Joint soreness and swolleness

[AidKD]

I was told to come here and ask this. I have about 50 meat birds from thr Meyer hatchery a little over a week old. I've had several of them die for unknown reasons and just discovered yesterday that 2 of my chicks have swollen and red joints that they can't move around on. I've been trying to nurse them back to health with electrolyte water, soaking in epsom salt water, and some special gel to help take care of inflamation and pain. It does seem to be helping some, but I was wondering if there is anything more I could be doing? And I'm also starting to think that's why the others died.

 

[Geena]

I just sprinkle the feed around in larger piles

Ah, this is most likely the cause of them dying. They could very well be eating old moldy feed and/or wood chips. Without grit they would not be able to grind up any small pieces of wood they may have ingested, which could block up their digestive system. I would get them some chick grit asap and keep the food in feeders only. I prefer this style for little chicks.

 

[Geena]

How are they being kept and what are you feeding them? Most likely something is amiss in one or both of those areas. It's only butcher age meat birds that may have issues with their joints, young chicks like that should be very mobile and active.

 

[Kiki]

They're being fed a meat bird grower feed and being kept in a large cardboard box. They have constant food, water, and heat. When I check on them before going to bed they are all fine and settling down for the night, then the next morning one of them turns up dead. I was thinking that it had something to do with their joints, but now I don't think so because they're running around fine one day and dead the next.

Cardboard is too slippery and it can cause their legs to get messed up pretty badly from slipping on it.

Can you fill the cardboard box with a couple inches of dirt?

 

[FunClucks]

They have plenty of room to run around and they can go to the other end of the box to get away from the heat.

To me, it looks like you don't have enough space for them. I think they need double the space you are giving them now for their current age. Space requirements increase as they get older, but IMO when they huddle all together and fill half your space while laying down, that's not enough room. They should be in 1/4 of your space while laying down, and then as they grow, give them more room to keep that ratio.

I can't comment on the joint issue, but they could be piling on top of each other, creating unseen internal injuries, or suffocating each other. Also possible that a few might be getting over heated. Or some combination of the above.

Good switch on the bedding. Straight cardboard could have been contributing to/causing joint issues (I know it can mess up their legs but have not experienced it myself), but I think you may also have a few more things going on.

 

[Geena]

Along with more room, you should also elevate those food and water dispensers a bit. When they get full of shavings like that it makes it difficult for them to get anything to eat and drink. Keep an eye on those and refill as needed. That many broiler chicks are going to go through that little bit of food and water very quickly. You are probably going to need to get a few more of those before long so that they all have room to eat at the same time. Personally I would have 3 for feed and 3 for water for 30 chicks.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

They were unable to move because of their joints being swollen and sore, so I had to dip their beaks in water and hold the food up directly to their faces. They really didn't make alot of noise just cause they didn't feel good. @Canadian Wind said that meat birds just grow so fast that sometimes swollen and sore joints just happen.

Yeah but that kind of lameness is a cause for concern at that age. So did they eat and drink when you put the food and water right up to them? If not, I'd start giving them hydration and nutrients using an eye dropper right away. Nutri-drench is great stuff but if you don't have that, molasses water is another good way to get hydration and nutrients into their system. Sugar water is another option.

If they were 6-8 weeks old and moving around less because of swollen joints, I'd be less surprised (although I've never seen my CX have visibly swollen joints, besides the redness on that one chick). But at about a week old, idk if it's typical for them to be having that problem. Keep monitoring them and trying to keep them hydrated and fed.

 

[AidKD]

Cardboard is too slippery and it can cause their legs to get messed up pretty badly from slipping on it.

Can you fill the cardboard box with a couple inches of dirt?

I just moved them to it yesterday and have a layer of woodshavings down. Is that okay or do I still need the dirt?

 

[arizona_chicken_noob]

This looks quite crowded to me. If the recommendation is .5 sqft per bird at that age, and my fast guess is that you have maybe 30 birds there, then you'd want them in at least 3'x5'.

It's easy to collect a few large cardboard boxes and use zip ties to make a little "corral" with them, and the chicks don't try to jump out for at least a few weeks.

 

[Geena]

do you all think that a constant heat lamp directly in each container is still neccesary?

They look like they only have some of their wings feathers, is that right? About a week old? They still need heat. Have you tested to see how warm it is on the shavings underneath the lamp? I don't use heat lamps but I believe you'll want it to be about 85 to 90 at this stage depending on the ambient temperature.

Sorry that you are losing so many of them. I think you'll have much better luck with an improved set up with the correct amount of space and heat. They could be getting over heated or under heated and/or injured from piling up.

How were you feeding them before you put the chick feeder in there?