I have no idea...molting? crop?

[jellyroll]

Not really close. But, I have a meeting in the morning that I can not be late to.

I think I'm going to use this as a HUGE learning experience and treat the next sick chick as a more serious situation. I know it's not ideal, but I really don't have choice right now.

 

[BYC910]

I won't say we have all been there but most of us have. Your wife is wise, always buy more than you want . Expecting loses is the only thing to do .# 1 Rule start deworming at six weeks old . and do every suggested deworming after that . Parasites do damage that can affect chickens growth and development . Even cause sudden death as they get older . Mereks is but one of many things that can kill chickens . It is however the most common thing. If your chickens came form a big name hatchery they most likely were vaccinated against Mereks .You have a good attitude. Learn from it . Keep at it and you will get the hang of it . I over came loses by hatching hundreds . Now I just have to sell the extras.

 

[Eggcessive]

Chicks are not routinely vaccinated by hatcheries or feed stores unless the purchaser has ordered it and paid an extra dollar for it to be done. Many do not want their chicks vaccinated. There is an ongoing debate about whether to vaccinate or not. If there is Mareks in the flock, it may affect all chickens eventually, and since Mareks spreads via dander and dust, it can remain in the environment for years after all chickens are gone. It can take 2 or more weeks for baby chicks to develop immunity with a vaccine, so new chicks should be kept inside away from exposure to that environment. So it would be good to get a necropsy at some point, either with this body, or a future death.

 

[jellyroll]

I appreciate everyone's input.

I will be certain to add a new post in a different forum with our current setup. It truly is an inherited mess, but we are making minor improvements (it really just needs to be torn down and completely rebuilt). Tonight, all of the birds finally decided that the floor was no longer a good place to sleep. They are all sleeping on horizontal 2x4s built into the wall. So I guess I'll be making some roosting bars over the next several days.

 

[HeyHo]

Good luck to you, so sorry you had to deal with this. Like someone else said, vent all you want, this is the place for it. Chickens are not easy and we all have to face it at some point.