HELP! Baby chicks are dying! Lost 25 in 2 days

[I'vegotchickenfever]

Ohhhhh


I can't imagine how difficult all this must've been. I'm sooo sorry. I cry each time I lose one - even if it's an egg that never hatched. I hope you get this figured out - and IF it is the feed, I hope they financially reimburse you for all you've lost. I know money doesn't help with all this disappointment.

 

[bethandjoeync]

at the very least I would contact the maker of the feed, and check for any recalls. and report your problem just incase that have others with similar situations call

 

[cw]

is it 95 degrees at all times in the brooder?
no draft?
etc

 

[onthespot]

I had a feed related die off the past few weeks. I don't know what is the problem. The mill said they are going to analyze the feed sample that was brought back. The chicks would just not eat. They would starve to death standing on an inch deep of feed. At the same time I got new feed, I got new chicks from a new lady I had met and at first I thought they might be sick, but they showed no symptoms other than wasting away after a few days or a week old. (people who bought eggs from me, my chickens are housed ten miles from here, not to worry) I switched back to Start N Grow when my lavender orps were three days old and the whole batch of 25 chicks started to go floopy on the same day... then I read this in another forum.

Does anyone feed corn gluten to their poultry?

I talked to a feed mill lady looking for a way to cut cost of feed. She mentioned corn gluten. 18% protein, and $8.00 for 50#. She suggested mixing it with other feed to up the protein. She said area people are using it to feed to cattle, and the cattle are slow to start eating it, but then eat it readily.

She assured me it is a US grown and produced product from the upper mid west area.

Her prices are a bit lower for all products and she carries the main products I have always used and will also custom blend and pellet feeds. A few miles further than I usually drive to get feed, but I am going there this morning.

If anyone has their poultry feed custom mixed, I would like input on ingredients.




and then someone replied with this....

Corn gluten is not good for monogastrics since it is quite deficient in Lysine, the first limiting Amino Acid in most chicken and pig feeds. It is also deficient in methionine and the Phosphorus is not digestible by chickens and pigs.

YOu can use Gluten feed or meal, but make sure you formulate the diet to the appropriate amino acid contents to meet the needs of the livestock you are feeding.

Jim


I would say read your ingredients lable and if there is corn glutten on it question your feed manufacturer. Times are tough all over and people at all levels are trying to find a way to save or make a buck... mistakes can be made if people just go off something they heard and don't have all their facts straight. Don't take the above as fact. Do your own research, but I am just passing on some unverified info, for what it is worth.

 

[AmyD26]

All of this talk about the feed death is frightening to me. My toddler ate some today. What brand of starter did you have?

 

[deerman]

I would say the crack corn is the trouble. After they got impacted crop its to late to change to starter.


Using starter they will not get impacted if they have water all the time.

 

[froggie71]

I posted in a different thread the other day about my chick mishap from McMurray. We had 36 chicks delivered to us on 4/14 with 2 DOA 3 lethargic on arrival. The day of arrival and the next, we lost 8 more. I had immediately place chicks under heat lamp, added quik-chik to water, dipped each beak in water so they knew where it was, added gro-gel to chick starter. When I saw them lethargic and not eating or drinking I tried to give them sugar water by dropper. This would perk them up for a short time, but eventually, they didn't make it. My kids were devestated with each loss. McMurray is replacing the 10 lost and adding roosters for warmth. They are to arrive 4/20 or 4/21. I've got my fingers crossed they arrive ok.

We were thinking they were severely dehydrated and possibly too cold since they were shipped on Saturday and arrived at our post office on Tuesday. Though that should have been okay. After seeing this thread I wonder if the chicks weren't sick to start with. Now I'm really worried about the new arrivals.

 

[firedove]

I got my order from McMurray in February and only had 2, out of the 30 they sent, not make it. One died in the shipping box, probably trampled by the others, and the other was just not right from the start and died the next day. All the rest are healthy happy 8 week olds now.

One thought I had that no one brought up is that if you had your chicks vaccinated for cocci then medicated starter can kill them. It happened to a friend of mine, she ordered the vaccinated chicks from McMurray and didn't know they couldn't have medicated starter. She didn't realize until it was too late for several of her chicks. When she did learn that she switched to un-medicated and the rest of her chicks perked up and completely rebounded from the early feed issues. You didn't mention if your chicks were vaccinated but that could be a contributing factor since medicated feed for vaccinated chicks is basically an overdose issue (although the impaction from the cracked corn is a very plausible explanation as well).

 

[nzpouter]

Quote:
what kind of ventilation has it got?

 

[username taken]

Quote:
Nope, any poultry feed will kill a ruminant, thats why it says on the bag do not feed to ruminants. It doesnt have to be 'contaminated' to kill the lamb.