Lost 2 chicks; concerned about disease??

[Val123]

Hello experienced chicken parents. I am a second-time chicken flock owner, and I’m running into issues I never had before which have me very concerned for my flock. Please help.

In short, we have a gigantic coop that a human could probably live in, and so this go-around when starting up a new flock, we decided to get 19 chicks since we know it’s hard to introduce younger ones later. This will still give them 8 square feet per chicken in the coop when they go in, but for now they’re chicks.

Anyway, we never lost a chicken with our last flock, but as of today, we’ve now lost 2. The first was a very small Dominique, who despite my checking for pasty butt multiple times a day with every chicken, had blockage and what appeared to be a prolapsed vent with constipation which I noticed about 24 hours after bringing her home. I tried getting electrolytes in her after cleaning her vent, and due to how poorly she was doing tried giving her an enema (as another poster had had success with), but it was unsuccessful and she died that evening. I thought maybe she had never been all that healthy, and as sad as I was, I thought perhaps it was just stress/bad luck/underlying issues.

Fast forward to today…a Buff Orpington from the same group I bought last week, who until today looked great and was growing well etc., started acting similarly this afternoon. Lethargic, closing eyes while standing erect, panting with beak closed. This one had no pasty butt whatsoever, not at all since she came home a week ago, and didn’t show signs of constipation etc. Thinking dehydration, I give her sugar water every half hour and she did seem to be improving, but this evening she abruptly died.

The symptoms between the two chicks were similar (closed eyes, standing erect, panting), but I *thought* the cause from the first Dominique was pasty butt / constipation. The Buff Orpington looked healthy until today, had zero signs of poo issues, so this really worries me. I am wondering if maybe there is a disease going around the chicks. Or...maybe I gave them to much water?!

I have a heat lamp set up and the temperature seems to be OK, as I see chicks disperse themselves at varying degrees of closeness to the lamp based on their needs. I always keep water available and clean it multiple times a day. They are on complete chick starter feed.

I am at a bit of a loss. Please help. I believe I have a good setup for the chicks, and I don’t *think* that’s the issue. Do you think maybe there is a sickness going around? Besides cleaning the brooder thoroughly, what can I do to prevent further losses if so? Am I handling their symptoms incorrectly?

 

[cavemanrich]

I'm not sure why your 2 chicks passed, but am wondering if the condition (coccidiosis ) may be present in your flock of chicks. It is common. When I had baby chicks,,,, I fed them medicated feed. That prevented cocci.
Here is a copy n paste, of conditions to watch for.
Symptoms
Coccidiosis develops quickly, with an incubation period of 4 to 8 days. Symptoms may develop gradually or appear suddenly. It is not uncommon for a chicken to seem fine one day and become very sick or even die the next.

The most common symptom of the disease is blood or mucus in chicken droppings. However, reddish chicken droppings aren’t always an indicator of coccidiosis. Chicken droppings may also appear brownish red in color due to the normal shedding of cecal cells. The only way to know if the droppings indicate an infected bird is to have the droppings tested by a veterinarian.

Other symptoms of coccidiosis can include:

• Diarrhea
• Weakness and listlessness
• Pale comb or skin
• Blood located at the vent site of the bird
• Decreased food or water consumption
• Ruffled feathers
• Weight loss (in older chickens)
• Decreased growth rate (in young chickens)
• Failing to lay eggs or laying eggs inconsistently

Not all chickens will display the same symptoms and all of these symptoms might not be present in affected chickens.

If you suspect coccidiosis infection, have the chicken droppings tested by a veterinarian as soon as possible to confirm your findings and begin treatment.

Treatment
Fortunately, coccidiosis is treatable if caught early enough. It is important to treat every bird in the flock to contain the outbreak.

The most popular treatment for coccidiosis is Amprolium, which blocks the parasite’s ability to uptake and multiply.

Treatment is usually administered by adding Amprolium to the chickens’ water supply, however in some cases, where sick chickens aren’t eating or drinking enough, the medication is given orally.

Treatment usually proceeds for 7 days, though sick chickens often show improvement in as little as 24 hours. In particularly warm, wet, or humid environments, a second dose of the treatment is recommended after a break in between to ensure complete eradication of the infection.

Amprolium can also be given on an ongoing basis, as a disease preventative. For more information on treatment and prevention options for your flock, consult your veterinarian.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[BigBlueHen53]

So these chicks you're having problems with are what, about two weeks old? What is the temperature of the floor under the heat lamp? What kind of heat bulb are you using? Red, white? What wattage? Is it designed for warming food or is it for warming reptiles and chickens? How are you giving them water? I think that @aart has a graphic picture showing the inside of a chick's mouth with the opening you must be very careful to avoid getting liquid into, lest you drown the chick. If she does not have it, she will know who does. I wish you all luck in this matter.

 

[Val123]

Thanks for the reply about coccidiosis...maybe I will get medication tomorrow since there seems to be no downside.

regarding the lamp, it’s one made for chicken brooders with a red bulb. Got a new one this go around from the feed store. Water from a feeder that has a container dripping down into a tray...also new from the feed store. Thanks for the tip on the drowning...I will look. This last chick was not attempting to drink on her own but was swallowing water when some was dripped on her beak.