Help Dying Chicks!!!!

[Eggcessive]

Besides using unpasteurized ACV in the water (1 tablespoonful per gallon) the use of plain yogurt once or twice a week is good for their gut bacteria. During the first week, I would imagine many of the deaths are do to stress and cold during shipment. Are they on medicated chick starter?

 

[Big Dan]

No I can't run medicated starter because the school district won't allow medicated feed when the animal is for student consumption. I have never used yogurt. Does it actually help that much. I've read about it a few times but never tried it. Yes I think stress and shipping played a huge role. We had 800 birds shipped to us. Now they are in groups of 200.

 

[Eggcessive]

I think yogurt won't hurt them at all, and with humans and other animals, it is a good way of re-establishing good bowel bacteria, especially since meat birds tend to have runny BM's. One thing you might research is the use of fermented feed on your meat birds. It is simple and cheap, too, and may cut the cost of your feed since they eat less. You take the chick or meat bird feed, and in a 5 gallon bucket just add plenty of water, and a small glug of ACV. Then stir it and keep adding water for a least 3 days to where the feed is easily stirred. It is then ready to feed if if has a yeasty sour smell. You then keep adding water and feed (no ACV) daily to replace what you have used to feed, or start another batch. I keep 3 buckets going. Their is a thread on the subject with many people raving about it. Birds tend to be healthier and waste less feed.

 

[Big Dan]

The feed I use is supplied to me and its granules. Can you ferment granules, its from my local mill.

 

[BCMaraniac]

The feed I use is supplied to me and its granules. Can you ferment granules, its from my local mill.

Yes, you can use your chick food for fermentation.

I ferment my chick starter/grower for my chicks The fact that it is wet helps with waste, the fact that fermentation breaks down the feed into more easily digestible material, and the fact that fermented feed is full of probiotics that keep the gut in good working order all contribute to decreased cost to feed.

Fermenting feed for chicks involves fermenting their regular feed, whether it is a mash, crumble, or granule.

Now, the type of fermentation is your next decision. Some people do a yeast fermentation, and others do a lactofermentation, which means utiliziing the bacteria(lactobacillus) used to make buttermilk or yogurt.

There are different types of lactobacilli....some work at higher temperatures, like the ones used to make yogurt...they are called thermophilic, meaning they like heat. The other type are mesophilic starters, which means they work best at a moderate temperature.

If you lacto-ferment, you are most likely going to do so at room temperature....so you want a mesophilic starter. You can use 2 or 3 tablespoons of CULTURED buttermilk as your starter, along with a little unfiltered apple cider vinegar(contains the active cultures). Some people just rely on the yeast/bact in the air to innoculate their feed....it takes longer to start, usually.

I used cultured buttermilk to start my fermentation, and I use the leftover liquid/feed to start the next day's batch because it is full of the bacteria I want....just like a sourdough starter...or repitching yeast to start a new batch of beer. Putting fresh feed in the leftover liquid and adding water to keep the feed covered in liquid is just like feeding your sourdough starter.

There are several places on this site and on the web that discusses all of these issues, along with various methods to accomplish it.

Good luck if you decide to pursue this. I use fermentation to feed my meat birds and my layers.

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, whatever feed you use (mash, crumbles, pellets, and whole grains can be fermented in 3 days. Easiest way to start is the ACV, kefir, yogurt, or buttermilk. Don't use yeast because it creates more of a sour dough than a ferment. If you keep it soupy, you can use the leftover liquid to start a new batch.

 

[allieszoo]

From what I understand a 10% mortality rate is normal with these chickens. I haven't tried to raise that many at a time though, I usually keep my batches of meat chickens much lower (10-15) so I don't know if that changes things or not.

I usually only offer food to mine 12 hours on and 12 hours off, could they possibly be eating too much? I know mine will literally eat until they explode. Although I would think 5 days would be too soon for the whole "heart exploding meat chicken thing"

Also wondering if maybe the ones that died were stepped on or hurt by the other chicks? You said they are huddling a lot and I think they can accidentally smother one and another.