Dying White Leghorn Chicks Please help

[Judy]

Just ran across another thread on diarrhea with some good info from people who have a lot more experience than I do (what I say comes mostly from reading here

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=189394

 

[nhnanna]

Quote:
I was just reading that one, thanks

 

[Judy]

Not sure what the pinkish rear end is all about. I would go in after dark with a flashlight and look for mites/lice, just in case. As I understand, they would have to have an awfully bad infestation to be dying from them, though. Were the cochins pecking them, maybe?

 

[nhnanna]

They were all huddled in a corner this morning when we went in to feed them. At first I thought the first two got smothered because it has been kool the last couple of nights so I changed the lightbulb to a stronger one. Not sure if the bantys pecked them or not. They have been together since she got them and seemed to get along fine.

 

[Judy]

Wouldn't that be something if all this was just being too cold....

Have you seen the poo pictures site?

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

 

[nhnanna]

wow thanks for that site. I have it bookmarked now for the future.
I don't think it was just because they were cold but she lost another two last night plus one of the cochins. We are going to the vets this morning so I will pick up some sulmet just to have on hand in case it is needed.

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
I believe you are seeing the results of chicks that have gotten chilled and died from the exposure. I do not use medicated feed for any reason and I doubt that is your problem.

Chicks require heat for a full 8 - 12 weeks depending on the time of year being brooded. IN late fall and winter and they need heat for longer times. Huddling is the first sign they are chilled. The chicks that died may have been smothered.

No sign of bloody stool and you can rest assured it is most likely not cocci.

Medicated feeds, sulmet, etc. will not help them at this point in my opinion as you say they have a pink bottom not bloody stool.

Get them under some heat ASAP and don't take it away from them unless your days are above 75 degrees.

Get some liquid baby vitamins - polyvisol - without iron. Give them 5 drops by beak (careful not to drown them with it) daily for 5 - 7 days.

Mix 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar in 1 quart of fresh clean water - warmish, not cold.

Give them some yogurt with good chick crumbles and some mashed boiled eggs.

Hopefully the rest will recover however getting chilled leaves them defenseless.

 

[nhnanna]

Thanks Miss P. We did put the light back on them immediately. We had a few really warm days so we shut the light during the day so I am not sure it is because they were cold. We were afraid to leave the light on in 85-90 degree weather. I did get them to eat some yogurt with crumbles last night. I did get some sulmit this morning and will try that.

 

[Judy]

I felt a bit sheepish after I read MissPrissy's post, so did some research here. Miss P has a WHOLE lot more experience than I have! I've had chickens for a year, and have raised flocks in the past as well, but nowhere near her experience.

Fully feathered is supposed to be 8-12 weeks, but leghorns are described (Henderson) as "very early maturing," so yours should be very close to fully feathered, if not so. Sounds like you do not know the actual date you bought them.

I didn't realize some feeds are medicated with antibiotics rather than amprolium. I wouldn't feed one with an antibiotic, for sure, but Miss P and I do go different directions on the amprolium, partly because of my climate and soil type, and that this is farm country with neighboring flocks. Just one of those things one has to check out and make one's own decision.

I also realized you did not actually say you had seen bloody poops; that was my misreading. I have read, though, that they can have an overload of cocci without actually seeing blood.

So now I am wondering: Did you get to talk with the vet about what was happening, and the vet recommended the Sulmet?

 

[eggsrcool]

Are the droppings milky white, if so you might have a case of Coccidiosis. If so treat with Baytox.