Help, all my chicks are dying!

[Whitney13]

I recieved 26 baby chicks in the mail yesterday and six where dead. One died a few minutes later because he was just too cold. The rest where okay for a couple hours then they just started dying. I have done everything I am supposed too, the temperature is 98'F two inches off the floor, I gave them warm sugar water when they arrived and replaced it every 30 minutes for 3 hours then I changed it to warm water with no sugar for another three hours and then I just let it drop to room temp. I showed everyone of them where it was and I even had to show a couple of them twice. I gave them food on the floor so they could find it and I cleaned out the cage about 5 times in the last 24 hours. I have watched several of the chicks dye. They lay down some where in the brooder, some lay under the light while others don't, and then they kind of have a fit sort of and they sling a clear liquid out of their mouths and streach out their legs and jump backwards then they fall on their sides and die. I have no idea why they do this. Can anyone help me? I really want to save the last 12 chicks.
Thanks,
Whitney

 

[WingingIt]

I'm sorry.

Some suggestions:

Pick your light up. You want it (ideally) 95 degrees at chick level for the first week. Make sure the light is over enough to one side that they can get out from under it if they get too hot (like if they all pile up together).

I know you had sugar water in there, did you dip their beaks in it? I left the sugar water in there for the first several days, figured it couldn't hurt. Maybe mix up some more and dip their beaks to get them to drink some and get some extra energy. Do you have a feeder in there or just food on the floor? If you don't have one, put a feeder in there and do the same thing, put their beaks in it so you KNOW they know where it is and WHAT it is. You can scramble some eggs or give them yogurt, too.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
Whitney, I'm sorry you're having this awful experience and I wish I had some insight for you about what's going on. It sounds like you're doing a great job so far. The only thing that stuck out to me is that the temperature sounds just a bit too high in the brooder. For the first week you want the temps to be between 90-95 degrees F and you want the brooder big enough so that if those temps are too warm for particular chickens, that they can move away from it if they need to. Are you finding that they are all huddled together in one spot either under or away from the heating lamp?

 

[Whitney13]

Thanks for the help, I will try to give them some egg. Some of them huddle under the lamp and some just lay around away from the lamp. I have a feeder in their and I placed some food on top of it and around it and they have since figured out that they can get more feed out of their a lot faster than picking it up off the floor, they are all eating and drinking now. There is plenty of room for them to get away from the heat but they never get farther than a foot away from the lamp, I fixed up a big brooder because I planned on 25 chicks but that number has since been cut in half so there is a lot of extra space that only a couple of chicks even play in.

 

[Willow's Meadow]

So sorry! Totally agree with above posts!!! Make sure they know where the waters is, don't handle them to much. By the way WHERE did you get them?

 

[Whitney13]

I got them from Cackle Hatchery but when they first got here my mail lady said you might want to check on them I think they are a bit shook up so I thought maybe it had something to do with the way they were shipped. They are all Sumatra chicks and the couple that are doing really good are the funniest chickens I have ever seen. One that I call spot will charge at anything that comes nere the brooder and another one that I call hopper will jump over its siblings instead of walking around them.

 

[rancher hicks]

I recall a post about Cackle hatchery I think. Every chick died. The discharge from the mouth is suspicious. Call the hatchery right away. Chicks should be alert and inquisitive. At least for part of the day.

 

[Whitney13]

I called the hatchery and they said that the chicks will probably keep dying to call back tuesday with a "live count" so I don't think they will be very helpful. The chicks are alert most of the day and seem fine and a couple hours later they are dead. I don't know what to do.

 

[rancher hicks]

I had not read your post before I posted mine so it may be the hatchery. Do a research of the site to find the other post.

 

[rancher hicks]

Found the other post, it was Whelps hatchery not Cackle.

What I had suggested to Providence Too, is that there are airborn illnesses that other birds get. the USPS also ships pigeon, parakeets and all other types of birds. It is possible that disease is spread this way. An order of information from the USDA about Biosecurity is very helpful in learning about this type of disease spread.

Hoping for the best

Rancher