I received 15 chicks from the hatchery on 08/10, so just over a month ago. They were Dark Brahma pullets. They were vaccinated at the hatchery for Marek's and Coccidiosis and arrived in good shape. I lost a couple due to shipping stress, not unexpected. The rest seemed fine. All in the brooder, eating, drinking, growing and active and doing well until yesterday when I saw a dead chick and as I was removing it, I saw another that was lethargic and just looking pitiful. No discharges from anywhere, no diarrhea, no wheezing or coughing. Bird did seem to have stopped eating, felt very thin but that was all. She could walk, just didn't want to. I pulled her out and put her in an isolation cage. She was dead this morning around 4:30 when I got up to feed horses. The others were asleep so if any had died during the night, I didn't notice. By noon, I had maybe 5 pullets left alive, the rest had died. By dinner time tonight, all but 1 were dead and she was dying. I culled her and put her out of her misery.
These birds were in a quarantine brooder that had been cleaned and disinfected, AFTER the last flock 4 years ago and BEFORE this one arrived, They were bedded on straw, got water with Quik Chick Vitamins, regular Grower ration - not medicated due to the vaccines.
I also received 15 cochin chicks a week later, on 08/17, from the same hatchery. They are in their own quarantine brooder, so no contact between the 2 flocks. Same vaccines, fed the same feed, same type of bedding. So far the Cochins are healthy, happy, growing. Also lost a couple of them due to shipping stress, but that's been all so far.
I'm really strict on Bio-security. Each breed gets their own quarantine brooder, no mixing of flocks until they've been here and healthy for at least 60 days. We wash hands and glove up before doing anything with the birds and wash hands and change gloves between breeds. The birds are in their own room, in their brooders, kept separate and are not exposed to outside people, birds or animals until they are fully fledged and put out in their coops and ready to free range. They'd probably be another 3-4 months old before I put them in the coops. We use foot baths for our shoes going in and out of the brooder room and coops. Waterers and feeders are washed and sanitized every time before they're filled.
I've been buying from the same hatchery for 20 years and NEVER had anything like this happen. I expect a few losses along the way for various reasons but......this?? I've lost entire flocks to predation but never to disease. I'm totally stumped. Anyone got any ideas what just happened here? It seems to me that they must have been carrying something with them from the time they came from the hatchery, but yet.....it's been a month, so ??? I'm going to call the hatchery tomorrow but I'm not even sure what I'm going to say or what I expect them to say.
These birds were in a quarantine brooder that had been cleaned and disinfected, AFTER the last flock 4 years ago and BEFORE this one arrived, They were bedded on straw, got water with Quik Chick Vitamins, regular Grower ration - not medicated due to the vaccines.
I also received 15 cochin chicks a week later, on 08/17, from the same hatchery. They are in their own quarantine brooder, so no contact between the 2 flocks. Same vaccines, fed the same feed, same type of bedding. So far the Cochins are healthy, happy, growing. Also lost a couple of them due to shipping stress, but that's been all so far.
I'm really strict on Bio-security. Each breed gets their own quarantine brooder, no mixing of flocks until they've been here and healthy for at least 60 days. We wash hands and glove up before doing anything with the birds and wash hands and change gloves between breeds. The birds are in their own room, in their brooders, kept separate and are not exposed to outside people, birds or animals until they are fully fledged and put out in their coops and ready to free range. They'd probably be another 3-4 months old before I put them in the coops. We use foot baths for our shoes going in and out of the brooder room and coops. Waterers and feeders are washed and sanitized every time before they're filled.
I've been buying from the same hatchery for 20 years and NEVER had anything like this happen. I expect a few losses along the way for various reasons but......this?? I've lost entire flocks to predation but never to disease. I'm totally stumped. Anyone got any ideas what just happened here? It seems to me that they must have been carrying something with them from the time they came from the hatchery, but yet.....it's been a month, so ??? I'm going to call the hatchery tomorrow but I'm not even sure what I'm going to say or what I expect them to say.
