Lost two already, third's almost gone Please help

[stitch_b]

I have a 2-3 week old marans chick that isn't doing so swell today. I got her with two blr wayndottes both of which died within about a week of purchase. She's very lethargic today not interested in food or water at all. I have had her in a 75gal tub brooder with sand substrate. I feed medicated chick starter with boiled eggs/oats/blue berries/melon as a treat maybe 4x a week. The two chicks I got with her had similar symptoms- they would be perfectly fine active chicks one day then very slow and sleep the next then gone in the morning. I had them with older chicks I hatched from eggs and so far none of them seem to be affected at all. Not sure what to do but really don't want to lose anymore birds. Any help would be sooooo appreciated
-Chris

 

[seminolewind]

Try some wet mash. What's the temp in the brooder?

 

[stitch_b]

Quote:
Not sure on the temp let me check. What do I do just wet some feed? Do I force feed her or just put it on her beak??

ETA still not positive on the brooder temp as the lil chick keeps laying on the thermometer but id imagine its somewhere around 80*

 

[Nimby Chickens]

What does the poo look like?

If they are 3 weeks old then 80 should be fine.

My first thought is coccidiosis - it's common and can manifest as lethargy, then death, and strikes young chicks. There is sometimes bloody feces. Look it up and see if it applies to your situation.

If it does, you can give them yogurt, which helps slow it down, and treat with either sulmet or corid. Corid is easier on the system but Sulmet kills more of the spectrum of cocci strains. Both medicines can be purchased at feed stores.

 

[stitch_b]

Quote:
She died. I never noticed any bloody stool but I was kind of thinking the same. The person I bout them from fed them organic non medicated feed so I suppose that would make them more susceptible. I hope that's all it is and not something more serious. All I have now is my original three I hatched from eggs it would crush me if they died too. Should I be doing anything preventative? I feed them medicated starter and so far they all seem normal-eating drinking pooing and very active. Any suggestions?

 

[BlazeJester]

Try giving them electrolyte water as the only water supply; this helps boost their immune systems in case it was something contagious (sounds like it was). I got mine at tractor supply for $5 for a stock solution that I use 1/4oz of each day.

Also if they shared a space, clean it very well. Since you probably still have the bird you could also consider doing a necropsy to see if there is anything observable - weird looking organs, worms in the gut or esophagus, or otherwise. I'm guessing there's a thread on this forum regarding necropsy and what to look for.

Where did you get the chicks? It sounds like whatever the situation, they were already sick when you got them. Be sure to clean very well - contagious diseases are often spread via dust or feces.