Help Dead Chicks

[chuckachucka]

Very odd. There are many many reasons for early chick deaths such as illness, something wrong with the feed or water, pasty butt, predation,squashed by mother, injured by other chickens, left out in the cold/ unable to get back under the mother, overheating etc. If you are sure they have access to clean food and water and the other chickens are not hurting them or they are somehow getting stuck separated from mother hen, then it is most likely illness/weakness. Deaths from weakness due to incubation or hatching problems usually occur within a couple of days of hatch, so probably did not cause the last couple of chick deaths. This narrows it down to likely some kind of infection or congenital problem. If it is an infection you will probably see more deaths or signs of illness, unfortunately. Treat for cocci as others have said.
I hope the other chicks make it.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They didn't die from coccidiosis. Especially the one that died the next morning. That disease can't manifest itself in a couple days.
I wouldn't take the chicks away from the hen. She's not purposely killing them.
My guess is that being shipped, they may not have been vigorous enough to handle the situation.
To know for sure, send the next dead chick (hopefully there won't be one) to one of the Texas poultry diagnostic labs. All random guessing will be over.

Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (Main)
483 Agronomy Road
College Station, Texas 77840
Phone: 979-845-3414

Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory – Gonzales (Branch)
1162 East Sarah DeWitt Drive
Gonzales, Texas 78629
Phone: 830-672-2834

Texas Animal Health Commission State-Federal Laboratory
8200 Cameron Road, Suite A186
Austin, Texas 78754-3832
Phone: 512-832-6580

Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory - Amarillo (Branch)
6610 Amarillo Blvd West
Amarillo, Texas 79106-1706
Phone: 806-353-7478

Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory - Center (Branch)
635 Malone Dr
Center, Texas 75935-3530
Phone: 936-598-4451

 

[Helloworld]

The hen accepted the chicks. She wouldn’t have taken them from the beginning if that was the case.

Not true. I Went through this and they will sit on and smash accidentally because there might be too many, territorial, who knows. But every time I tried this mama slowly accidentally or intentionally abandoned them except for original ones she had. So sad. They don’t know though. Some chickens will only watch this many, knowing too hard to keep from preditors, etc. some hens want just their own and some want all of them regardless of space under her lol. Animal behavior is wild.

 

[roosterhavoc]

If a chick is weak she might be able to care for them better than a mother hen. After all incubated and shipped around the country isn’t quite natural.
She already said they are on medicated starter feed. Doubt she’s gonna treat for coccidia.
How many people really take the time to ship out dead birds? Excessive.

 

[chuckachucka]

Not true. I promise you it is her.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Not true. I promise you it is her.

I raise gamefowl. I know what hens can and will do to chicks. I’ve seen it many times. I watched a few weeks ago where a hen decided she was done after only a few weeks and kicked one quail sized chick breaking its neck.
She may be but I doubt she’s doing it on purpose.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Not true. I Went through this and they will sit on and smash accidentally because there might be too many, territorial, who knows. But every time I tried this mama slowly accidentally or intentionally abandoned them except for original ones she had. So sad. They don’t know though. Some chickens will only watch this many, knowing too hard to keep from preditors, etc. some hens want just their own and some want all of them regardless of space under her lol. Animal behavior is wild.

You may need to find a better hen for raising chicks. They are not equal.

 

[Helloworld]

You may need to find a better hen for raising chicks. They are not equal.

Nope not one the same. I have great sarogates now. My non-laying, older hens!

I love game fowl. We have Leige Fighters for hawks and owls. They are awsome!

 

[shishimarie]

Thanks for all the thoughts and advise. I’ve been watching everyone today and now all the chicks are the same size. Everyone has clear vents and clean poop. Hopefully it was just that those 4 were weaker or injured from the shipping. Will post any updates.

 

[Helloworld]

Good luck! Nature always takes its course and everyday has a learning curve. I hope the rest do well.