Light blinded chicks, please help!

Blue Hill Farm

Songster
10 Years
Jun 6, 2009
130
13
111
Central Saskatchewan
Hi,

I'm new to chickens, just got my 3 day old babies yesterday and was using a 250 watt UV sunlight (per friends instructions) until this afternoon when I noticed the chicks were no longer opening their eyes. I turned the brights off and replaced with a red heat light. They were eating and drinking fine until the afternoon, but now all they do is sleep, lay lethargically, and won't open their eyes for nothing. I feel so horrible....did my stupidity blind my poor babies for life?
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Please help, offer advice.....I don't know what to do!???
 
I don't have any advice for you about their eyes. But, I would say to try to get them to drink as much as possible. They could get dehydrated quite quickly if they're not drinking.

I'm sure someone will come along soon who knows a lot more than I do. There are an abundance of helpful people on this site!!!

Good luck with your chicks! I hope everything turns out well.
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I think something else is going on here. I use 250 white lights all the time in early spring, and never blinded any. Any other symptoms? Are they by chance, fluffed up??? Like puffy looking? Hmm but at three days old you wouldnt see the puffiness I doubt. Check their stool. Is it diarhea? Bloody?
 
Thank you for your responses.

I've been picking them up individually and gently dipping their beaks until they drink. Some really squawk, but all have been getting water containing super booster for 12 hours now.
eta: they make little attempt to go drink themselves....probably because they can't see it to find it...ugh.
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They do seem a tad puffed up when laying down, but stools appear fine, not runny or bloody. And they are pooping alot! FTR, diet is medicated chick starter crumble. I just wish they would open their eyes....
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I'm not new to chickens, but have been blessed with healthy chickens, so know very little about chicken diseases. I didnt know what coccidiosis was until today, when my chicks got it. They are puffy, and runny stool with blood, and keep their eyes closed a lot! Keep watching them, if you see blood in the stool you will know what they have.

In the morning, someone who knwos more than me will answer you, and help you figure out whats going on here. Not many people online this time of night.
 
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I'm not familiar iwth a UV sunlight - did it come with any instructions as to not look directly at it or something like that? I have no idea if a light could hurt the chicks' eyes, but even if the light was the problem, you shouldn't blame yourself -there was no way you could know and you were following what seemed like logical advice at the time.
 
I am new here. Having said that I think maybe your chicks got their eyes sunburned. Make sure to keep watering them and show them the food dish. You have already changed your bulb out so now all you can do is wait. Good luck and keep us informed.
 
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You were so right....this morning when I checked them there were quite a few runny stools (some with a bit of pink I assume is blood) so I'm guessing coccidiosis now. Not sure how it happened, but I'm going to search on here how to treat. Thank god for BYC!

Wanted to add that 3 babes seem perkier than the rest. Eyes are open (whew!) running around, eating and drinking. The others are either laying together puffed up/or standing puffed, eyes shut chirping away. I'm worried that they are hungry/thirsty and are to weak to eat/drink. Drinking I know how to help them, but what can I do to help them eat? I don't want any of my babies to die....
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TIA!
 
Read my post a few threads down. It has coccidiosis right in the title. you'll need to go to a farm store and find either Sulmet or Corid and mix it into their water according to directions. If they wont drink, you'll have to give it to them with a dropper. You might try giving them a yogurt with live cultures. It will say "live" or "active" cultures on the jar. You may lose some of the worse ones, but with the Sulmet or Corid in the water, the rest should recover fine.
 

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