I just recently purchased a 3-week Polish chick from a local hatchery, along with some other chicks, and already I'm noticing some concerns. She seems to be much more lethargic compared to the other chicks, just falling asleep wherever she goes, in the food bowl, etc . I saw her eating, which was good, but she's missing quite a few feathers, and her poop is very watery. The other chicks seem to have much wetter poops as well, so I suspect something went on at the breeder. My only question is if she is actually sick, and what I should do to get her better?
The treatment is simple. Get to the feed store ASAP and pick up some Corid. Read the label and mix it into the drinking water. There will be two treatments - one for prevention and one for cure. The cure is more concentrated and is the mix you want. You will mix it fresh each day, let all the chicks drink it for five days. In one week, do another round for another five days. That will cure the chicks. If one has the cocci parasites, all will have them. It can kill them, so do it right away. Some breeders are not very ethical and chicks can be carrying any sort of disease or vermin. Look these chicks over very carefully for lice. If you see tiny moving reddish specks on the skin around the vent, you will need to treat them with permethrin spray or powder on their down fuzz and skin. It's safe. If you happen to have any of these chicks die, it will be crucial to get a necropsy to see what disease you may have imported into your premises that might infect future chicks and chickens. From now on, check with the breeder before you buy and ask if they're NPIP certified against poultry diseases.
