Mama-bear
In the Brooder
- May 16, 2017
- 22
- 10
- 39
Hello all. So my husband and I have decided to start to raise and process our own chicken. Built a new coop separate from our layers. On Wednesday 15 Cornish cross were delivered from Hoover hatchery (unvaccinated, 2 days in transit, mild weather) and all seemed lively. Took to water readily when dipped and seemed to be eating well. Today is day 5 for them and I've lost 2 already to unknown causes. One was just dead in the morning with a full crop and healthy weight. The other I noticed was having trouble standing so I brought it in the house and started electrolytes and syringe feelings. It's seemed to be inproving but then was dead this morning. So now I'm a tad worried this is more than just "normal loss" so I checked all the chicks again (for the 15th time today) and all 13 seem to have good energy but I noticed 2 of them had empty crops?! Is that normal? Am I missing something? Should I have started electorates and medicated feed from the get go? Any advice or suggestions is appreciated. Thank you!!!