Help first Chicks: 1 has died and another shows the same signs.

[rjbogan6]

Hello,

I brought home 6 Road Island Reds chicks Friday. They are about 5 days old. One was out of it. Slept while still standing. It would drop its head down. Did not really care when I picked it up. It was dead Sat Morning when I checked on them. Another chick is showing the same signs. Starting to sleeps while standing. It's wings fall down to it's side. It drops it head down but keeps it off the bedding.

I'm now hand feeding it water with sugar and vitamens. It's poop is clear.

What could it be is it me or desease?

Using baby chick feed.
Changing the water 2-3x a day
Using chicken bedding
I have them in a 2x3 plastic storage bin.
150watt heat lamp.

Temp is good and the other chicks seem happy. What should I do??

 

[silkiechicken]

At 5 days old, could be still suffering and showing ill effects of shipping stress and failure to thrive. Some boiled may help the little guy out a bit. Best of luck.

 

[Dawn419]

What are you using for bedding? Cedar shavings can be toxic to young chicks.

What is the temperature in the brooder? At 5 days old, it should be 90 - 95 degrees. Could they be too hot, possibly? Is there a cooler area in your brooder for them to get away from the heat?

I have a 2' x 4' wire cage brooder (lined with plastic on the outside) and can get away with using a 85 watt red floodlight bulb and have temps of 90 - 95 degrees. 150 watt in a 2' x 3' plastic brooder could be getting too warm possibly, I don't know.

As silkiechicken stated, it could also just be stress.


Dawn

 

[rjbogan6]

The bedding is kilm dried pine shavings.

I have the light on one side of the box up 20" from the floor. The temp is in the 90's and the other chicks when they want to rest hang in the middle scattered evenly or under the light at night time. No bunching together to keep warm and they do not group together far from the light.
If it is the shock of travel is their something I can do? What os Boiled?

 

[SeaChick]

She means boiled egg yolk. It doesn't need to be specifically boiled, just cooked any old way till it's done and then crumbled. The high-protein might give the chicks energy to snap out of it.

Clear poop does not sound good... sounds like it's not getting any food. Try getting some nourishment in it if you can.

Sometimes they just don't make it, though. We lost one at a few days old. Sorry you are having to deal with this!

Don't blame yourself. It sounds like you've done your research and are doing everything right. Soemtimes chicks get chilled or severely stressed when shipped from the hatchery (did you get them at a feed store?) and they just don't get over it. But also sometimes they do. Thanks for trying to help the little ones!

 

[rjbogan6]

Just an update:

Started to give water with vitamens to the chick with a syring last night and again in the morning. She started to look better.

My wife picked-up hand feeding baby bird formula. W mixed it with warm water and gave three times today. She is doing better. Hanging with the others, eating, pecking, scratching, and drinking. She is not out of the woods yet. At times here wings are dropped down and at times a little spacey.

Seems to be doing something good so I'll keep it going for awhile.

Thank you for the help!

 

[babyboy1_mom]

Glad to hear that your little peep is doing better.

 

[dlhunicorn]

the previous owners may not have been giving med chick starter (are you?)
Proper electrolytes (feed store will have DURVET brand usually) are usually indicated when moving chicks... If the previous owners did not hatch these chicks themselves but also recieved them shipped (you did not say if you got them from a store or a private person) they may not have given this either and that may have produced the problems you are noticing now.