dying EE chicks!

[Erica]

Hi Teva,

I may have missed it in the thread but have you checked for signs of coccidiosis? The earliest sign is going off feed; chicks get lethargic and stand around hunched and fluffing. Eventually the wings droop and death isn't far away. Another clear sign is really pale face (though that can be other things as well). Loose reddish or dark brown droppings (sometimes really bright red, being nearly pure blood) are signs but not always there. Chicks can go from apparently ok to near death in 24 hours with severe cocci, and 3-4 weeks of age is the right time for it to hit unfortunately.

I'm so sorry you and your daughter lost your little Minnies.

For what it's worth I gather Save-a-Chick is a probiotic/vitamin/electrolyte supplement, not a coccidiosis treatment. They need to be on Corid or something like that (ask your feed store and they'll probably have something effective for treating them). It needs to be a treatment rather than a preventive.

Good luck, I hope this helps,
Erica

 

[Teva]

That's Got to be it! Thank you so much! I'm calling the feed store now. Thank you!

 

[Teva]

This afternoon I got the medicine for cocci, cleaned the brooder, water, and feed tray with ammonia, put the medicated water AND medicated starter feed in the brooder, and tried to force feed medicated water to my polish (Belle). Didn't work; we lost her about an hour ago. So now I have three 4wk old Leghorns, and four 1wk EEs, all are bright eyed and bushy tailed for now. Brooder temp is 81.

This is the first time I've ever had chicks/chickens, and I'm starting to think I'm not cut out for it, how discouraging! At least I have six outside and two of them are laying age. If I lose the rest of these chicks, I'm sticking with grown ups from now on!

 

[Erica]

Oh Teva, I totally understand how discouraged you must feel.

For what it's worth, coccidiosis is practically everywhere. Most of us have a set program of exposing chicks very gradually.

I'm not sure if your chick starter was medicated, but usually it is and most times the medication works and chicks don't get sick (as long as they're not on really damp ground during warm weather). The more experience you have the easier it is to know the earliest signs and when to treat.

And also for what it's worth, it can often be safer to buy young chicks rather than adult birds, unless you buy from a known disease-free source (adult birds can very often bring diseases with them, and that's *very* discouraging).

I'm sorry you lost chicks, and it's so hard on children! But don't feel too discouraged; unfortunately chickens can be a little bit tricky as 'pets', but there are so many wonderful aspects.

 

[Erica]

And just another comment: I think 'sav-a-chick' should be renamed.

 

[MissTee]

Hi Teva,

I may have missed it in the thread but have you checked for signs of coccidiosis? The earliest sign is going off feed; chicks get lethargic and stand around hunched and fluffing. Eventually the wings droop and death isn't far away. Another clear sign is really pale face (though that can be other things as well). Loose reddish or dark brown droppings (sometimes really bright red, being nearly pure blood) are signs but not always there. Chicks can go from apparently ok to near death in 24 hours with severe cocci, and 3-4 weeks of age is the right time for it to hit unfortunately.

I

Thank you for this very valuable info Erica.
And sorry for your losses Teva. My heart goes out to you. Good luck with the rest of your babies. ~Tina

 

[Teva]

Thanks MissTee,

So far all are well, they've all been on Semtec since my last post. I'm waiting for my barred rock's poop to get back to normal, and then I'll take them all off of it. I really hate confining my pullets to the coop so they will drink the water though. If I let them forage, they get their water from other sources. I also have a 5 week old leghorn, I think he's going to be a roo, but he's in the house in the brooder and is still pooping weird. Looks like mustard (ugh.) He's also got a bloody scratch on his foot, I think the others are pecking at him for some reason.

 

[MissTee]

What a good Mom you are Teva!
Sounds like things are getting better over there. It's a lot of work isn't it? A lot more than I thought (going on 2nd week only) but totally worth it.I love my little girls. Are you separating the one with the scratch? Not sure if its necessary but I've heard people say its a good thing to do so they don't get pecked.
~Miss Tee

 

[Teva]

Thanks Miss Tee! Yeah I've only been doing this for a month and it sure is more work than I expected! I can't wait to get these noisy chicks out of the house LOL. I checked "whitey's" foot today and it wasn't bloody any more so I think they are over it, no I didn't separate them. Well, as soon as these 5 girls/guy get their head feathers they are outside, and then only 3 more weeks until my EEs will join them! They are so cute with their puffy little cheeks. It looks to me like one is turning blue. I'll post pictures soon!

 

[Farmatty]

Check their vents. Do they have anything sticking to them? If so, it's probably one of the many forms of coccidiosis. Get them on a sulpha based medicine mixed into their water asap. SulfaMed is usually easy to find. Chick starter isn't enough to stop it, just help prevent it from starting if they didn't have it already. Also, start feeding them green tea. Sprinkle it in with their food, it boosts their immune systems. Good luck, but remember, they are so very tiny, the smallest things are hard for them to fight off.