Dying Chicks :-(

[blueeyedskyfarm]

Hi Everyone!

I am new on here and am hoping you guys can shed some insight to my problem.

I'm a new chicken owner and have recently bought a few different breeds of 3-4 week old chicks. One set from one breeder and another set from a different breeder. I have them separated as I read I should and things were fine.

2 days after I bought the first set from a breeder in Western Mass one of the chicks started to look unwell, droopy dirty feathers, non stop peeping, not eating or drinking, dirty butt etc. So I separated it out from the rest but it in a new cage with fresh food, water etc and he seemed to rapidly get worse, unmoving except for breathing and that seemed labored, eyes closed. About 4 hours later...dead chick. My son was crushed. I thought perhaps he had handled it to roughly and maybe stressed it out.

I did my final checks last night and everybody looked good, eating, drinking, scratching... this morning I go out and one of my Silkies is laying dead in the cage! The second chick from the same breeder! He was fine yesterday and looked fine last night and this morning dead.

Now for backround I clean and refill the waterer and feeder twice a day (probably excessive but I'm OCD) I clean the coop, fluff the bedding and make sure everyone is comfy and happy. I am feeding medicated chick starter as I was recommended too and just simply baffled. Is this natural? Way of life sort of thing? Or abnormal?

Thank you in advance for your help, I did search the forum and non of the posts sounded similar hence the new thread.

Terri

 

[Monguire]

While I'm also a new chicken owner, three things you mention stand out to me...."non stop peeping" (i.e., distress of some sort), "not eating or drinking" and "dirty butt". If you aren't familiar with pasty butt, it might be worth your time to search the forums here and learn more about this condition from the experts. It's basically when poo clogs up/covers-over the vent and doesn't permit the chick to excrete waste. With no means to expel, the chicks will die.

My wife and I are probably a little OCD when it comes to making sure our week-olds have clear vents (they probably get warm-water bum-baths more than they need!) but it seems like a small price to pay to keep them healthy.

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Sorry about your chicks. Are you still giving them heat? What temperature are you keeping them at?
At 3/4 weeks would also consider coccidia, medicated feed does not have enough amprolium in it if the chicks have an outbreak/are already sick.

 

[blueeyedskyfarm]

Thank you I did look that up and that may have been what befell the first chick, as for the second one I have not clue what could've happened. I had not been giving them heat since it was 80 degrees out and not going below 70 at night. I did buy a heat lamp since then because of the amount of rain we have and the drop in the temps may be part of the problem. Everyone seems happy now so far, I'm just keeping a close eye, hopefully I don't lose anyone else.

 

[suki'smom]

Even though it is warm out the chicks still need access to a heat lamp 24/7 at this age. If they get too warm they will move away from it. They lose body heat too quickly to be without one.

 

[blueeyedskyfarm]

Thank you this is clearly a learn as you go kind of thing since both breeders assured me that I didn't need to buy a heat lamp lol Everyone seems happy although I had an incident with my older birds today, two leghorns and two comets, the leghorns pecked one of the comets tail feathers completely out and now she has a bloody and bleeding vent :-( I've seperated her and have had to clean her with a warm cloth twice since the poop is getting stuck. Hopefully she pulls through.

 

[duckiesacres]

Chickens love the color red and will keep picking. I am very sorry to hear about your loss though. Pasty butt is a pain, but the babies are worth keeping at it.

 

[3riverschick]

Hi bueeyedskyfarm !

and

Couple of things. You can buy a product called "Blue Kote". It helps wound heal and is blue in color. While chicks are attracted
to red and will peck at it, not so with the color blue. Lets the chick heal while left alone by other birds.
Second, what kind of light are you using? I had an issue with that recently. I had 250 red heat lights in my brooders and the chicks
seemed to be "wilting" even tho the thermometer/hygrometer said the temp and humidity were correct. Confused, I started looking
thru BYC and came across a member who explained the difference in 250 "heat" lamps and incandescent blubs. The "heat" lamp
bulbs throw heat which not only heat the general area, they heat "individual objects" within that area. i.e. the chicks. On the other hand,
the incandescent bulbs throw off heat, but just heat the general area, not individual objects in that area. So, when I was using the
250 red heat blubs, I was individually overheating my chicks even tho the stats looked correct. I took out the 250 reds and put in
60 watt white incandescents. The chicks are much happier and not wilted anymore. I know excessive heat and dryness can cause
pasty butt. I am giving my chicks a Bovidr Nutri-Drench product and that may be why they didn't get pasty butt even tho they were
overheated. They are doing much better now. I always give my chicks Nutri-Drops or Nutri-Drench for the1st 2 weeks to get them
off to a strong start. I use it during times of stress in their lives when the stress might be interfering with the effectiveness with which
the digestive tract might be uptaking nutrition.. Here's a fuller explanation:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/746509/how-to-deal-with-travel-stress-in-baby-chicks Travel stress is only one aspect if stress for
which I use these products for over a decade. Poultry Nutri-Drench and Pet Nutri-Drops can be used interchangeably with the same
dosage and usage instructions per a conversation I had with the science techs at Bovider Labs which makes both products.

Best Regards,
Karen and the Light Sussex
in western PA, USA