My chicks are dying, don't know the cause :(

[CoopThereItIs]

I brought home six chicks five days ago, and we lost one the first night. The chick had been active when I got her from the shop, but she became lethargic, then started gasping for air. Little clicking noises could be heard when she breathed. Two days later, a very active and healthy one, of a different breed, suddenly started acting the same. I held her when it seemed close to the end, and she convulsed in my hands and died. This morning, another two days later, my feistiest little one is doing the same. I clean their paper towel bedding and water twice a day, check for and fix pasty butt, and their standing brooder seems to be keeping them warm enough. I'm worried they all have some kind of illness and I'm going to lose them all...

Does anyone know what's going on?

I've raised two little batches of chicks before, and lost a weak chick each time. But this time its really getting to me because they've been so healthy seeming beforehand. I hope it isn't something I've done wrong...

 

[samanthaoverton]

It could be coccidiosis. And don't feel bad, some times we can do our best and chicks still die. It can be breeders, hatcheries, etc. If your keeping them clean and warm this is not your fault. Might want to look up reviews if you got them from a hatchery and see what others are saying..

 

[nuthatched]

Coccidosis does not cause gasping or convulsing.
Where did you get them? It could be a respiratory illness they had from the beginning or something in their environment.
What do they eat? How are they heated and how are they being brooded?

 

[CoopThereItIs]

It could be coccidiosis. And don't feel bad, some times we can do our best and chicks still die. It can be breeders, hatcheries, etc. If your keeping them clean and warm this is not your fault. Might want to look up reviews if you got them from a hatchery and see what others are saying..

 

[CoopThereItIs]

Thank you for your reply! I haven't noticed any blood in their poops, and the symptoms lists online don't say anything about the breathing issue. Are the symptoms different in baby chicks and the internet searches are failing me yet again?

I'm going to the shop where I bought them today to see if they've had any other complaints.

 

[Tonyroo]

How did you setup there brooder?
What is there heat source?
What's the brooder made out of?
And did they have a constant flow of fresh air in there brooder?

Just out of curiosity?

 

[CoopThereItIs]

Coccidosis does not cause gasping or convulsing.
Where did you get them? It could be a respiratory illness they had from the beginning or something in their environment.
What do they eat? How are they heated and how are they being brooded?

Thanks for the reply! I got them from a local stock shop, the same place I've gotten all my other girls from. I'm out buying new food because I just noticed I don't think the one I have is medicated! They have a standing brooder which they seem to be doing fine with

 

[nuthatched]

Thanks for the reply! I got them from a local stock shop, the same place I've gotten all my other girls from. I'm out buying new food because I just noticed I don't think the one I have is medicated! They have a standing brooder which they seem to be doing fine with

No problem, I'd hate for you to loose more chicks. The feed isn't the issue but medicated won't hurt. Medicated feed only addresses certain strains of coccidosis, nothing else which doesn't sound like your problem. and if they already had coccidosis shots, the two will cancel each other out.

 

[samanthaoverton]

A disease of the lungs of some sort than? I think it's where you got them..I said coccidiosis first because I know some chickens gasp for breath sometimes when dying no matter what it is...

 

[CoopThereItIs]

How did you setup there brooder?
What is there heat source?
What's the brooder made out of?
And did they have a constant flow of fresh air in there brooder?

Just out of curiosity?

Thank you for the response!
This is their current setup, which I just got back from getting all set up. Their setup before that was the same but in a smaller tub which was the same one we used with our last batch that I used until about week 2 or 3. I panicked and bought this bigger tub(the other big one we had ended up exposed to the elements whoops) and I hope it will do. I also added a little VetRx to their water to see if that might help.