Failure to thrive chicks??

[princessmama]

We bought eight chicks from the feed store and four silkies from a local lady a few weeks ago. The feed store employee said they were about a week old (they had wing feathers). Which would make them five weeks old.

The silkies and the two "assorted bantams" are doing great. The other six however just are not doing well. We've lost three of them so far and the other three just do not look well. Two of the ones who died were developing crossed beaks. One of them was very soft (the beak).

We have one RIR, one BR, and one Australorp left (we had two of each) The RIR has a messed up beak, the bottom is longer than the top and they are starting to cross. She is very thin and bony, keeps having pasty butt, and while more active than the BR is still very lethargic. I've been making sure the feed dish is always nice and full so she hopefully can get food. The BR sits around like a big puffball and sometimes wobbles over to the food to eat some, she is smaller than the other chicks her age.

Both of these chicks I've been giving extra vitamins in a dropper. Also a tiny bit of grapefruit seed extract.

Now the Australorp, who has gained weight just fine until now is acting very lethargic, sitting fluffed up in the corner of the brooder.

They are on a whole grain feed with eggs and worms for extra protien. Yogurt, Polyvisol, garlic, acv...

These chicks have been "sick" for a couple weeks now and I don't know what else to do for them. If the RIR gets any weaker I will have to put her out of her misery (i had to cull my other australorp, the one with the soft beak a little over a week ago). I haven't seen any bloody droppings. The lethargic ones keep pasting up.

The other six chicks have been fine all along, busy and gaining weight (just by what I feel when I pick them up).

 

[elmo]

What do you mean by "whole grain feed?" Just whole grains, like scratch? If so, you might just try some processed chicken feed to see if that helps.

 

[princessmama]

Greener Pastures whole-grain chick starter. We successfully raised our last batch of chicks on it as well as our ducklings. Also, the rest of the chicks are doing great.

 

[California Ducken]

Just a note. When my chicks started to have wing feathers they were a week old.
Do you have electrolytes and vitamins in the water?
Good Luck With your chickies
Bump

 

[princessmama]

Quote:
Yep, so did mine, I was just adding that to say that the info that they were a week old when we bought them seemed correct

Yes, I have vitamins in the water.

Is it important to have electrolytes also? Can you use stuff meant for people? The electrolytes I have (emergenC) has a couple of the same vits at the ETS not polyvisol...(cant' find it without iron)...Vita-sol for birds, would this cause an overdose? What would be the dosage for a chick?

I'll go search electrolytes...thanks

 

[Judy]

Be careful with electrolytes, you can overdo them. They are really for dehydration, same as an athlete drinking Gatorade.

What you do need to give them is some plain live culture yogurt to get some good gut flora going. Also, I would stop offering worms. They give the chicks intestinal worms, parasites. They are too young to tolerate the load.

Many times hatchery chicks just aren't all that healthy. Crossed beak is a genetic condition which would indicate you just got some problem chicks.

 

[princessmama]

I do give them yogurt. I really only give eggs daily...I think we've given them one worm. Sorry my above post wasn't clear. We won't give them worms regularly until they are older.

I don't think I'll buy hatchery chicks again. We had four out of eight develop crossed beaks. Four of the chicks have died so far. The two remaining are two of the messed up beaks.