Losing baby chicks daily :(

[hd_darcy]

We have several baby chicks that were hatched out in our coop by our hens. With that said, we just recently found out they must have some sort of mite or lice because when handling the chicks / chickens we have found tiny bugs on our hands or arms! A tiny thing, but it is a bug of some sort (mite or lice, but uncertain which). So, we just found the bugs yesterday. We are treating them today. We have lost at least 6 or 7 chicks in the past few days. Seem to be losing like 1 a day. They go from normal to sick fast. Does this sound like it's the mites or lice? Right now I have one, maybe two that don't look like they are doing very well. I tried to inspect, and I didn't see a mite or lice on it, but this chick is obviously going downhill rapidly. Could it be something else? I have isolated that chick, and have a heat lamp on it. Anything else I can do? Should I rub the sick one with the seven dust (just purchased today) right now too?

Thank you for any and all help!

 

[Erica]

Hi hd_darcy,
how old are the chicks? What are they eating?
If they're over a week in age then it may be coddiciosis which would need treatment ASAP (e.g. Corid).
Earlier than that, it's more likely to be incorrect brooder temperature or perhaps they might have hatched with infected navels from a contaminated incubator (though I'd be looking at the brooder).
Mites can certainly kill young birds, but it sounds like you're onto that.
good luck
Erica

 

[hd_darcy]

The chicks are under a week old. I still have them hatching, so not sure on the exact age of the ones we are losing. They were eating just the regular food. Maybe that's the problem? We hadn't got to the store to get medicated baby chick food yet. I never had them in a brooder or an incuabator. They are hatched from the hens in the coup. They have their own special spot out there where the hens are taking care of them.

I haven't checked on my most recent one, but I did take him out, put him under a heat lamp, and he seemed to perk up a bit. I'm hoping he's fine this morning.

 

[petem1999]

This spring has been very bad for coccidiosis, we lost a lot of chicks to it. This is the first time in 7 years of raising chickens that we have had a bad outbreak. The early signs of coccidiosis are ruffled feathers, wings down, head down. Later signs are ruffled feathers, wings down, head down, lethargic, head down, diarrhea, bloody stool and death.
If one chick is showing signs treat all of them for this. If you are raising them in a brooder with a floor get them off of the floor and onto wire (that way the poop drops through and they cant eat it and get reinfected).

 

[hd_darcy]

If the chicks had it, wouldn't the adult chickens have it too? The adults have been totally fine. It's the babies that we had been losing. Today though, they all seem spunky and fine. Hoping that losing them is over with! We did dust them last night. Boy, what a treat. Not the babies, but all the adults, and then we sprinkled the powder on the floor where they are staying witht he moms and dusted the moms well. Hoping that was enough?! Didn't see any signs of lice or mites yesterday either. How weird.

 

[petem1999]

Yes, but the adults develop a resistance to it, the chicks are not old enough to have developed the resistance.