I would just keep an eye on the chicks and your adults for the next few weeks! MG usually shows other symptoms too like swollen and bubbly eyes and gurgly breathing. You can get testing done through UC Davis laboratory… it’s $42 per PCR tracheal swab test that you send in. If I ever notice any type of respiratory symptoms in the future I will be getting some testing done! I really don’t think Gracie had anything contagious since I feel like I would have seen it in other chickens before 7 weeks but I’m just keeping my eye out still.I switched the chicks (still indoors in brooder) from pine to aspen chips yesterday to see if that helps, but I also just heard our big Buff Orp (about 8 months old) sneeze twice. There’s been no contact between the two groups yet but I’m caring for both, and some stuff can be carried on clothes/hair etc. Hoping I didn’t spread anything too dire.
Congrats on your new babies!
Cancel your order if you can.
Ugh, I’m so sorry to hear. I’d recommend pumping the remaining babies full of probiotics (in food or water or both) and watching their poops, and checking for any posture/activity changes or sign of respiratory disease.
Definitely not you! I’m very experienced in raising chicks and lost 5/8 baby chicks in a matter of a week (one was a $50 lavender Ameraucana). Lost over $100 overall and spent an additional $50 in medicine for the remaining 3. I got day old chicks last year, shipped all the way from Ohio to California and only had 1 death, and that chick was doa. The rest of those chicks thrived and are all 1 year old healthy laying hens! Just hatched out 6 chicks 2 weeks ago, all are the picture of health and thriving. There’s seriously something wrong with hilltop farms chicks and their website and reviews are very deceiving! Thankfully my remaining 3 chicks from hilltop farms are fine now, and they’ve had contact with the rest of the flock for 2 months now, and no contagious diseases have been seen in anyone. I will never ever buy from hilltop farms again. I think their birds must be very inbred or something resulting in very weak chicks.
How’s your flock doing? Any more respiratory issues show up?Ugh, I’m so sorry to hear. I’d recommend pumping the remaining babies full of probiotics (in food or water or both) and watching their poops, and checking for any posture/activity changes or sign of respiratory disease.
I will not be buying from Hilltop again.
On the other hand, Dare2Dream Farms was amazing and promptly refunded my order when I explained the situation with my sick Hilltop chicks. Kicking myself for not holding out until their baby chicks were available.
I haven’t seen any more respiratory signs in the big girls, but one of them had constipation, prolapse and/or vent gleet yesterday. We gave her a bath and when she tried to flee she pooped out the stuck turd and her vent went back in. I had intended to separate her this morning but she’s already in the nesting box now. Not sure what to do.
I ordered a Lavendar Ameracauna but never got it! They substituted with a Lavendar Orpington. Do you have a suggestion of where to order from? I spoke to a very helpful, kind and knowledgable man at My Pet Chicken this AM. I was thinking of them. I also looked at Dare to Dream, but they don't deliver to my area, and i'm concerned about a 3.5 hour drive home with baby chicks after all of this has happened. I welcome any suggestions you might have as to where to go. I thought I was buying top notch chicks. So sad.
