dying baby chicks Help

[Melodie]

The shaving brand is American's Best, animal bedding, pine shavings. It is fairly large.

 

[Melodie]

I just went out and checked and the poo looks like good healthy chicken poo and I am telling you, they poo a lot!

 

[Intheswamp]

As has been mentioned, some deaths can almost be expected in a large group of chicks, that is why the hatcheries normally add some "peanuts" to the orders. Did you have any stressed, sick, or dead chicks upon receiving them?

If you're seeing most of them eating and drinking then the other chicks are pretty well doing the same. As for the crop, it should not feel like it has a hard ball in it, it should be pliable...imagine a small bag of feed that has been moistened. If the chick eats too many shavings they fill the crop and will not pass on through the gizzard, this causes an impacted crop. An impacted crop is full of non-passable material that will basically starve the chicken (no nurishment gets through), it can also "go bad" while sitting in the crop and cause bacterial infection problems.

Chicks will peck at anything and everything. For the first several days they have no idea what is food and what isn't. If they can get it in there mouth they will most likely swallow it. Thus, the reason for covering the shavings with paper towels. It doesn't take the chicks long to figure out what the food is but those few days can be dangerous for them. Long pieces of "hay" also have somewhat of a reputation for causing impacted crops in adult chickens.

I would just try to feel each one's crop and see if one or two feel "different" (as in harder) from the others...this could be what is happening. It could also just be the mortality rate of this batch of chicks that you are experiencing. It appears that several responders here have not had the best of results from MM Hatchery. But, I would imagine there are folks in the forum that have also had good results.

So how are they doing this morning?

Ed

 

[zrachie]

Hello there...I am not sure what the problem might be

Hope they are doing well. I ordered 30 chicks from McMurray and received them 2 weeks ago. They through in packing peanuts. 12 to be exact. One was DOA from being trampled and I haven't lost any. I got the brown egg layer assortment and 5 EEs, so I can speak regarding giant Cochin. Perhaps they are more fragile? Hope it turns around for you.

 

[chickenx2]

My brother ordered 8 leghorns and 8 rhode islands from Cackle Hatchery in Lebanon MO and only 3 survived - they were having a blizzard there and also there was an accident during shipping, one was slashed and arrived dead. So this might happen to you! I have a tip - no matter how cute they are, DON'T PICK THEM UP!That was probably one of the reasons that his died.

 

[prov31gal]

Quote:
why cant she pick them up? how will that cause death? picking them up will not kill them, hurt them or anything else. and as for your brothers cackle order,a vehicle accident.....thats a post office, mail delivery problem, absolutely NOT a problem with cackle. you even said it yourself....an accident during shipping. it makes me crazy when the post office screws up and people blame the hatchery! uuuugghhhh....in case you cant tell, this is a red button issue for me.

 

[Melodie]

Sorry I have been away for awhile. Can you believe it? Some times I have to do things other than playing with my chickens!!! Well, OK I had to go to the PO to pick up 8 more chicks from My Pet Chicken. They look great, they are Partridge Penedesencas. Thank you all for your great advice and you Ed, for taking so much time to respond! All chicks look fine today, I re-read my posting and I don't know what I was thinking (I didn't even have a drink!) but they are 1 1'/2 weeks old not 2 days! And that is how it seems to be going, they look great and 2 hours later they are dead. I have the new babies away from the others for that reason and also they are soooooo small! Thanks all, it is quit fun talking chickens, most my friends just don't understand and threaten to have an intervention for me.