First flock for us, sick! should we return them?

[tha5150]

Built the coop and run for our backyard friends. First time owners of chickens. Purchased 5 that are about 16 weeks old. The RIR we got was a little teary eyed when we brought her home and of course we didn't know what to look for. Since this she has been getting worse and worse and now spread to a couple other ones ( all different breeds ). She is now just laying there without eating or drinking and eyes completely shut. Others have one eye shut that are showing symptoms of a cold or something. We we suggested to use VetRX twice a day on mouth and flush eyes out with something like contact lens cleaner, which we have now been doing for 3 days. The RIR is getting worse and we are reading that it may be CRD. We have no way to separate the sick ones and feel the damage may already be done. Also reading that it spreads very easily to additions to the flock down the road.
At this point I have texted the seller is we can return them. We will clean the coop and run and wait 30 days before getting a new flock for the family. Me, wife and 3 little girls are all dry anxious to enjoy chickens but I feel we may have been sold sick chickens either with or without this being known. Now we are unsure of what to do.
We are now thinking of returning if possible ($50) and getting new borns, just over the age of needing the heat lamp.

Thoughts? Ideally we want to keep them in their coop and run (20ft x 6ft) all the time except a couple times a week to let them run around the back yard. We do not have much knowledge and would like to just feed, water, clean up and enjoy them.

Please let me know what we should do. Again, we do not want sick chickens and have to go through the doctoring every few months and be stressed out and then they may not even lay eggs for us. We just want to enjoy these girls!!!

 

[Pork Pie]

If you can return or at least get a refund then go ahead. If it's a refund then I personally would cull the, and start again after giving the coop a thorough clean out and maybe waiting until spring before you get some more.

Ct

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC! If possible, return them if you don't want to deal with doctoring sick birds.

-Kathy

 

[tha5150]

Call me what you will, though I don't know if I could cull (nice way of saying kill right?) these chickens! I would probably go deep into the woods and let them go free and hope nature does its thing quickly.

Yeah, I'm hoping for a refund and moving on at this point.

What about the younger chicks, how old do they have to be when not needing a heat lamp anymore?

 

[Pork Pie]

I would not call you anything

We all should respect one another.
I am not sure where you live and thus whether you have winter times. Chickens ususally feather out fully between 4-6 weeks but if its cold where you are you will need to wean them off the heat source gradually and then similarly acclimatise them to the outdoors gradually. If its cold where you are i would sugest weaning off the heat source from 6 weeks or so and then introduce them to the outdoors gradually. If you are moving them from indoors to outdoors then you can leave the heat source there and begin the weaning process off the heat source from that point. If your chicks huddle around the heat source then they are too cold but if they run around doing chicken things then they are fine. If they stay as far away from the heat source as possible then they are too warm.

Hope this helps a little. I would suggest reading threads here on byc for more detailed instructions.

All the best

Ct

 

[tha5150]

Yes I have been reading a lot over the past hour. We live in Florida and our winters are a month long at around 50 degrees haha

Thanks for all the immediate feedback y'all.

Heard back from the seller, looks like I can return them Sunday. If they make it that long it will be hard to let them go but worth it for the efforts down the road and our 3 girls not having to go through anything tough.

 

[Pork Pie]

Sounds like a good ending all things considered. Good luck whenever you get your new flock

Ct

 

[casportpony]

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but but before you get new birds you might want to think about how you will go about treating or dispatching any that get sick, because taking them into the woods to let nature take it's course is not legal. Probably best to find a vet that can euthanize them if you can't.

-Kathy

 

[Hholly]

If any die, you might want to consider having a necropsy done to find out what disease they have. Some diseases will remain for a long time on the premises. Good luck!

 

[casportpony]

If any die, you might want to consider having a necropsy done to find out what disease they have. Some diseases will remain for a long time on the premises. Good luck!

Good point.

-Kathy