I have 7 4-week old chicks. One died today. She was lethargic yesterday - first noticed her around 5pm. She wouldn't eat or drink. Tried yogurt, sugar water, wet mash, nothing. She died this morning. I have another that is starting to look bad. She squats and looks like she's falling asleep.
They have been in an outside covered pen since they were 9 days old. Ground is grass and pine bark with good drainage. They eat chick crumbles and free range for about 2 hours every night. We feed them tiny grasshoppers when we find them, but the one that died almost never gets to the critters in time.
We moved their pen to a different part of the yard, sanitized the food and water dishes. Gave them fresh pine shavings with DE and put in a clean sand/DE dust bath for them. I'm going to get polyvisol and Vitamin E for them today, plus offer yogurt covered feed first thing every morning for the remainder of the babies.
The other 5 chickens look fine and are chirpping cheerily.
Anything else I should do? Should I quarantine the sick one? How can I figure out what made them sick?
I also have 12 hens that are about 6 months old. No problems in them, but their pen was right next to the chicky's. Should I do anything preventative for them?
Thanks for all your wisdom and advise.
They have been in an outside covered pen since they were 9 days old. Ground is grass and pine bark with good drainage. They eat chick crumbles and free range for about 2 hours every night. We feed them tiny grasshoppers when we find them, but the one that died almost never gets to the critters in time.
We moved their pen to a different part of the yard, sanitized the food and water dishes. Gave them fresh pine shavings with DE and put in a clean sand/DE dust bath for them. I'm going to get polyvisol and Vitamin E for them today, plus offer yogurt covered feed first thing every morning for the remainder of the babies.
The other 5 chickens look fine and are chirpping cheerily.
Anything else I should do? Should I quarantine the sick one? How can I figure out what made them sick?
I also have 12 hens that are about 6 months old. No problems in them, but their pen was right next to the chicky's. Should I do anything preventative for them?
Thanks for all your wisdom and advise.
