Heat lamps, Amprolium, and sad baby chicks, oh my!

[WakaFlockaChickens]

Sorry, that was confusing. Yes the feed is from the barn I bought the chicks from. It’s a family owned barn/farm store that provides feed for a lot of the higher end tilth/granges in our area. It has a proper tag and is 20% protein. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the feed, it’s just unmedicated which is why they sold me the Amprolium. It’s a liquid. Does that make sense?

 

[Tremogg]

Hi everyone,

I have 5 chicks that will be two weeks old tomorrow, and I'm really struggling. I'll first say that I am an AVID researcher and I get really hard on myself for not knowing what I don't know, but I am trying to be gentle with myself as this is my first time raising chicks and while I have read many books (including Storey's front to back) and looked at this forum for literal years, there is still so much to learn.

When I got my chicks, I purchased unmedicated feed from the barn I bought them at as they only offered unmedicated and they are connected to a highly reputable tilth program in my area. If I purchased feed through the more local grange, it would have been the same feed so I felt good about purchasing a large bag so I wouldn't need to make a separate trip. They then offered me Amprolium (Corrid) to take home and give a half dose once weekly in their water (0.5ml per quart). I know how serious coccidiosis is and felt like that would be the smart thing for me to do since I'm a newbie.

Fast forward and I've had some serious challenges with my birds. First, lots of pasty butt in my runty girl and a couple others. Second, they didn't seem to really be growing much. Third, they just seemed... unhappy?

I had a neighbor come over who currently has chicks and this is her second time raising chicks, and she was really surprised to see how small and sad they seemed. We had been talking for days about my struggles and everything I was doing, and neither of us could figure out what I was doing wrong. We agreed to change them from a heat lamp to the brooder plate thinking perhaps they were too hot (they had ample room to avoid the heat lamp but they didn't) and the next day they were like new birds. Eating so much more and more active and chatty.

So yay, better heating situation has been sorted out! But now I have had one of my chicks (the same one) develop a twitch the day following the Amprolium dose and I feel like it must be because of that. I know Amprolium is used in medicated feed, and I know there are strong opinions about medicated vs unmedicated feed, but given that this is my very first time raising chicks I'm nervous I wouldn't notice if they had signs of coccidiosis. I'd like to start exposing them with soil from my yard, but I'm really nervous because I don't want to inadvertently kill my chickens. I also don't want to give my poor chicken a twitch (that is really weird since I know Amprolium is safe and widely used but I assume she is just extra sensitive to the reduction of available vitamin B that it causes?).

I also feel like they all are still terrified of me even though I've been trying to tame them. I think washing butts a couple times really diminished trust But poops seem much healthier now that the heat source has changed!

I think I mostly needed to vent but I would also appreciate caring advice. I am trying SO HARD to do this right and somehow I feel like I'm failing over and over again. I just wish I had an expert to guide me! So experts, please guide me if you're up for it!

Thanks for reading my novel <3

I am sorry you are having issues and as a new chicken momma myself I can understand where you are coming from ( I lost 2 of my babies (one on Monday and one this morning) even after all the treatment and prevention we tried). I agree that washing behinds and poopy feet does cause a lack of bonding/trust with us. My husband says when we go in the room with them they all run like the scene from Lion King when Pumba is yelling AHHH shes gonna eat me I do not have any sage advice but am sending you and your babies well wishes.

 

[Tremogg]

How to you wash there butts? Usally I flipped them upside down talk really nice and rub them down with warm water they fall right asleep.

Secondly when you go and get them let your hand dangle see if they come to you dont chase them around the brooder 5 times. You can also try and hand feed a couple of times a day to gain trust...its all a learning process I have had chickens for 10 years and I am still learning new things and adjusting to ways I do stuff all the time.this is a great website to learn

Did you give them regular water and an option of nutrition drench? And I am just curious but did they have cocci? Why are you treating them with corid?

Nutri Drench? How do you dose that and if I am correct it is something they get after the corid treatment is done correct?
I ask this because our flock is currently being treated for coxy (one had it so all got treated) the 5 days is up tomorrow and then we were told to do a half dose for 7 days after this. I just want to make sure my remaining babies dont die, I cant handle anymore losses at this point or I will give up( ok I feel like I will give up but I wont)!

