lost some chicks, unsure why after lots of Googling - would love some advice

[Wyorp Rock]

I started thinking it's a vitamin e deficiency so I've increased the sunflower seeds (chopped up) available for them. I've added ACV to their water too and increased their access to brewers yeast and kelp.

I think I would try direct dosing with Vitamin E instead of depending on them eating the Sunflower Seeds.

If my search and calculations are correct, (depending on where you look and how it's served/shelled/not shelled/type of seed, etc.), 1/2 to 2/3 cup sunflower seeds deliver around 35mg of Vitamin E.

Recommended therapy treatment for neurological symptoms like Wry Neck, etc., in poultry is 400IU (180mg) Vitamin E. So...you may be coming up very short in getting enough Vitamin E into the chicks to see if there's a real difference or not.

Might be worth a try grabbing a bottle of Vitamin E and direct dosing the chick.

Just a thought.

Sorry about the chick, I agree, it's very heartbreaking.

They have grit available, correct? And you have checked inside the beak to make sure there's no obstructions, hair in the throat, etc.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Hi everyone, I've lost a few chicks with the same symptoms recently and I'm baffled as to what the issue is. I'm pretty new to chickens so I believe I'm missing knowledge and experience to help me understand how to save my chicks.

I've done a lot of Googling and none of the major chicken diseases or illnesses quite match what I'm seeing. I wish I had a video of the issue but my first instinct isn't to pull out a camera when I see the chicks' exhibiting the behavior. Hopefully I can describe it clearly.

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.) Salmon Faverolles, between 4-6 weeks of age, normal weight as siblings
2) What is the behavior, exactly. So the closest thing I can describe this as is an upright seizure. The chick will have its legs tucked underneath it, throw its head back, and open its mouth, sometimes chirping. I tend to pick it up and then set it down when it's ok and it goes back to normal. Other times I see balance issues in the chicks and they'll sometimes be limp but the next minute be running around with a mealworm in their mouth. I'm baffled.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? It happens a for a few days and then I find the chick dead in the brooder with its legs sometimes stretched out (but not always). I've now come to know which chicks won't survive when I see this behavior no matter what I do.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? It doesn't seem to catch on to other chicks. Sometimes it's one or two in a batch and sometimes none at all. It doesn't take out a whole batch either.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. No signs of trauma. The chicks are active and running around like normal between intermittent "seizures".
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. Am unsure and I don't think it's an issue with the other chicks injuring them or trampling them.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. The chicks do not stop eating or drinking and they go wild over mealworms right up until the day they die. They get eggs from hens, assortment of grains, kelp, brewers yeast, grit, etc.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. I've not noticed anything off with any of the chicks' poop.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? I've tried electrolytes, ACV in water, more brewers yeast and kelp in case it was a vitamin deficiency.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? Just for me to know better going forward.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. I sure wish I had a picture. If it ever unfortunately happens again I'll try to get a video or picture.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use. They get straw and wood chips deeply layered with fresh bedding over time. They're in a 100 gal rubbermaid tub with a heat plate.

Thank you for any and all insight!

I've been following along silently, but wondered about the chicks' homemade diet even before @Wyorp Rock brought it up yesterday. Even if you are providing foodstuffs that as a whole provide complete nutrition, that doesn't mean every single wee growing chick is ingesting the proper balanced amount. A vitamin E deficiency combined with amino acid and other nutritional deficiencies could cause the symptoms you are seeing, because they can affect the brain. I'm tagging @U_Stormcrow to take a look at the homemade diet you are feeding, listed in your answer to question #7.

The chick in the video is sadly doomed according to prior history of the symptoms. I'm very sorry for that, but hope you will submit it to your state lab for necropsy so you will have an answer as to what is killing your chicks.

 

[NatJ]

When I find them dead their legs are fully stretched out typically. Not sure if they end up dying from their issue or from being trampled by the others.

I agree with others that a necropsy is a great idea.

But in the meanwhile-- maybe separate this chick from the rest? That will mean the others cannot trample it. So it might help answer one part of the question (does the chick actually die from the problem, or does it get trampled.)

 

[U_Stormcrow]

7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. The chicks do not stop eating or drinking and they go wild over mealworms right up until the day they die. They get eggs from hens, assortment of grains, kelp, brewers yeast, grit, etc.

This isn't a recipe I can calculate any values from - its not even an ingredient list., merely the hint of one. Necropsy. If for some reason you can't afford, or the bird isn't in condition you can ship to the local lab, take a sharp knife, open it up, look around the insides. Take photos, or at least compare to this. Then tell us what looks different.

Neither is my feed calculator designed with vitamin data - it only looks at crude protein, fat, fiber, four aminos, calcium, MKE (where available). Putting in additional formulas is easy. Putting in another several thousand data points is time I can better spend elsewhere.

 

[jamieWY]

An update in case someone else has the same issues. I've had no more deaths and I've rehabilitated two chicks that couldn't walk over a week. They're now walking and moving around on their own.

I did hand feed and water them for over a week and upped their Brewers Yeast (Vit B) and added liquid Vit E to their food and water.

Poly Vi Sol (without iron) took a while to arrive since I'm more rural but I've added that the last couple days instead of BY and VitE. Even before the Poly Vi Sol, they were were more active and moving around on their own.

My homemade feed recipe didn't change from the beginning of the season but something happened with this last batch of chicks. However with my additions, no more deaths and full recovery of sick chicks.