Help! Chicks dying like flies .... :(

[andreanar]

I thought Mareks as a possibility too, but....I would treat for cocci because its something you can do and eliminate it. If you do it fast, you may be able to save your chicks. Corid will not hurt even if its not cocci. I treated mine with the powder Corid I got at Tractor Supply. 1 1/2 tsp per gallon of water. Don't give probiotics while treating with Corid. You can syringe the water to them if they wont drink on their own. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Kiki]

I thought Mareks as a possibility too, but....I would treat for cocci because its something you can do and eliminate it. If you do it fast, you may be able to save your chicks. Corid will not hurt even if its not cocci. I treated mine with the powder Corid I got at Tractor Supply. 1 1/2 tsp per gallon of water. Don't give probiotics while treating with Corid. You can syringe the water to them if they wont drink on their own. Good luck and keep us posted.

It's vitamins that you are not suppose to give while treating with Corid.

 

[czarinapl]

To OP: First, welcome to BYC, second, I'm so sorry you are loosing your chicks. At 4 weeks of age, they should be almost completely feathered, and should not need a heat lamp, especially in the summer! Too much heat can be more lethal and kill quicker than not enough heat. Do you have them in your house?

The fact that one of them "could not move her legs" makes me wonder if you have something more sinister than coccidiosis going on. I'm questioning Marek's disease. A quick net search stated that the earliest it would show up would be at 3 - 4 weeks old. If your chicks do have Marek's dz. that does not bode well for bringing in any new birds. It persists in the environment for a very long time.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

I don't want to be an alarmist, but you might as well do some homework to rule out this possibility.

Hi there ! Thanks for the helpful response and for your concern. We lost another chick yesterday. The two remaining girls are looking great, we have them on Corid, coccidiostat feed, and Sav a Chick. They are indoors, in our mudroom. They were stacking on top of each other for a few days which at first we thought was a sign they were too cold but, after doing some research, it seems that this can be a symptom of Cocci.

I am worried about these chicks, and am wondering if perhaps their condition has to do with the hatchery we got them. We were told they were 4-5 weeks old, but I have seen 4-5 week old chicks before and the chicks we have do not appear to be like them - not nearly as developed, feathered, or large. I suspect this is because they have been on a full grain and grit diet for their entire lives (not a chick starter). We are hoping for the best, but I am pessimistic. Should have known this guy at the hatchery was questionable when he said they needed to be eating oyster shells - after doing more research it appears that 1) oyster shells are not very effective as grit 2) they need to be on chick starter, not the oat groat mix he told us they have been fed and 3) an excess of calcium can be lethal at this age.

I am also concerned about Marek's. Question for you - we were referenced to Cackle Hatchery by a longtime backyard chicken owner, and are considering getting more chicks from there. If we get more chicks that are vaccinated for Marek's, should we be ok if these first chicks do in fact have Marek's? The three Rhode Island Reds have all displayed similar symptoms - lethargy, single leg paralysis, and eventually a complete loss of interest in food and water. One Easter Egger keeled over and we didn't have her long enough to see if anything was going on with her, and the other two Easter Eggers seem happy and healthy (if small and perhaps underdeveloped).

 

[czarinapl]

It's vitamins that you are not suppose to give while treating with Corid.

We've got them on Sav a Chick !

 

[czarinapl]

I thought Mareks as a possibility too, but....I would treat for cocci because its something you can do and eliminate it. If you do it fast, you may be able to save your chicks. Corid will not hurt even if its not cocci. I treated mine with the powder Corid I got at Tractor Supply. 1 1/2 tsp per gallon of water. Don't give probiotics while treating with Corid. You can syringe the water to them if they wont drink on their own. Good luck and keep us posted.

No cedar block. Use maple or oak instead. Lose the honey. Use sugar instead.
Karen

Thanks you for the advice! No honey for similar reasons that infants can't have honey (Botulis)?

 

[lazy gardener]

Hi there ! Thanks for the helpful response and for your concern. We lost another chick yesterday. The two remaining girls are looking great, we have them on Corid, coccidiostat feed, and Sav a Chick. They are indoors, in our mudroom. They were stacking on top of each other for a few days which at first we thought was a sign they were too cold but, after doing some research, it seems that this can be a symptom of Cocci.

