Losing a chick a day, feed store stumped

[Haunted55]

The feed is Purina medicated chick starter feed, which treats for cocci.

The feed store now thinks my electrolyte solution was too concentrated...so in essence I slowly poisoned the chicks. This increased strain on their hearts, when paired with the high altitude of Colorado, resulted in a perfect storm that gave them ascites, or "water belly." Apparently this is much more common than I thought. Anyone who experiences water belly with their chicks, this is an interesting general info article:

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/6/ascites

Hopefully pure water and a close eye over the next week will save the remaining chicks.

**Warning for anyone using a general electrolyte solution suitable for all livestock - DO NOT follow the dosing instructions on the bag. For chickens, a pinch of granules per one gallon of water is all that's needed.**

How are the rest of your birds today?

 

[paredown]

I really appreciate the support on this site! No new birds are sick today, and my one sick Ameraucana is still with us. I've posted more on this electrolyte overdose (I'm 99% sure now that's what it was) with pictures on my blog today if anyone would like to know more. I'd love for my terrible error to teach someone else and save their birds!

http://www.paredownlookup.com/2013/05/chick-killer.html

 

[Haunted55]

I really appreciate the support on this site! No new birds are sick today, and my one sick Ameraucana is still with us. I've posted more on this electrolyte overdose (I'm 99% sure now that's what it was) with pictures on my blog today if anyone would like to know more. I'd love for my terrible error to teach someone else and save their birds!

http://www.paredownlookup.com/2013/05/chick-killer.html

Something you might want to think about for your avian medical kit. Activated charcoal tabs. You should be able to find them at any pharmacy. I crush one and make a slurry with water and give it to who ever needs it. Another thing I have is ground up watermelon seed. They are a diuretic. I have never had to deal with ascites except in meat birds. I lost one the first time and started giving the crushed and powdered seeds since. It seems to work as well on them as it does on humans, which is pretty good, lol. I harvest them from watermelons, not from seed packets. Who knows what's on those seeds!

I am just so glad you found the answers you needed and were able to reverse the troubles. Don't beat yourself up though, you didn't know and this is a lesson you will never forget. You've already posted the reasons so it won't happen to anyone who reads this. What more can you do? Ya done good! You saved the rest of them. Now it's on to the next. God Bless and good luck from now on.