything in my searches about drinking water temp for baby chicks.

Never heard of Wry Neck before. It seems like every time I turn around, I find out about some other terrible sounding sickness chickens can come down with. Very sorry for your loss, Whisperer.

 

[debid]

Any thoughts on if I should give them plain water without the supplements, too? Or at least how long to give the supplemented water for (not sure how quickly 8 chicks will go through a gallon of water?). Saw something that said giving Vitamin E for too long was bad for them. So much information - sorting out the facts from the opinions is the hard part! My wife also read somewhere that the water is supposed to be warmed to about 98°F the first day, but I can't find anything in my searches about drinking water temp for baby chicks.

I've never given anything but plain water but then I've always bought locally hatched, too, and never had a poorly chick. Lots of different situations lead to a wide variety of experiences. I know the product you're getting is very popular for helping with shipping stress. Nutridrench is as well. The danger is that people give too much thinking more is better but anything containing salt/vitamins bears a risk of overdose. So, I'd follow label directions to the letter.