Dying chicks

[annanicole18]

Well this is a first for me and I am pretty devastated. I would say my hatch is over on day 23. Now I have chicks dying. They seem to be the last ones hatched? Noticed some possible spradle leg this morning in one and figured I would follow up this afternoon. Come home to a 75% dead chick another about halfway there and two more are looking iffy. So symptoms are splayed legs and not able to support neck. Anyone have ideas? Disease or not stong birds? The chicks are marans both black with one blue looking questionable. The other is a lavender Orpington that is looking off. The other 10 are happy as clams doing their chick things.

 

[Cyprus]

What are you using for bedding? Do they have a heat source? What are you feeding them, and have you shown them where the water is?

Check the chick over and take notice of the condition of:

1. Their vent
2. Their Naval

Also, did you assist hatch? Does it appear that the chicks have absorbed all of their yolks?

 

[annanicole18]

Pine shavings as bedding, heat lamp for heat, being fed medicated chick starter, have shown them water multiple times and have witnessed them drinking. Same set up I usually use and had chicks all hatch healthy in early December and thrice.
Yolks seem to be fully absorbed and no poop is stuck by their vent. I did not assist hatching though maybe I should have as I had two others die in their eggs pipped but not quite zipped. Of course it is hard to tell them all apart but it seems the four struggling were the most recently hatched amd took a long time to hatch. Hatched early yesterday instead of the day before like most of the others.

 

[chickendreams24]

Do you have any electrolytes on hand/is here any in their water?

Poultry nutridrench
Polyvisol human infant drops(without iron)
save a chick electrolytes.

Sounds like possibly a deficiency to me. I'm sure someone else will answer too.

 

[RockyVanRhodes]

Do the chicks huddle close together under the heat lamp? And maybe electrolytes will work, i havent ever tried them on my chicks, but ive not seen those symptoms with my chicks...

 

[annanicole18]

No electrolytes on hand but I can get some shortly.

Huddling up to sleep but moving independently as well. Not so huddled I am worried they are cold.