Help! 2 chicks dead overnight...

[tschmaltz722]

Sorry I don't post often, but I need help! Woke up to two of my 4 week old pullets dead in the brooder. I don't know what happened at all. Water and food. No trauma visible. We moved the two that were still alive out to a dog kennel in our lawn, and offered new water and food. They are eating and drinking but seem to extend their neck a lot when doing so. The americauna chick seems to be foaming a bit at the mouth.

We emptied the brooder. What do we do about the other chicks? What could have happened?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. What temperature is their brooder at? They can tolerate about 75 degrees F right now, but if sick they need more heat.What exactly have they been eating? if they eat anything other than chick crumbles, including treated and grass, they need chick grit. What type of bedding have you been using? Did you see any runny droppings with mucus or blood, or any hunched posture that could have been a sign of coccidiosis? Cocci is common at this age and older, and is treated with Corid (amprollium) in the water. Extending the neck could be a sign of something stuck in the crop, or if gasping, a respiratory problem. Chicks can get impacted crops from the bedding used, but usually can't eat. Spilled feed and wet bedding can cause mold fungus, which might lead to brooder pneumonia. Check your feed for any signs of mold as well.

 

[tschmaltz722]

We are in AZ so it's about 80 during the day. Nights we use the lamp to keep it a bit warmer than our 60 degree evenings.

I cleaned out the brooder. They had pine shavings, but I replaced with sand just now. They were eating chick feed not medicated as they were vaccinated. I typically didn't put them in the grass for long... But maybe that was it?

I just picked the two up and the americauna (who seems a bit older) doesn't have anything abnormal going on, but the black sex link has a sort of bubble under her skin.

 

[Eggcessive]

That looks like a leaking air sac, which is a pocket of air under the skin, usually from trauma, but sometimes due to infection. Make sure that it isn't part of the crop. Is the pullet having any trouble breathing? With an 18 gauge needle, you can just barely puncture the skin over the bubble, and press out the air. Then hold your finger over the puncture site for a few minutes to try to seal it. Some bacitracin or neosporin ointment can be applied then.

 

[tschmaltz722]

Do I pop the bubble? Or just barely the skin above the bubble?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that I wasn't online to respond earlier. Just insert the needle into the bubble gently, and push the air out, kind of like you are deflating an air mattress.