I have approximately one week old chicks from Dick Horseman they are white crested black Polish. We got seven in the mail shipped from Pennsylvania to Florida they came during a tropical storm so there was a delay it took 36 hours to get them. Two looked very weak from the start we used a syringe to get them drinking probiotic electrolyte water They perked right up and all seven looked great. Now we has been losing one every day we are down to three and one looks like it's dying. Each one has had no respiratory symptoms, Eat, drink, and is active with the rest. Then we notice one will look a little weak and within hours It is dead. Or they all seemed fine at night and in the morning one will be dead. Even electrolyte water with the syringe does not help. I have them in a cardboard box Use pine shavings for bedding, it is very clean, with clean water. I Am going to start bottled water as we have well water that does go through a softening system. I feed fermented organic (non medicated) chick starter. Dick Horseman does not vaccinate for anything. I really was not surprised when the first one died I thought due to stress but they have been here for five days now so I don't know why they keep dying.
We also Have other chicks also from Dick Horstman. They are about five weeks old. We have lost two of those similar presentation. Now one of the older Chicks has been looking weak for 36 hours. It tends to stand with its head down even seems to doze like that, it could be because when it lays the other chickens step on it. I tried secluding it but it just screams for a siblings. We have been using the dropper to give it electrolyte water. None of our other chicks or chickens have any symptoms at all. But last week one of the older chicks did Die suddenly and another at the same time started to have bloody stool, I secluded it to make sure it was the only one Having bloody stool and it was. The next day it was fine, no more blood. The weak chick could be the same but my daughter can tell them apart and says it is not the same one. I did have a piece of carpet I was using for pics and I found them trying to eat the little pieces that fell out. A possibility of the bloody stool is it actually a piece of carpet. Also we had just started letting them go outside a little and they were playing in my flower bed so I thought they could have eaten some cypress mulch or a plant that reacted bad to them, but I have no poisonous plants in my flower bed.
I treated them with antibiotics for coccidiosis for two days just in case. The bottle says to treat for 24 hours. The two groups of chickens have had no contact to each other but their brooders are side by side.
Any ideas out there?
We also Have other chicks also from Dick Horstman. They are about five weeks old. We have lost two of those similar presentation. Now one of the older Chicks has been looking weak for 36 hours. It tends to stand with its head down even seems to doze like that, it could be because when it lays the other chickens step on it. I tried secluding it but it just screams for a siblings. We have been using the dropper to give it electrolyte water. None of our other chicks or chickens have any symptoms at all. But last week one of the older chicks did Die suddenly and another at the same time started to have bloody stool, I secluded it to make sure it was the only one Having bloody stool and it was. The next day it was fine, no more blood. The weak chick could be the same but my daughter can tell them apart and says it is not the same one. I did have a piece of carpet I was using for pics and I found them trying to eat the little pieces that fell out. A possibility of the bloody stool is it actually a piece of carpet. Also we had just started letting them go outside a little and they were playing in my flower bed so I thought they could have eaten some cypress mulch or a plant that reacted bad to them, but I have no poisonous plants in my flower bed.
I treated them with antibiotics for coccidiosis for two days just in case. The bottle says to treat for 24 hours. The two groups of chickens have had no contact to each other but their brooders are side by side.
Any ideas out there?
