HELP! First batch of Cornish X not doing so well

[iwltfum]

Diagnosing and treating as coccidiosis could help and that might be causing it, but I would say more likely that it's the brooder conditions. Coccidiosis is exacerbated by stress in chicks. If they are given proper conditions, cocci is exponentially less likely to show up. If you're keeping the waterers clean and the bedding is clean and dry (which it looks like it is) then it's probably not coccidiosis.

 

[Morrigan]

Are you heat lamps teflon coated? If so, that is your problem, as it is lethal to birds. If not, I would guess that the temperature fluctuations are the problem. Too cold and the chicks will pile up for warmth and smother those on the bottom. Too hot can cause diarrhea and distress.

One way to solve this problem next time is to buy or build "mother hen" style brooding plates, so the chicks can go under when they are cold and out when they are warm. Just make sure it is big enough so that can all fit under at night.

 

[Geena]

I think 17 days is probably too soon to start taking away the heat source all together. Where are you measuring the temperature from, ambient or under the heat lamps? If you put the lamps on pulleys they can be raised and lowered for more or less heat at chick level. You might want to turn one lamp off and leave the other on if it's too hot. Also the loose stools you are seeing might just be cecal poop and not really diarrhea.

 

[ka0ttic]

They are responding well to Corid so I am assuming it was cocci. Poop is looking a lot healthier and the one that wasn't looking too hot seems to have recovered.. I moved them out to the tractor this morning.

 

[ka0ttic]

I think 17 days is probably too soon to start taking away the heat source all together. Where are you measuring the temperature from, ambient or under the heat lamps? If you put the lamps on pulleys they can be raised and lowered for more or less heat at chick level. You might want to turn one lamp off and leave the other on if it's too hot. Also the loose stools you are seeing might just be cecal poop and not really diarrhea.

I am in Florida so shouldn't be an issue taking away heat that early. That screenshot I originally posted was of ambient temps about a foot off the floor. I didn't have the lamps on pulleys but did have them on chains where I could raise or lower as needed.

 

[Mrs. K]

Glad to see them outside - my meat birds go outside at a week old. They have shelter outside available to them, and can enter a coop. I do not think it was a heat issue. Because they are growing so fast, they produce a huge amount of heat.

Don't know if this will help, or not. But when I feed mine, I wet down the the feed, I just add water, going for 'good sand castle" consistency. I think that dry feed is very dehydrating in the amounts that they eat. I feed in the morning, and mid afternoon, they do not have feed available 24/7. And I turn out the lights, and they sleep through the night. They are starving in the morning, so do be early down there.

These are not long lived birds, but rather a particular strain that grows fast. Report it where you got them, I would more strongly suspect a genetic failure than either feed or disease. There are several strains out there, see if you can get a different one next time.

Mrs K