more dead birds

[12toomany]

no kidding. my 4 year old knows about these.
a few weeks ago we lost 2 baby chicks- it was a tragedy IMHO. horrible experience with my pet chicken, woman laughed as one of the birds keeled over while we were on the phone (after spending 4.5 hours on hold to get her) too little too late for those poor birds.

now tonight DH goes out to check on our 5 week old silkies and the now laying easter egger and soon-to-be-laying buff orpington. they have been in the coop together for 2 weeks- 1 week with the babies in the coop, but, still in their 'box' then this last week out and about in the coop itself. we have had no problems with the babies and the big kids (as DD calls them). 3 of the silkies (all the buff ones, strange) are dead in the corner huddled together, rest are all fine. we are beside ourselves. DD knows about this one, and it hit her hard- she had me read her a children's book of psalms and a children's book of prayers to go to sleep (2 hours late and eyes puffy from crying).
DH inspected the dead birds to see if there was any sign of pecking or an outside influence. these things just dropped dead it seems. i am now afraid we are missing something that would be obvious to an old pro- that we are maybe doing wrong, or maybe overlooking?
it has not been hot here- todays high was maybe 80, the coop is in the shade of many trees. no-one will go in the hen house, ever. very strange. the big ones are on the roosting poles & babies are in a box on it's side (so they can go in and out) tonight. babies are on chick food in a chick feeder, as is their water in a chick waterer. big girls have a hanging feeder and trays of water. both are always full and treats galore from the garden- greens and blackberries right now- and cracked corn for the big girls.
any suggestions?

and, i did do a weight check tonight- 2 of our 3 white silkies feel much lighter than 'louise' the #1 bird (DD's favorite who gets lots of love) and the 2 red silkies are a slight bit lighter than louise.
should i be concerned? i tried to get the two whites to the side with some food, they weren't interested, but i really didn't try that hard. i figured if they were hungry they'd eat & we had our hands full of a child in need of bath and bed, which really wasn't fair to the birds, i know.


side note- louise is named for louise the chicken who loved adventure, a children's book and an adorable one at that!

 

[threehorses]

This is one of the reasons that I recommend never to put birds younger than 4 months in with older birds, even beginning layers. There will just be competition for the feed and the younger birds lose, become emaciated, and will just die unless their weight is physically monitored every day and each is seen to be eating til its crop is full.

Without the mention of any other symptoms, this is my highest suspicion.

I think since you say the others are lighter (and let's face it - silkies can be a more delicate breed despite all their personality and bravado), I would separate them back out until they're all at least 4 months old. Older birds have also had a chance to overcome a lot more things and have immunities. Younger birds may not. But in this case, I'm suspecting that they're just not getting to eat. Especially if the dead birds are at all thin.

As for them not eating, you must separate them out now and encourage them to eat their crumbles by any means. Soak them slightly, mix boiled and mashed egg yolks in with them, whatever it takes. They will need the fuel to heal. You should definitely be concerned. I hope this helps you to save the rest of your birds.

It wasn't your fault that this happened, and I hope the urgency and concern in my post doesn't come across as naggy. It's just a matter of some urgency now and must be handled tonight to prevent further losses. This is how we learn. And I use the term "we" deliberately as I have made the same mistake. I was just lucky in that I caught it earlier.

If they're hungry, they won't eat. They're like sick people who are hungry but can't eat. They'll just waste away because they don't have the fuel to eat. So encourage them, if not now, first thing in the morning when that meal is most important.

 

[12toomany]

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[threehorses]

Honestly I boil the whole thing and feed the whites to the healhty birds. The yolks contain more richness of nutrition.

On the other birds, if you still can (they might be disposed of already likely) then check them again. If you lose any more, do that too - always check them thoroughly - note it down in a journal or something in case something else comes up. Keeping a "flock history" is very helpful and often helps you (and us) find tiny puzzle pieces that solve mysteries like this.

For five silkies, two to four yolks - and freeze or refrigerate the spares so you don't have to keep boiling them. (I'm lazy.)

Thank you for your quick reply, and for trying to save the birds. I'm suscribed but if I don't answer something for some reason, email me in case I got bumped off of the post by accident.

You have kids - do you have any Enfamil baby vitamins? PolyViSol? If you go shopping tomorrow, I'd recommend picking some up (not the iron fortified - I got mine at Walmart) as that could be handy in helping them if this is at all anemia, which I suspect.

 

[12toomany]

Quote:
kids are older, no liquid drops, just the gummy bear type and i am sure they have iron.
could i also give them flax seed (ground flax even) or some fruit, berries, anything?
have the egg boiled up & hope they are all o.k. i'll stick them up in the unused hen house for now & cover the door.