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Nutri Drench? How do you dose that and if I am correct it is something they get after the corid treatment is done correct?
I ask this because our flock is currently being treated for coxy (one had it so all got treated) the 5 days is up tomorrow and then we were told to do a half dose for 7 days after this. I just want to make sure my remaining babies dont die, I cant handle anymore losses at this point or I will give up( ok I feel like I will give up but I wont)!

Correct do not use Nutri-drench when treating with Corid. Corid will block thiamine, and Nutri-drench has thiamine in it, so it would cancel the effectiveness of Corid. Make sense?

 

[WakaFlockaChickens]

Can you get a clear picture of what the feed looks like?
Just scoop a handful of it in your hand and take a clear picture of it.

Did you buy the chicks from This barn that gave you the Corid?

Here is the feed tag. They also told me to mix it with grit in a ten to one ratio of feed to grit, but I have stopped doing that and feel like the chicks benefited from that change as well.

Please note that I am not saying the barn I got the chicks and their feed from is problematic - I’m just a newbie and I think similar to human children, different things work for different people. We can have super strong opinions about stuff but find out it doesn’t work for us or others in practice. Their methods may work great for them. They don’t seem to be working for me and that’s okay. I just want to focus on how to get happy, healthy, growing chicks.

 

[Tremogg]

Correct do not use Nutri-drench when treating with Corid. Corid will block thiamine, and Nutri-drench has thiamine in it, so it would cancel the effectiveness of Corid. Make sense?

Yes thank you for this information!!

 

[WakaFlockaChickens]

How to you wash there butts? Usally I flipped them upside down talk really nice and rub them down with warm water they fall right asleep.

Secondly when you go and get them let your hand dangle see if they come to you dont chase them around the brooder 5 times. You can also try and hand feed a couple of times a day to gain trust...its all a learning process I have had chickens for 10 years and I am still learning new things and adjusting to ways I do stuff all the time.this is a great website to learn

Did you give them regular water and an option of nutrition drench? And I am just curious but did they have cocci? Why are you treating them with corid?

I hold them right side up in one hand and gently run warm water over their bums and use a finger tip to gently help the poop off. I then use a blow drier on low force and medium heat (warm not hot) to dry their rumps.

I’ve read that holding chicks on their backs is cruel because it’s an involuntary reaction they have when they think they’ve been caught by a predator. Also that their lungs get kinda crushed. I don’t know how true it is but I don’t hold them that way just in case.

I give regular water and I add this when I think they need it. Most days the first week since they were sad, less often now. But always two days after I do the amprolium in the water (not the following day since they counteract).

 

[Kiki]

Here is the feed tag. They also told me to mix it with grit in a ten to one ratio of feed to grit, but I have stopped doing that and feel like the chicks benefited from that change as well.

Please note that I am not saying the barn I got the chicks and their feed from is problematic - I’m just a newbie and I think similar to human children, different things work for different people. We can have super strong opinions about stuff but find out it doesn’t work for us or others in practice. Their methods may work great for them. They don’t seem to be working for me and that’s okay. I just want to focus on how to get happy, healthy, growing chicks.

Can you take a handful of the feed out of the bag and get a picture of what the feed itself looks like please?

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

I hold them right side up in one hand and gently run warm water over their bums and use a finger tip to gently help the poop off. I then use a blow drier on low force and medium heat (warm not hot) to dry their rumps.

I’ve read that holding chicks on their backs is cruel because it’s an involuntary reaction they have when they think they’ve been caught by a predator. Also that their lungs get kinda crushed. I don’t know how true it is but I don’t hold them that way just in case.

I give regular water and I add this when I think they need it. Most days the first week since they were sad, less often now. But always two days after I do the amprolium in the water (not the following day since they counteract).

When you hold them on the back you hold them gently and then when they fall asleep you almost could hold your hand flat they wont move...as long as you do it gently. This gets the used to it if you every have to do surgrey or any of that

 

[Kiki]

Here is the feed tag. They also told me to mix it with grit in a ten to one ratio of feed to grit, but I have stopped doing that and feel like the chicks benefited from that change as well.

Please note that I am not saying the barn I got the chicks and their feed from is problematic - I’m just a newbie and I think similar to human children, different things work for different people. We can have super strong opinions about stuff but find out it doesn’t work for us or others in practice. Their methods may work great for them. They don’t seem to be working for me and that’s okay. I just want to focus on how to get happy, healthy, growing chicks.

I'm telling you that the barn people could be a problem.
One should never mix grit with feed. That is wrong.