Help! My chicks are dying one after the other!

[RooBeeC]

I needed up loosing 13 chicks. It's was horrible! I still have zero idea as to why. I'm so sorry you're going through this, I ended up with 18 left out of 31 chicks.

Yah I know how you feel. I literally got 21 chicks from the hatchery ( at different time, they were replacing as I lost them). and now I only have 9 with one that is weak. Nothing I seem to do perks them up once they get weak. This is my first time doing this and I feel sick about it. I can't figure out what is going wrong at all! Are your other 18 doing ok?

 

[mchlldickson]

Yep! They're doing great!

 

[RooBeeC]

Yep! They're doing great!

Well thats great! Maybe there is hope for my survivors to be happy and healthy!

 

[mchlldickson]

I really felt like that in the end. The strong survive, and no matter what you do if they aren't strong enough it's just meant to be that way. It's kinda helped me not feel so responsible. I tried everything, stayed up all hours of the night checking on them, trying every trick in the book to get them to survive one more day. But in the end, it is what it is, some make it and some don't. I really wish you the best of luck with your babies! I have 13 more coming to me in 15 days from my daughters school hatch, I'm hoping to have better luck with them.

 

[RooBeeC]

I really felt like that in the end. The strong survive, and no matter what you do if they aren't strong enough it's just meant to be that way.

It's kinda helped me not feel so responsible. I tried everything, stayed up all hours of the night checking on them, trying every trick in the book to get them to survive one more day. But in the end, it is what it is, some make it and some don't. I really wish you the best of luck with your babies! I have 13 more coming to me in 15 days from my daughters school hatch, I'm hoping to have better luck with them.

This really makes me feel a little better! Its terrible to lose a chick, but I literally am trying everything. Reading on here that people have 100% live made me feel like I was doing something terribly wrong! Thank you!

 

[enola]

What are the symptoms you are seeing?

 

[RooBeeC]

What are the symptoms you are seeing?

I've had two literally just flip onto their back suddenly ( they seemed strong prior to that), then I go to help them flip back and they are not moving.

The rest get weak, stop walking but will eat if you bring food to them. They then shortly progress to not eating or drinking regardless if they ate or drank prior to that, recently. Yesterday I had one just lay flat on the ground while opening and closing her month frequently, she was not under the heat either. Reading up on her I was wondering if she was choking on a big piece of chick starter or something. It seems like nothing I do brings them back or helps them at all. I've tried almost everything and all the different recommendations I found on here.

My first chicks that came through the mail seemed to have failure to thrive right away. I drove myself to pick up to next set of chicks so they would not be in the mail, these are doing better but still some are getting weak and passing away. I keep blaming myself but literally I'm following all the recommendations I've seen. I have no clue at all what is going on. I'm just wondering if there is something genetic or congenital that is going on. Its so sad to watch the little babies slowly get weak, it breaks my heart.

 

[junebuggena]

I've had two literally just flip onto their back suddenly ( they seemed strong prior to that), then I go to help them flip back and they are not moving.

The rest get weak, stop walking but will eat if you bring food to them. They then shortly progress to not eating or drinking regardless if they ate or drank prior to that, recently. Yesterday I had one just lay flat on the ground while opening and closing her month frequently, she was not under the heat either. Reading up on her I was wondering if she was choking on a big piece of chick starter or something. It seems like nothing I do brings them back or helps them at all. I've tried almost everything and all the different recommendations I found on here.

My first chicks that came through the mail seemed to have failure to thrive right away. I drove myself to pick up to next set of chicks so they would not be in the mail, these are doing better but still some are getting weak and passing away. I keep blaming myself but literally I'm following all the recommendations I've seen. I have no clue at all what is going on. I'm just wondering if there is something genetic or congenital that is going on. Its so sad to watch the little babies slowly get weak, it breaks my heart.

Some very common, but easy to prevent, reasons for those symptoms are that the chicks are too cool or too hot; or coccidiosis; or pasty butt.
How are you brooding them? Heat lamp, heating plate, or heating pad? Do the chicks have both a warm zone and a cool zone? Did you dip their beaks in water as soon as you got them home? Do you have a thermometer in the brooder?

 

[RooBeeC]

Some very common, but easy to prevent, reasons for those symptoms are that the chicks are too cool or too hot; or coccidiosis; or pasty butt.
How are you brooding them? Heat lamp, heating plate, or heating pad? Do the chicks have both a warm zone and a cool zone? Did you dip their beaks in water as soon as you got them home? Do you have a thermometer in the brooder?

I have a heat lamp, they can walk away and go to cooler spots if they want. I did dip their beaks right away in the water. I have a thermometer in the brooder. I've been checking them for pasty butt. They for what I know have normal chick poo. idk, its so confusing.

 

[junebuggena]

What is the temp in the warm zone, under the lamp; and in the cool zone? Medicated feed or unmedicated?