I feel like I'm running a chick hospice.. help

[UmmmSorryButNo]

Hey guys,
While we're new to chicks - we're not panic buyers. With being stuck at home we're finally able to establish our chickens home so we went ahead with out plans.

Here is the timeline of events I need help with:
4/1 we brought home 4 bantam babies from TSC
4/2 all was good
4/3

• two of those babies died due to a grave mistake on our part (brooder was left unsecured) I take 100% responsibility for this.
• Remaining babies was unscathed and still flourishing and growing
• We brought home 6 additional bantam babies from a local F&S (LFS)
  • One LFS baby had pasty butt upon getting home. warm soak - wrapped in warm towel - gave electrolyte water.

4/4

• LFS baby from night before is dead under the heat plate when we got up in the morning
• 2 additional LFS babies are acting off. Separate out. Treat with Nutri-Drench and, probiotic/electrolyte water provided.
• Lunch LFS baby #1 dies
• Hour later LFS baby #2 dies

4/5

• TSC baby acting lethargic w/ in two hours dies

4/6

• LFS baby - others have been pecking her I've separated her out but she is acting like all the other babies who had passed.

I honestly don't know what else to do to try and save these babies

Brooder set up: Right now we have them in a XXL black tote so I can keep a better eye on them. Soft pine bedding. Standard heat lamp so I can see them (wasn't able to monitor with the heat plate) NutriDrench enfused water alternating with fresh water and hydro hen (two types of water in their tote). Temp in one corner is around 95 there is a gradient from 95 down to about 85.

What am I doing wrong or missing here?

 

[NatJ]

What am I doing wrong or missing here?

You gave lots of good info--I don't immediately see any problems, but here are some thoughts and questions:

a) Feed--you don't mention what they're eating. I'm hoping you purchased a bag of chick starter for them, and that they've got it constantly available.

b) Feed and water: have the chicks been seen to eat and drink? (makes sure they know what to eat and drink, and where it is.)

c) Heat lamp--make sure it does not have a teflon coated bulb. (Hot teflon gives off fumes that are toxic to birds. Bulbs exist both with and without teflon coatings.)

d) How do the droppings look? Any diarrhea? That would be a symptom of coccidiosis, which is a common problem with baby chicks. (Treatment: medicine. I don't have the details, but it's in plenty of other threads here--treatment only needed if they actually have it.)

e) The chicks might have been sick or stressed when you got them. If stressed, good conditions and time will fix any that live through it. If sick, you'll have to figure out what disease and treatment (if any treatment exists).

f) Anytime you're isolating sick chicks, it is important--but difficult--to be sure they have the correct temperature, food, water. Getting overheated or too cold can be the last straw, if they're already going downhill.

g) Chickens in general, and baby chicks in particular, can be hard to figure out. It often seems that either everything works fine, or everything goes wrong, and trying to figure out the differences is really hard. By the time a chick looks sick, it's often too late.

h) It would probably not be a good idea to add any more chicks to your current batch at present--if it is a disease, it will just spread to them too. If these all die, disinfect thoroughly before getting new chicks (and consider getting new ones from TSC, not the LFS, considering which group seems to be having how much trouble.)

 

[UmmmSorryButNo]

a) they are being fed medicated starter feed crumbles. I feed enough to cover the bottom of their feeder and clear it out daily due to poop. They are never without - its at the far end of the brooder away from heat lamp.
b) all who had been impacted have been eating and drinking fine one day - then stop. Right now we have one we are syringe feeding water to about every 3 min then letter her eat... then water again. trying to mimic the pattern of the others.
c)I don't see anything that indicates Teflon - how can I confirm?
d) this morning sick babies droppings were very liquidy... as we've been pushing her to eat they have gotten more solid and normal looking. I do have corid on hand for cocci
e) agree to all
f) understand.
g) learning this lesson hard
h) agree. We have 6 eggs scheduled to hatch Friday. We plan to keep then in a totally separate area to avoid any kind of cross contamination.

We have given feedback to LFS and they have brushed us off. We already agreed to never buy there again

 

[Mamatomany123]

a) they are being fed medicated starter feed crumbles. I feed enough to cover the bottom of their feeder and clear it out daily due to poop. They are never without - its at the far end of the brooder away from heat lamp.
b) all who had been impacted have been eating and drinking fine one day - then stop. Right now we have one we are syringe feeding water to about every 3 min then letter her eat... then water again. trying to mimic the pattern of the others.
c)I don't see anything that indicates Teflon - how can I confirm?
d) this morning sick babies droppings were very liquidy... as we've been pushing her to eat they have gotten more solid and normal looking. I do have corid on hand for cocci
e) agree to all
f) understand.
g) learning this lesson hard
h) agree. We have 6 eggs scheduled to hatch Friday. We plan to keep then in a totally separate area to avoid any kind of cross contamination.

We have given feedback to LFS and they have brushed us off. We already agreed to never buy there again

The fact that they are brushing you off makes me think their chicks were sick. And that they know they were.

 

[NatJ]

I don't know how to recognize whether a heat lamp has a teflon coating, except by looking at the packaging--I've just seen enough warnings to think it was worth mentioning.

Looks to me like you're doing everything right, so I'm going to guess the chicks arrived sick I don't have any experience diagnosing chicken diseases, but maybe someone else will chime in.

 

[UmmmSorryButNo]

Thanks - Honestly, it's reassuring that all the chicken people I have spoken to have pretty much said the same thing - you're doing it all right.

We just put our eggs in lock down and those will be kept completely away from the other babies until we can confirm what ever this is is over.