Mottled Java Chicks dying

[Round House]

28 chicks arrived yesterday. One was dead in the box, 2 died this morning and 1 more is acting listless. I read other posts regarding this subject (chicks appear to be sleepy, limp neck) so I made some changes. I lowered the temp to 91 (I'm using a horse trough, inside, as a living environment). Changed the bedding (I'm using towels at the moment), cleaned butts and changed out food and water. (the first few hours they had sugar water). Wondering if the Mottled Java chicks have a higher rate of mortality or if there is something else I need to change or be concerned about?

 

[mmaddie's mom]

sorry I can't be of more help... not familiar w/Javas.

 

[onthespot]

Hi Roundhouse, sorry you are losing chicks. I have had Javas for more than a year. I have found at home that sometimes out of a dozen chicks hatching or so, sometimes for no apparent reason a very few would tip over dead in the first week. Not saying anything bad about the breed, or your chicks, or the breeder of your chicks, just that some would almost always die, at least one, from every hatch, more often two, or even three. It is a rare breed with a tight gene pool, so possibly there are some underlying genetics. Don't give up on the breed, they are beautiful, and great egg layers. You may want to adjust your expectations for hatch though. My eggs shipped excellent and hatched great. Speaking of hatch, they seemed to hatch a day earlier than other breeds for some reason too... who knows... good luck with your remaining chicks. Shipping stress may be a factor. Maybe give them a few drops of heavy syrup from canned peaches or something to kick start them? Not too much, or they will get dehydrated from diarreah. (sp)

 

[Round House]

Thanks for the info. I have a mix of Black Javas and Mottled. The Mottled are the only ones dying (one a day) but I will take your advice and lower expectations of survival. I would assume the chicks that survive will be healthy adult birds and be very sturdy and strong. I'll try giving them a little extra nutrients and just make the sickly birds as comfortable as possible.