Losing chicks mysteriously.

[AdrianOrtiz12]

Thank you for taking time to try and help, for those who do..
My chicks are about 3 months old and all were born in an incubator. I haven't had any problems even with this Texas heat, to my knowledge I haven't lost any to the heat. Well i have 9 ayam cemani, and yesterday I found one dead, thinking it got trampled even though it it was a good size chick. Well later that night I find a huge field rat in the chick pin and threw it across the yard. Didn't think too much of it. WELL I come out today and another cemani is half dead, so my wife gives it a penicillin and I cooled it off hoping it's the heat and I can save her. Well my question is do the rats have anything to do with their deaths or injuries? Like do they fight with them or could it just be the heat and me not notice? They dont seem to have trouble breathing to my knowledge but they seem so weak and out of it.. Please anything would help!! Thank you again?

 

[C3 mommy]

I have heard of rats killing chicks/chickens. Do any have any wounds?

 

[AdrianOrtiz12]

I have heard of rats killing chicks/chickens. Do any have any wounds?

None that we saw. The one we found half dead was really weak. No Mark's on the face. Everyone else seems perfectly fine.

 

[Svaness]

Sorry to hear about your chicks.. have they been vaccinated against cocci? Are they exhibiting any symptoms of distress?

 

[quackersandfern]

You could try using poultrydvm's poultry predator identifier tool - http://www.poultrydvm.com/predator-identifier.php

 

[AdrianOrtiz12]

Sorry to hear about your chicks.. have they been vaccinated against cocci? Are they exhibiting any symptoms of distress?

They have not been vaccinated YET.. no they seem fine their oooo seems good I had one cemani with little swelling around his right eye with some crust but we treated her with penicillin.