Help for pullet-Update, she Didnt make it.

[Mikeeeeeeeeee]

Quote:
Store the feed in the original bag in a dry location.
It smells good.
Poo is progressivly looser as it progresses. No chunks.
Rest of the flock poo is healthy looking
Time from listless till death is 2 days.
Birds are 3-4 months
I bought them at probably 2 months old at the auction.
I have been feeding them layng mash, but in the last few days have switched them to starter that I am feedin gmy 3 week old RIR's

The RIRs are in the garage - the two flocks have never even been close to each other.

 

[Vamp-A-Billy Princess]

Sorry about your chickies. I've had quite a few die lately too. 8 pretty polish in a week. Boo. I never thought it might be a feed problem. Mine keep getting snotty too. They get over it a while then get snotty again. Good luck!

 

[chickenlady]

I would make sure they are all eating a medicated starter food from here on out. That is not a TREATMENT for cocci though, it is just a preventative and even then, the birds can still get it.

If your birds had such a severe worm infestation that would kill them, I would think you would be seeing them in the poop.

Did the last one die before switching them to starter?

I would not rule out a bad bag of feed just yet. Again, it may not have anything to do with you. It could have come from the company like that or gotten like that from the feed store.

Another thought (unrelated to bad feed).....after a day of eating, are the crops very full on these little guys? Are they completely empty in the morning? In the tractor, do they have access to grass or is it just the chicken feed?

It does certainly sound like it could be cocci given the age of these birds, the symptoms, the quick onset, and the quick death.

If this were me, I would be holding off on the worming treatment for now (unless you see them in the poop) and giving a quick round of sulmet. It is a quick acting drug.

If you loose another one, I would recommend calling your state for a necropsy to be done. This way you will know for sure what you are dealing with.

Again, this is only what I would do myself, it seems as time is of the essence here.

 

[Mikeeeeeeeeee]

Quote:
Last one that died never tasted the starter.

i dont know how to check crops. Still learning.

I will get some sulmet today.

 

[chickenlady]

So if you had some bad feed, it may have been that last bag of layer feed you bought. I am glad you switched.

A chickens crop is located in the breast area on the right side, left if you are looking at the chicken. During the day as they eat, it should get larger and feel hard since it is full of food. Over night since they are not eating, it should be empty by morning. The crop holds the food while it is waiting to be processed by the gizzard. At the end of today, feel the breast area on the right side of the chicken and see if you can feel a bulge. Then check tomorrow morning and see if the bulge is gone.

Here is my reasoning for checking this. You say they are in a tractor which means they may have access to grass during the day. They are pretty young to be on grass right now and may not know that they need to break the grass off into small pieces. If they are eating big long pieces, they can bind up the crop and food will not get to the gizzard to be used by the body. If this happens, sour crop can result and even death because the chicken is being starved and dehydrated.

This theory can be eliminated if 1: they are not on grass or 2: their crops are full at night and empty in the morning.

How are they eating now? How bout drinking?

 

[Mikeeeeeeeeee]

Quote:
I called my sweetie and she said they ( the rest) are acting quite normal.

I will check those crops this evening and in the morning.

 

[jbowyer01]

Please let us know how the rest are doing. It will be a learning lesson for all us newbies. I do hope they all stay healthy . Sorry to here about your chicks.

 

[Mikeeeeeeeeee]

Quote:
The way I see it, I am learning lessons that will be needed later on down the road again possibly.
Thanks to all.
Here is an excelent article I read today.
http://www.cornerstone-farm.com/dealing_with_coccidiosis.htm