I am worried about these chicks, and am wondering if perhaps their condition has to do with the hatchery we got them. We were told they were 4-5 weeks old, but I have seen 4-5 week old chicks before and the chicks we have do not appear to be like them - not nearly as developed, feathered, or large. I suspect this is because they have been on a full grain and grit diet for their entire lives (not a chick starter). We are hoping for the best, but I am pessimistic. Should have known this guy at the hatchery was questionable when he said they needed to be eating oyster shells - after doing more research it appears that 1) oyster shells are not very effective as grit 2) they need to be on chick starter, not the oat groat mix he told us they have been fed and 3) an excess of calcium can be lethal at this age.

I am also concerned about Marek's. Question for you - we were referenced to Cackle Hatchery by a longtime backyard chicken owner, and are considering getting more chicks from there. If we get more chicks that are vaccinated for Marek's, should we be ok if these first chicks do in fact have Marek's? The three Rhode Island Reds have all displayed similar symptoms - lethargy, single leg paralysis, and eventually a complete loss of interest in food and water. One Easter Egger keeled over and we didn't have her long enough to see if anything was going on with her, and the other two Easter Eggers seem happy and healthy (if small and perhaps underdeveloped).

I am far removed from having any experience regarding Marek's disease or the vaccination. My approach to poultry keeping is this: I choose not to vaccinate. I do not use medicated feed. I use natural approaches whenever possible to boost the flock's immunity, and would consider culling before I would ever consider marek's vaccination. The reason I would not vaccinate is b/c the vaccine does not prevent the disease. All it does is mask the signs. Your birds could still be infected and still pass the disease on if they have been vaccinated. And the vaccine may be implicated in causing mareks to become much more lethal than it was years ago. I am thankful for the population of wild turkeys in my area b/c they carry a less lethal strain of mareks that acts as a natural vaccination for marek's. I would use culling if my flock became affected with mareks.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/tthis-chicken-vaccine-makes-virus-dangerous/

 

[czarinapl]

I am far removed from having any experience regarding Marek's disease or the vaccination. My approach to poultry keeping is this: I choose not to vaccinate. I do not use medicated feed. I use natural approaches whenever possible to boost the flock's immunity, and would consider culling before I would ever consider marek's vaccination. The reason I would not vaccinate is b/c the vaccine does not prevent the disease. All it does is mask the signs. Your birds could still be infected and still pass the disease on if they have been vaccinated. And the vaccine may be implicated in causing mareks to become much more lethal than it was years ago. I am thankful for the population of wild turkeys in my area b/c they carry a less lethal strain of mareks that acts as a natural vaccination for marek's. I would use culling if my flock became affected with mareks.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/tthis-chicken-vaccine-makes-virus-dangerous/

Where did you and do you get your chickens ? What natural remedies do you use ?

 

[Kiki]

We've got them on Sav a Chick !

You SHOULD NOT BE USING SAV A CHICK WITH CORID.
Sav a Chick is VITAIMNS and electrolytes.
Save this product for after the cycle of Corid is complete.
This may be why the Coird isn't working.

 

[Kiki]

FWIW
Calcium/Oyster shell is not Grit.
Two completely different things.
Will you please post a few pics of what your chicks look like today?

I'm afraid the feed that the "hatchery" you got them from has not clue what they are doing.
What the fed them was just horrible.

Is this "hatchery" a backyard breeder?

 

[azygous]

So much information! I'm sure you're overwhelmed. It does no harm to treat for cocci. Continue the treatment and repeat the course again in one week.

Now, about the possibility this could be caused by a virus such as Marek's, you would do well, for the well being and proper management of your flock now and in the future, to have one or more of these chicks that have died sent to a lab for a necropsy. This will tell you what killed them so you will know how to manage your flock in years to come. I can't stress how important this is.

I have a question, and if you don't have the answer, I suggest you call the hatchery and find out : Is the place that sold you these chicks NPIP certified? If it isn't, then it is not likely they test for viruses that can be carried by seemingly healthy birds and infect chicks that they are hatching and selling. In the future, and I stress this for everyone who reads this thread, always inquire at the place you intend to purchase chicks if they have this certification. It prevents deadly avian diseases from being spread around the US and causing the sort of heartache our OP is experiencing.