Molasses flushing?....Sick chicks becoming worse! :( Need help ASAP!

[MotherJean]

Ummm....it's been 3 full days since you posted asking for advice. Hate to pile on your troubles BUT those babies sound like they are out of time. You need to stop with the

and the

if you intend to keep them all from dying. I understand that getting conflicting advice from a bunch of different people does tend to paralyze a newbie. I feel bad for you, but that's the nature of BYC. If you are reluctant to treat your birds unless you are absolutely certain what you are treating, then you really have no choice but to consult a Vet. I hope you do so quickly.

 

[justbugged]

Here is a post I made on another thread, it applies here also. I hope that you can save your chicks.
I am quoting myself.

I swear when things like this happen,it is the hardest part of having and hatching chicks. Everyone has to answer the question for themselves. I have had troubles with a chick after hatch, and I know how tough it is when you know how hard the chick is fighting for life. But somethings are just not fixable. A Chick needs to be up and moving around and fluffy with the first day. If it is crippled and just hanging on the next day, it is very unlikely that it will ever be a functioning chick. Chickens have to have feet that work. I know that there will always be someone that can take a chick that is on it's last legs, or is crippled and somehow make it live, for a long time. But ask your self if you really have the time and resources to care for a special needs chicken that will need to live in the house with you for the rest of its life.

Part of being good flock owners is knowing when to put your babies out of the misery, that they are in. We can give this gift to our animals.
I don't believe they (animals) have the sense of forever that humans have. All they understand is that they hurt, and can't do the things that they were meant to do. I know this will upset a few people here on the forum, but I also have read about a few of us being able to make that very hard choice for the animals that God has placed in our care. This is also part of caring for the animals as much as trying everything else we and others can think of to save them. I often contemplate and marvel at how strong life force can be, and of course how weak it can be when we need it the most.

Now I know that I am going to piss someone off really bad. So that person should STOP READING NOW! But here is how I do it with a chick this young. You can put it in a plastic container with a washcloth and put it all into the freezer. The little chick will just go to sleep.

Having chickens as a pet is not the same as having dogs and cats.

Some of my quote is clearly directed at another BYC member, but I think that it applies here also.

 

[PoultryPedia]

There are definitely times to cull, and definitely limits to what different people can invest, and should. Those things depend on specific conditions of animal, and situation, priorities and values of people. It can be very hard to let go sometimes.

Often it's very hard to know when that's best, in addition to being hard sometimes to choose that action when it is best.

Myself, I have sometimes gone to extremes treating some conditions, and gone past good limits in some cases. That hasn't been positive.

However, I still do share info on some treatment methods that may be extreme to some, in addition to more common and easy treatments. Each person needs to determine the appropriate actions for them and their chickens and some people's "too much" is "do-able" in others' cases. If someone has determined that treatment is the direction for them to go at a particular time, I want if I can to provide information that will help them most effectively take action, save research time, and have the highest likelihood of good results.

justbugged--This has gotten me thinking, I should add a section about these kinds of issues on the webpage where I post info on treatments. Thanks for getting me thinking by sharing your thoughts.

I wish others the best in balancing personal interest, compassion and practicality in making decisions.

Just a note re. treating a day old chick with walking problems--If the problem is Splayed Leg, it is VERY EASILY fixed in most cases at that point, and causes no lasting problems in almost all cases.

 

[babsbag]

Personally, I would do the Corid for cocci. It is easy to treat, common for them to have, and deadly. If you treat them and they don't have it, no big deal. They will be fine. But if you don't treat them. THEY WILL DIE. It is a 5 day treatment. You get corid at a feed store. This is the most likely what your chicks have. No time to waste. Treat them.

 

[MotherJean]

Thank you Babs. This is sound advice and I couldn't agree more.

 

[babsbag]

It is easy to get overwhelmed, and I understand that. But I just like to look for the easy answer first. If after 2 days of Corid I don't see some improvement then I continue the treatment but start to think about something else. In the young birds it is just so common that it is always my first thought.

I must have a super duper dose of it in my soil as my chicks get it even with medicated feed. I am watching a goat kid right now as well, wondering if that is where we are headed. I haven't actually seen him poop, but I see some stuff on his back legs that I don't like. I confined him tonight so I will see what I see in the morning. Hopefully nice little goatie berries

But at least, thanks to my chicks, I have the corid on hand.

 

[PoultryPedia]

Have you seen any more poops that looked like they have blood in them? I think it is possible in some cases for an animal with cocci to not necessarily show much blood in poop, though, anyways???
I haven't been able to find any meds for cocci in regular feed stores except in large $30 container. If your feed store doesn't have any affordable, you could just buy more medicated chick starter, though.

I do think fungal condition VERY LIKELY since they had moldy feed a number of days. Mine only had moldy food 1 or 2 times, in addition to having a slightly moldy corner in coop. I expect a number of days of moldy feed would VERY likely cause fungal condition.
Fungal conditions are EXTREMELY hard to identify and diagnose, per all I've read. However, given your knowledge of their moldy feed along with symptoms, I think it's a strong suspicion in this case. It might be in combination with cocci, too, though.

 

[MotherJean]

If you decide to treat for cocci, use Sulmet or Corrid. You can't "make do" with medicated feed. It does not contain enough amprolium to kill an active cocci infection.

 

[babsbag]

And you may have to pay $30 for the Corid, but it will last a VERY long time. If you are planning on having more chicks you will most likely need it again. Nice to have on hand.

 

[77horses]

Sorry I haven't been able to get on lately! Had school all day, then just got home and read through the posts...Thanks everyone for all the info. The three babies are hanging on still. Youngest (Jasmine) is very light even if she's still eating enough.

I really don't think it's cocci. I don't think any of the chickens have blood in their poop and it looks normal and solid, not watery. Only the younger chicks are acting like that. Plus, even if I was planning on getting Corid, I really can't afford to spend $30. My family is going through a tight time right now and so I can't borough money from my parents and I spent most of my allowance on building my $140+ chicken coop, new feed (after the old stuff spoiled), etc...So I'm on a really tight budget. I honestly cannot afford a $30 thing of Corid at the moment.

My stepfather works as an EMT and he says they have activated charcoal that they use on some patients in some cases if they need to get them to throw up. So he may be able to get me some for free today.


Today, all the chickens have eaten is their grower mash (with added water to make it mushy and easier to eat for them) and anything else while they were foraging in their small run.


When I get the activated charcoal, how do I give it to them?

Thanks again to everyone!