Eastern Tennessee Thread

[tnchickenut]

Back to... I hate hatchery chicks. Just picked up a shipment this morning (I only buy meat birds from hatchery's by the way- quality don't really matter as far as they go) at the post office at 8am and they all looked dead and frozen- I heard one chirp and breathe and so I took him and held him till I got back to my shop. Found about 10 barely alive after I heated them all up. So from 8- now I have been hand watering and trying to nurse them into health- slowly they all have died except one who is looking lively but still can't move around much. Not likely he will make it but, I'm putting forth an effort. Let's try this again when they ship out more in 2 weeks.

For some reason, when a chick is weak like that and you dip it's beak in water to force a drop to drink... they die. Like within the hour. Something I noticed that never fails.

 

[tnchickenut]

Someone tell me in what to do. He's my favorite. He's laying beside me on the bed with his eyes closed.

Purple comb... not enough oxygen. I don't know what to tell you without knowing more. Could he have swallowed something? Did he have respitory issues before? Sneezing? Gaping? It doesn't look like he has a swollen face... but his eyes being shut isn't good.

 

[itsthelaw37801]

I have been feeding them those stupid sunflower seeds. What do I do?

 

[itsthelaw37801]

No swollen face. His breathing is off - but not gaping. No sneezing or water eyes or nose.

 

[tnchickenut]

itsthelaw... this by no means could be the ONLY thing. What line is he? Size matters.

http://poultrycommunity.com/forum/showthread.php?10138-DARK-purple-comb

 

[itsthelaw37801]

Just did an inspection - no bugs

 

[tnchickenut]

I don't think the sunflower seeds could do this... unless he eats long blades of grass that make a yarn ball of grass in their crop. Or feathers. Is he a feather eatter?

 

[tnchickenut]

Here is one of my favorire resources... http://www.avianweb.com/chickendiseases.html

 

[itsthelaw37801]

He' a barred rock, less than a year old, good size. Stopped crowing for awhile. Rodney had me give him Pen shots about 3 weeks ago. He did great after that. Frostbite with a cold? I don't know. He is lethargic and sitting with his eyes shut. Feet look good. Just forced water on him. If he dies, my heart will break.

 

[tnchickenut]

He' a barred rock, less than a year old, good size. Stopped crowing for awhile. Rodney had me give him Pen shots about 3 weeks ago. He did great after that. Frostbite with a cold? I don't know. He is lethargic and sitting with his eyes shut. Feet look good. Just forced water on him. If he dies, my heart will break.

Penecillin doing good suggests a infection, frostbite won't leave him with his eyes closed. He would just have BLACK tips... his are purple. Personally, if he was mine and I wanted to save him I would throw antibiotics at him, keep him quarentined, DO NOT deal with him and his food and water and then do the rest of the birds... change. Maybe have some clothes JUST for when you are with him. I know that sounds nuts but tennesseeckn can tell you more about that. If it is ILT causing a blockage in his windpipe you don't want that to spread.

If you can give shot, give him penecillin... if not, get tetracyclin to put in the water.

Now, all that said, there isn't any chance he was scratched by a preditor last night? Eyes closed is a sign of pain in chickens. Check him good for hidden wounds. If he does have a wound, that is my specialty... tetracycine and some alusheild or EMT on the wound will fix it right up. It's a long shot but I have had a roo scratched on it's back side and I didn't know it until a day later because the feather hid it. I HOPE that is what it is... because that is easier to treat.