my new chicks - what breeds are they?

[Llysse]

So sorry about your weak chicks! Have you double-checked your dosage on the electrolytes/vitamins? We've had a couple threads here recently where an overdose of electrolytes had been mistakenly given, sort of like poisoning the birds with too much salt in their water.

If not, and if they've got water, food, warmth and so forth, they should be recovering soon.

The only other suggestion I would make is that it's sometimes helpful just to sprinkle the chick feed on a piece of paper or a paper plate or something until they figure out that it's good to eat. Seeing it stark there against the white sheet stimulates them to peck at it when they might not peck at the pile of stuff in the feeder.

Good luck!

 

[SkeeredChicken]

Another thing I personally did was run Starter/Grower in a blender until it was ground up to the consistancy of cornmeal. I boiled a few eggs and mixed the yolk up with like 2 tablespoons ground feed with 1 yolk per. Since I also hatched button quails with them, I put the food mix in a washed pickle jar lid for a few days. That stuffs like candy to them. At the time, they would rather have eaten the mix, instead of the stuff in the feeder.

Here's to better luck for ya.

 

[chickens^^]

Seperate the not-so-good chicks from the good ones immediatly.

 

[eichenluft]

yes I have the weak chicks separated and have from the beginning - they are in their own box with heat lamp. The electrolyte mixture I'm giving is actually a bird supplement - for my finches - for sick/depressed birds - a powder of electrolytes, minerals and vitamins that I mixed in water - so I think it is balanced ok. I've been giving them this every couple hours - sometimes every hour - and through the night too. Only 10 out of the 28 chicks are doing "well" - 4 more are still hanging on but not doing well. I have newspapers down and feed sprinkled on top, water and food tray also in easy reach. They are definately warm enough - not sure what else I could have done.

molly

 

[keljonma]

I did e-mail McMurray and told them about the dead chicks - no response yet. I can call too - though I don't think I want 26 more chicks. Unless the rest of these die - but I hope they don't. It's 2 am here and I've been up several times getting them to drink and putting food near them - some are eating but most have not been eating yet.

Molly,

You HAVE to call them for this within 48 hours of delivery, email won't do it. 1-800-456-3280 Tell them the number that died and also the number that look like they won't make it.

You don't have to get more chicks. McMurray will credit you for the price of each chick. They will also credit you for any vaccinations you may have gotten.

I have heat lamps clipped to the side and pointed down at one end of the box - they all huddled under the lamp and have been there ever since - it's warm -

If the chicks are huddled under the heat lamp, they are still cold. If the chicks were warm enough, they would be moving around the brooder, not stay huddled.

Is it possible that they are in a draft? Get down to their level and check for any breezes that could be chilling them. Do you have a thermometer set up on the floor of the brooder so you know the temperature at the chicks' level? Can you lower the heat lamp if the temperature is not 90° - 95° at the chicks' level?

It is good that you've been able to get the chicks to drink some water. If they aren't pecking at their feed, you could try feeding them a little plain yogurt with active cultures or some mashed hard cooked egg yolk. It might help.

Personally, I wouldn't use newspaper, as chicks sometimes have trouble getting their footing on it. Can you cover the newspaper with some paper toweling?

If you find your shipping document and let us know the breeds you were shipped, I think we could help you better with identifying your chicks.

I know how frustrating this is for you. Please keep us updated.​

 

[chickbea]

If the chicks are huddling under the lamp, they are still cold. Otherwise they would be wandering around making a musical, contented sound. Are they perhaps on a cold floor?
I don't know anything about giving vitamins or electrolytes to chicks - to me this always seemed like putting Gatorade in a new-born baby's bottle, but there are certainly folks on this site more knowledgeable than I am about this. You might want to ring up your vet to see what they advise - you have had a lot of losses.
Your posting at 10:03 yesterday - the second and third pictures are baby Australorps; I don't know what the first one is. The Australorp chicks from McMurray are always a little heavy on the white, but it grows out.
Good luck...

 

[mudhen]

Feeding the electrolyte via eyedropper concerns me. Just plain water should be good enough for now. You may be giving way too much and causing other issues.
If they are huddled, they are cold, and/or there may be a draft. Have you checked the temp in there and are you able to give them a little more wattage?

 

[AccidentalFarm]

Quote:
I second that. Consider going with plain, fresh water and chick starter alone for a few days, pay attention to the heat, and see if they don't perk up.

 

[eichenluft]

McMurray's directions were to put newspaper down over the shavings for the first few days, and sprinkle chick starter on the paper. So that's what I did - my "brooder" is a large plastic container, no lid - with paper towels down first, then about 2" of pine shavings, then newspapers (two ply). This does work nicely to keep the shavings out of the water. They have a water container in the middle, their food trough along one side near the heat - and the heat lamp over one 1/2 of the box. There is plenty of room in the box for twice as many chicks - right now there are only about 10 chicks in there and the ones doing well, are now eating/drinking and running around, looking good. But I've lost 12 chicks, and 4 more are in a separate box (actually their shipping box) with a heat lamp over them, a small water pan and food sprinkled down - they are not eating though. I think the supplement I'm giving them (it was made for sick birds - finches) is keeping them going. I have been giving it to them every two hours if not more often - only a couple of drops or whatever they will swallow - and they do seem to perk up again. Two more died today however - the last white/silver one in the first picture - I found my invoice so I think those were Silver Spangled Hamburgs. Don't have any more of those

. Both of my RIRs have died now. Two of the small RIR bantys are dead - the other two are in the "hospital box" very weak.

My box is inside a bathtub in my 'bird room' which is kept pretty warm as I have finches that must also be kept warm and free of drafts. So I'm sure they are not in a draft and not cold, plus their heat lamp and I check them by feel often, the chicks themselves are warm.
Thanks for all of the advice I really do appreciate it!!!

molly

 

[eichenluft]

Update - I did call McMurray and the lady I spoke to was very nice, they are replacing all of the chicks that have died, and also the ones that look like they might die (though I'm working to save them). We guessed at some of the breeds, and others I knew. Unfortunately they have to ship 25+ chicks so I will get a box full of extra roosters "for warmth" oh goody. Can't wait to get more roosters. I guess my neighbor will be happy to have roosters in his freezer when they get old enough

. Hate that. But at least last time I had rooster chicks, I could not find homes for them, no matter how hard I tried - I even placed an ad in the paper - no takers. So I gave them to this guy for free in exchange for his promise to kill them humanely

still bothers me when I raise an animal - I can't stand the thought of killing anything I know personally.

Anyway, still hoping the chicks in the "hospital box" will make it. I've identified most of my chicks now that I found the invoice - but the ones with the narrow white stripes on the back and white tufts on the side of the head - still don't know what those are. And the solid black bantam that died - and the grey/black bantam.

molly