Help, I'm new at raising chicks. I purchased 13 chicks, 8 Marans and 5 olive eggers. I have no problems with the Marans but my olive eggers are dying. I've lost 2 since they arrived in the mail. The first one passed 3 days after arriving and the other one 9 days after arriving.
When I got up to check on my babies on day 3 I found my girl, laying under the others, not breathing after moving around eating, drinking, pooping the day before ( she was the runt and slowest of the bunch). On day 6 I started to notice the other one not eating or drinking as much as the others. I didn't see any signs of illnesse's on day 6. Then on day 7 she wasn't moving around as much as she use to and she was starting to breathe heavier than the others and eating less and not drinking anything. I started to give her water, and 3 drops of poly vi sol via dropper and she started to drink and eat with the others, still nowhere near the same as the others. The following day she wasn't eating or drinking so I started to mix food with water and used a dropper to get some food and water in her, I continued to do this all day and night switching from sugar water to 3 in 1 probiotics. She was struggling to take the solutions as the day went on into the night. On day 9 she looked like she was getting better, so I left her to go get antibiotics. I went to 3 different feed stores because all but the last store didn't have any antibiotics in stock. I was gone for 2 hours and when I got back I found her laying on her side struggling to breathe. I tried to get her to take the antibiotics but she couldn't even lift her head up and continued to gasp, she passed 30 minute's after I got back.
Now I have another one that's starting to slow down on the food and water, but now I'm giving them antibiotics through the waterer and it seems to be making her and another one very sleepy which prevents them from eating as much as they use to. I'm using vetrx and probiotics. Also 2 of my olives lacked eating after I switched to Purina organic starter feed since the crumbs where a little bigger than the other brand I had. I've also been giving them hard boiled egg yolk, plain yogurt and I'm crushing the feed to encourage them to eat. And Im still use a dropper to make sure they are getting fluids.
The brooder is 2 feet by 4 feet. The temp is 91° Fahrenheit Under the lamp and 86° Fahrenheit outside of the lamp, the humidity is an average 35%. If I bring the lamp close all my chicks are stretched out with a 1 or 2 panting so I keep the temp at 91°. I change the bedding every 2-3 days. There is no oder and the beeping is dry. I do have to clean the water every hour due to pine shavings and poop getting in to and I sanitize the feeder and waterer daily. At first I had both breeds in the same brooder, but since this stated I've separated my olive eggers from the marans on day 11, today because I wanted to give my olives a better chance to eat and drink ( the marans are so pushy when comes to eating and drinking).
What can I do to prevent anymore losses?
When I got up to check on my babies on day 3 I found my girl, laying under the others, not breathing after moving around eating, drinking, pooping the day before ( she was the runt and slowest of the bunch). On day 6 I started to notice the other one not eating or drinking as much as the others. I didn't see any signs of illnesse's on day 6. Then on day 7 she wasn't moving around as much as she use to and she was starting to breathe heavier than the others and eating less and not drinking anything. I started to give her water, and 3 drops of poly vi sol via dropper and she started to drink and eat with the others, still nowhere near the same as the others. The following day she wasn't eating or drinking so I started to mix food with water and used a dropper to get some food and water in her, I continued to do this all day and night switching from sugar water to 3 in 1 probiotics. She was struggling to take the solutions as the day went on into the night. On day 9 she looked like she was getting better, so I left her to go get antibiotics. I went to 3 different feed stores because all but the last store didn't have any antibiotics in stock. I was gone for 2 hours and when I got back I found her laying on her side struggling to breathe. I tried to get her to take the antibiotics but she couldn't even lift her head up and continued to gasp, she passed 30 minute's after I got back.
Now I have another one that's starting to slow down on the food and water, but now I'm giving them antibiotics through the waterer and it seems to be making her and another one very sleepy which prevents them from eating as much as they use to. I'm using vetrx and probiotics. Also 2 of my olives lacked eating after I switched to Purina organic starter feed since the crumbs where a little bigger than the other brand I had. I've also been giving them hard boiled egg yolk, plain yogurt and I'm crushing the feed to encourage them to eat. And Im still use a dropper to make sure they are getting fluids.
The brooder is 2 feet by 4 feet. The temp is 91° Fahrenheit Under the lamp and 86° Fahrenheit outside of the lamp, the humidity is an average 35%. If I bring the lamp close all my chicks are stretched out with a 1 or 2 panting so I keep the temp at 91°. I change the bedding every 2-3 days. There is no oder and the beeping is dry. I do have to clean the water every hour due to pine shavings and poop getting in to and I sanitize the feeder and waterer daily. At first I had both breeds in the same brooder, but since this stated I've separated my olive eggers from the marans on day 11, today because I wanted to give my olives a better chance to eat and drink ( the marans are so pushy when comes to eating and drinking).
What can I do to prevent anymore losses?
