lost another chick

[HSerChickLady]

This morning i had a chick that was off by herself under the heat lamp and acting sleepy. I wasn't too concerned as chicks sleep a lot and not always all at the same time. She had had pasty butt when she arrive but it had been clear for several days but i checked her just to be sure. Her vent was clear but she was very sleepy and lethargic in my hand, rather than peeping and fighting to get free like usual. She remained sleepy the rest of today, usually standing under the heat lamp, and this evening my son found her dead in the brooder. Prior to this she had been acting just fine-she would have been 2 weeks old tomorrow.

The others we lost acted the same way before dying (sleepy and then suddenly dead) but it's been 9 days since anyone died last. Those one's we attributed to a rough trip here, getting to chilled, and several never even would eat or drink and they died within 48 hours of arrival. This chick had been eating and drinking fine and growing just the same as the others until today.

I'm really concerned this is going to keep happening. My kids are so upset that these things keep dying on us. We are doing everything right as far as their environment and feed. We never lost a single one of our TSC chicks last year. Those one's i have no idea if they were vaxed for any diseases and i fed them DuMor feeds and they were healthy as can be from the first day we got them. This year we mail ordered from Meyer Hatchery, had them vaxed for Merrick's Disease, and are feeding Purina Start & Grow and they're dropping like flies.

Any ideas of what might be happening? Can the medicated feed kill chicks? Can the Merrick's Disease vaccine do this? Could it be the hatchery? I thought they were supposed to be a good place to order from. I'm just at a loss of what is happening and every death is more disheartening for us all.

 

[vfem]

I would ask if that one was eating regularly and well or wasn't keeping a full crop? They grow so much in the first couple of weeks if they were weak and not eating enough to get the nutrition they needed there body would be outgrowing the resources the chick was getting for it to do so.

I keep nutri-drench on hand for my chicks when I get them and for my molting hens. The vitamins and added nutrition are absorded right into the bloodstream through the crop and don't need to be digested for the chick to get it.

There are others things it may have been of course, but with all that sleeping and laying around... I'm assuming she wasn't eating well at all.

 

[ChickenLover WI]

Sorry to hear the bad news it had to have be a hard ship for them.

 

[HSerChickLady]

I would ask if that one was eating regularly and well or wasn't keeping a full crop? They grow so much in the first couple of weeks if they were weak and not eating enough to get the nutrition they needed there body would be outgrowing the resources the chick was getting for it to do so.

I keep nutri-drench on hand for my chicks when I get them and for my molting hens. The vitamins and added nutrition are absorded right into the bloodstream through the crop and don't need to be digested for the chick to get it.

There are others things it may have been of course, but with all that sleeping and laying around... I'm assuming she wasn't eating well at all.

I know she was eating and drinking well up until yesterday. But i cannot be certain she was pigging out as much as some others or as much as she may have needed to. She wasn't that sleepy acting until yesterday either. 2 of the others that had died were also eating and drinking well until the day they died, but they died within the 48 hours after arrival. No more had died since then so that's what was so distressing about her yesterday. Perhaps she was stronger than those others but not strong enough to survive long term? It's just strange since she was doing so well, growing the same as the others, and getting her feathers the same as the others. She was even doing so well we had named her.

 

[ChickenLover WI]

Did you try putting 2 tsp of sugar in there water of a small water plus if you have that Quik Chick powder that is 1 tsp per each 1 gallon of water. It has Vitamins and electrolytes in it you can do both together.You should do this right away for them before anymore die.

 

[ChickenLover WI]

Also make sure there is some news paper you change a lot and pour some food on it so they can eat there also in there feeders maybe the one can't get in to eat because of the others who are stronger.

 

[HSerChickLady]

These aren't newly arrived chicks-they're 2 weeks old today. I did put Sav-A-Chick in their water for the first several days and had them on paper towels as well. THey're big enough now that i have removed all the paper towels and they aren't eating shavings. I also had them on plain water since last tuesday evening. Today i have Sav-A-Chick in their morning water only because my hatchery recommends adding it once a week after they're a week old until they're 16 weeks old.

My ducklings are the same age, from the same hatchery, getting the same care and we haven't lost one. Nobody has even seamed weak at any point-not even when they arrived and the chicks were dropping left and right. The only difference with the ducklings is they weren't vaxed for Merrick's and they're on unmedicated feed. I know ducks are more hardy but still it makes me wonder how one batch of babies can be so robust and another so sickly/weak.

 

[drpurl]

I am sorry for your loss!

 

[ChickenLover WI]

I know there are not new chick I was trying to help you what the Hatchery told me to do (same Hatchery you got yours from as I did) There dying from something most of the time it's from not enough Vitamins and Electrolytes or if heat is to hot or to cold. Make sure you keep there bedding really clean to you can dumb all out or just add new over the top of it so not dirty and smelly. I would add some sugar to your quick chick water like they told me. Keep looking at temp and drafts. I had mine in my living room house in a huge tub. I hope we can help you I feel so bad for you! Did you call them and tell them about all the dead ones? They can give you in store credit on anything they sell or if all die a full credit and replace the whole batch for you. I would call and tell them you want them all replaced asap and they will they are for me. They were wonderful about it. You have to have the min of 25 still. Mine had both shots they had. You can always pm and I can talk to you more about it dear. Good luck! My kids are 3years old and 8 years old and there were really upset also. Our new ones come May 28-30th of this month. When I went to post office they were throwing peoples baby chicks around in there boxes and had chicken boxes stacked over all the chickens so not much air for them to breath. I was very upset when I saw this at post office. I talked to Hatchery about it they really think it was the stress of the post office and so do I. There are now sending it to a diff post office my local one now with new order not the other post office that I saw doing that to everyone's chicken.

WIChickLover

 

[Birde]

These chicks are too young not to be feed medicated feed. Dumor does not have medicated feed so my husband & I agreed that it is probly coccidious. Make sure you add chick grit. You might also try adding Nutri-Drench to their water