Help is my chick sick??

[cmom]

I do feed my chicks 26% protein medicated starter crumbles. At 8 weeks I switch them over to 21% grower pellets. Probably not what others would do but it works good for me. The breeders get a 21% breeder feed for a while prior to collecting eggs for hatching.

 

[Chick_Norris]

Can you isolate her to make sure she's pooping?
And if so, is it normal poop? Is there blood in the poop?

Check the vent and make sure it's clear (i.e. no pasty butt).

Check the underside of her feet and make sure the pads look good and there's no sign of a problem there. Sometimes they get little poop balls that wad up in their feet- like having a stone in your shoe.

What feed are you giving them? Medicated or unmedicated starter?

They are getting medicated feed only have one brooder at the moment but going to see if I make a bigger one this weekend, also I have noticed one of them have been having diarrhea but haven’t noticed any blood in it

 

[OneLuckeyWife]

I had a chick that stopped eating and drinking as much. I got Corid from the feed store and added it to he water for the whole flock. A few days later he was back to normal. He did grow slower than the others and it maturity later.

A lady who runs a farm told me that chicks sometimes eat their poop and it causes a parasite in their stomach which causes them not to eat or drink. They can die from it. She said it can transfer to the whole flock but that Corid would fix him.

 

[Chick_Norris]

I had a chick that stopped eating and drinking as much. I got Corid from the feed store and added it to he water for the whole flock. A few days later he was back to normal. He did grow slower than the others and it maturity later.

A lady who runs a farm told me that chicks sometimes eat their poop and it causes a parasite in their stomach which causes them not to eat or drink. They can die from it. She said it can transfer to the whole flock but that Corid would fix him.

Thanks for the info

 

[Shezadandy]

They are getting medicated feed only have one brooder at the moment but going to see if I make a bigger one this weekend, also I have noticed one of them have been having diarrhea but haven’t noticed any blood in it

I would lean towards coccidiosis - it doesn't have to be all the chicks sick simultaneously for this to be the problem. If you start Corid today, you should see a big change by tomorrow. I would do this ASAP while the chick is still willing to eat and drink. When they're that small, it doesn't take that much to tip them over the edge.

Excellent article about coccidiosis with dosage information at the bottom for liquid or powder Corid:

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken/

I would also be sure the chicks have somewhere far enough from the heat lamp to cool down. They really, really don't need the whole box to be 90-95 degrees- just an area to warm up. It would be like getting stuck on an airplane and the pilot can't turn on the air conditioning and you're not allowed to deplane.

For the first couple/three days chicks usually park it under momma hen. After that, they're out playing and they start coming back for quick warm ups under her.

If you can eliminate the heat lamp and use an alternative means of heat, like a Momma Heating Pad (aka MHP) - all you need is a heating pad that will stay on 24/7 to keep them warm. There's a monster thread with as many ways to make one as there are people who've done it.

It's also significantly less electricity used- much, much much lower fire danger- and your chicks will start sleeping all night in the dark - instead of becoming reliant on the light 24/7 and panicking about their first experience in the dark.

Here's the monster MHP thread if you'd like to eliminate the heat lamp:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/

 

[Kiki]

Blood is not necessary for outbreaks of Coccidia.
I would start Corid asap.
The sooner then better just in case you are dealing with coccidiosis, even if you are not the Corid won't hurt them.