Help! Lost one bantam and another is slowly dying

[ICB42]

So yesterday we noticed we had one dead bantam in the brooder. It was fine most of the day and then all of a sudden it was dead... And this morning all 4 that we had left were fine running around and everything was fine eating and drinking and now she's not moving barley opens her eyes and I try to sit her up and she just flops down.. She has shallow breathing. I took her out of the brooder as well as the other chicks and they are all separated... What in the world could cause this?!? Please help!! I took a picture of the poor chick :/ her name is freckles. I'm really sad about this!

 

[chicklover 1998]

Were they vaccinated for mereks?

 

[ICB42]

I honestly don't know we got them from a feed store so I can't say for sure if they were...

 

[chicklover 1998]

where are you located if you don't mind me asking

 

[ICB42]

I live in Florida

 

[chicklover 1998]

Hmm it is still relatively warm around you then so it could be do you have any other chickens

 

[ICB42]

We do! We have 3 bantams and then we have 7 outside that haven't had any contact with these yet. These are just 4 weeks old so we haven't eMate to put them outside.

 

[goosiesnougs]

So sad

I'm sorry for your loss

 

[chicklover 1998]

I don't mean to sound rude if I am but are you careful to wash your hands between birds and maybe change your shirt if you have long sleeves. There are people on here more educated on the subject than me but I'm leaning towards mereks, because you got them from a feed store so they don't always order vaccinated chicks.

 

[ICB42]

Thank you!! I had read a little about mereks because I had never heard of it. And she has a lot of the symptoms her legs are kind of stuck where they were at and her eyes are all gray now and she's hardly moving I don't even think she's breathing anymore I'm so sad I am no stranger to losing chickens. It just never gets easier