My pea chicks are dying. Anyone with experience have advice?

MaryZoe

Songster
6 Years
Jun 26, 2016
497
526
212
Naples, FL
I've raised chickens for years, but this is my first attempt at pea fowl. I hatched 4 out of 6 eggs a friend of mine gave me. I raised the 4 peachicks with 3 chicks that I hatched at the same time. They stayed in a brooder for the first 5-6 weeks, then they went into a large coop in the center of my chicken yard. My other chickens can't get into their pen. I put fresh pine shavings in every couple weeks to keep their area clean, and they get plenty of fresh water and mediated chick feed.

My 3 chicken chicks are fine...hale and hearty. But my pea chicks are failing. First they got fowl pox, which hit them pretty hard. I sprayed their little faces with Veterycin and that seemed to help a little. I also put them on some prophylactic antibiotics to try to avoid secondary infections while their immune systems were fighting the fowl pox. I read that fowl pox is often deadly to pea chicks.

Their fowl pox seems to be stabilized (at least not worse), but now they've started to get puffy. One was puffy one day so I added some Corid to their water to supplement the medicated feed. I tried to direct dose some Corid (as I've done with my chicken chicks in the past), but he didn't take it and he died the next day. Now my second pea chick is puffy. I am so bummed! The chicken chicks are running around, healthy as can be. I thought of taking them out and leaving the pea chicks on their own, but the chicken chicks seem to encourage the pea chicks to eat, so I've left them together.

Any suggestions other than trying again to direct dose the Corid?

The last 2 pea chicks seem to be doing okay today, but the chick who is sick today seemed okay yesterday. And I'm afraid he'll be dead tomorrow (like his sibling the day before). Ugh! Any other suggestions other than Corid? Thanks for advice from people with experience raising pea fowl.
 
Cocci is the number one killer of peachicks and unfortunately Corid and Amprolieum is near worthless. Toltrazuril under the name Baycox and Pantacox kills cocci not just inhibits its growth. Toltrazuril can be found online but it will arrive too late for your chicks if they are already puffy and going down. Go ahead and try the Corid, and next time keep the peachicks away from chickens, turkeys, and other types of birds. Keep young peachicks on wire or very clean ground for a couple of months while they build their immune system then do regular monthly treatments for cocci and worms when they go to the ground and until the turn of the new year.
 
Thank you. I was afraid it was coccidiosis. I ordered the Toltrazuril. Hopefully it will get here in time to save my last two pea chicks. It's so sad. I keep them in a very clean coop (compared to most coops). I regularly add fresh pine shavings. I'll take out their 3 chicken friends and spray down the wooden parts of the coop to try to kill the cocci there. I appreciate your help.
 
It is terribly hard to avoid cocci as it is air-bound and can travel on your hands and clothing. Chicks are going to get cocci no matter what, they just need to survive long enough to build up a resistance to it. Killing cocci on a regular monthly schedule is about the best you can do. The older they get the more resistance they will have but even yearlings and mature birds can succumb to cocci if they get stressed hard enough.
 
Fowl pox cannot be treated they either make it or they don't.
Yes, I know that. I was hoping to avoid secondary infections by giving them antibiotics. Not sure if it was the right move. The two remaining chicks I have are just slightly puffy. I moved them out of the chicken yard onto a brooder on my porch that has all new pine flakes. I'm hoping that might help at least a little.
 
It is terribly hard to avoid cocci as it is air-bound and can travel on your hands and clothing. Chicks are going to get cocci no matter what, they just need to survive long enough to build up a resistance to it. Killing cocci on a regular monthly schedule is about the best you can do. The older they get the more resistance they will have but even yearlings and mature birds can succumb to cocci if they get stressed hard enough.
I moved them out of their pen in the middle of the chicken yard and into a brooder on my porch that I supplied with all new pine flakes. The two that are left are a tiny bit puffy, but not much. When I moved them I trimmed their flight feathers in case they escape when I clean their brooder (I have to open the top). They both gifted me with a nervous poop all down my legs as I trimmed their feathers. It was light brown and runny, no sign of bloody poop at all. Could it be that it's still the fowl pox that is weakening them and not cocci? They still have the fowl pox lesions on their faces, though it hasn't gotten worse.
 
The clean environment is great but I would also want to keep them at 85* to help relieve any more stress. If it is cocci or not you should still treat them for it at least once monthly. The pox? It will have to run its course. Peas are very apt at hiding sickness until they are overcome by it. We learn to watch for tell-tale early signs to be able to get ahead of possible problems. Another possibility is blackhead, if you have the antibiotic metronidazole on hand I would give that. If you don't, it is at the pet store in the fish department. I hope you get the toltrazuril quickly.
 
It is probably about 85* on my porch, so that's good. The toltrazuril has shipped and I paid for expedited shipping. I sure hope it arrives soon enough. The brooder is a lot smaller than what they were in so I hope that doesn't stress them out. I've been supplementing their medicated chick feed with a raw egg once a day, and they seem to like that. Fingers crossed. They're so pretty--just at the age where their opalescent blue and green neck feathers are coming in. Ugh! I hate the thought of losing them.
 

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