My chicks are dying off! Help!

[jessdgraham]

We have lost two baby chicks the last three days in a row. I don't know what to do to help?!? They're baby Cochins and I'm now down to 5. Any advice? We're feeding starter chick feed and putting vitamins in their water.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Lay off the vitamins. Too much can be toxic. The chick starter is already complete nutritionally, no supplements needed.
How's the temperature and ventilation? How old are they?
You lost 2 a day?
Any other symptoms? Are they chicks you hatched or from a hatchery/breeder?
Time for a necropsy. What state are you in?

 

[jessdgraham]

We are from Decatur Al. We have a heat lamp. Temp inside the brooder is right at 100 degrees. I'm just so worried about the rest of them. We had them shipped last Wednesday from a poultry farm. They are just so tiny and no other symptoms. We've had a few pasty butts but we kept and eye on that, cleaned them up and they haven't been bad since. They'll be fine and the next morning we go out there and there's two dead. So take away vitamin water??? I even separated the smaller chicks from the bigger in case maybe they were just getting stepped on. We're new to this. This is our first set and I'm scared of losing the rest.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Lose the vitamin water just in case. But most importantly, cut the heat. 100 is way too hot. It was probably bearable the first few days but at a week they really shouldn't have anything above 85.
Raise your heat lamp and move it toward one end. In fact, if they are in a small space, they don't even need a heat lamp. A 75 watt incandescent or halogen is sufficient. I use 150 watt ceramic emitters and don't let any place get very warm. High temp will kill chicks way before cold.
The best technique is to provide a warm spot and lots of cool space. The mother hen doesn't heat all the ambient air. She provides a hot spot for them to warm up and the rest of the air is cool. I've had broody hens raise chicks when the temp was in the 20s and 30s. The chicks did just fine.

ETA
There's 4 labs in your state that can do a necropsy and if you have a lot of birds dying from unknown causes that's the best course of action but I'll bet they'll find that they died from heat exhaustion.
http://www.agi.alabama.gov/divisions/avdl/diagnostic-laboratories

 

[jessdgraham]

Okay! Thanks so much for all your advice I'll cut the heat asap!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

@jessdgraham any updates?

 

[fanmer36]

I am having similar issues. I started with 5 bantam babies and have already lost one. Now a second one has gotten sick with different symptoms. I seperated it for an hour or so and it seemed to perk right back up but today looks like it's going to die. I have no idea what I'm doing since this is my first chicken experience. The other 3 seems heath still but I'm afraid they're all going to die.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What are the other symptoms?
It isn't that difficult if you start with healthy chicks, try to replicate nature. Provide sufficient space so you can have a warm area and a cool area, fresh clean water, excellent ventilation, fresh chick starter and that's about all they need.
What is your setup (space, bedding, indoors/out, heat source, etc.), temperature, food, etc.?

 

[fanmer36]

Symptoms now are stretching out its neck and opening it's mouth a most looks like it's trying to crow or swallow something. Sometimes it acts lethargic with its head down and wings drooped a bit bit other times it's perfectly fine other than the "yawning"
I have them set up in my spare room in a long tub with a heat lamp at one end. I use pine chips for the bottom of the tub. I read ealier that the rest of the room doesn't need to be too hot so I've cooled it down. I've also added sugar water and made some mash up. But there is also regular water and medicated chick feed.

 

[newmarch2014]

That motion that looks like a silent crow is perfectly normal for chicks. All of mine do it from time to time.
Chicks only need 90 degrees for the first week max temp and less by 5 degrees every week with the ability to move to an area that is about 10 degrees less if they feel overheated. Overheating is worse than a bit chilly (meaning 75 degrees...ish). Mine never used the 90 degree and instead hung out in the 80 zone for the first 2 weeks. Some chicks just die so don't take it too hard but make sure they are eating and drinking and pooing normally (meaning a pretty soldified poop usually and a semi runnier one no more than every 3rd time). If it is always runny every time or bloody then look up coccidosis and treat with corrid anyway since it does not hurt them to treat for it but can kill them if left too long. Both my chicks last year and this year had a suspected overload of cocci since they had all runny poop and were a bit too sleepy and shaky. I treated for 6 days both times and by the 3rd day they were having normal poops and much more normal acting.