My silkie chicks are dying am I doing everything I can?

[LaceySilkieLove]

Ugh. I guess no time is very safe. Hoping all our flocks are OK from here on out.

Yes! Hoping the same thing! If you are right there with them I think the risk is really pretty low. The fun they have may be worth the small risk.

 

[Elana DeBolt]

Did you ever find out what happened to the chicks? I had the same thing happen, my first time with silkies too. They were 5 days old, they were all fine then they were lethargic and didn't eat or drink much, started open mouth breathing, wouldn't stand up, started jerking so hard it flipped on its back, then stretched out and died.

 

[mml]

Anyone figure out what to do with baby silkies chicks dying?!!! We just got a few from Valley Hatchery and 2 have died in the first day and a half. My kids are traumatized by it all. We are doing everything we can to help them eat, drink, stay warm, clean etc. This little silkie was fine from the get go, then just seemed lethargic before we went to bed, picked him up to see if it was ok and it shook and died in my hand.

 

[Debbie292d]

Anyone figure out what to do with baby silkies dying?!!! We just got a few from Valley Hatchery and 2 have died in the first day and a half. My kids are traumatized by it all. We are doing everything we can to help them eat, drink, stay warm, clean etc.

I'm so sorry!

We have silkies hatching here every 5 days, and they're always fine, but shipped chicks have it rougher.

Usually giving them electrolytes or probiotic/electrolyte powder in their water there first day can help them deal with the stress. We've got Hydro-Hen here, but there are many powders for their water.

Do you have a thermometer you can put on the floor of their brooder? They should be at 95°F for their first week, then down by 5 degrees each week. They need one end of their brooder to be room temperature, where the food/water goes, so they learn to go there if they get too warm.

Check for pasty butt. That's usually very obvious when poop sticks and dries to their vents. You'd just soak their butt in a little warm water to soften/loosen it, then wipe it with a paper towel. You can put a little dab of vaseline or coconut or olive oil on their vents to try prevent it happening again.

They should be on only chick starter crumbles and nothing else for their first month to six weeks. Silkies can suffer from vitamin deficiencies and having other stuff not as nutritious can harm them. I use a little shallow container (plastic peanut butter jar lid) put crumbles in it, then wet them good. They should get excited over that. It's good for them to eat more and it's got hydration too.

I sure hope they start getting stronger and growing well for you!

 

[mml]

I'm so sorry!

We have silkies hatching here every 5 days, and they're always fine, but shipped chicks have it rougher.

Usually giving them electrolytes or probiotic/electrolyte powder in their water there first day can help them deal with the stress. We've got Hydro-Hen here, but there are many powders for their water.

Do you have a thermometer you can put on the floor of their brooder? They should be at 95°F for their first week, then down by 5 degrees each week. They need one end of their brooder to be room temperature, where the food/water goes, so they learn to go there if they get too warm.

Check for pasty butt. That's usually very obvious when poop sticks and dries to their vents. You'd just soak their butt in a little warm water to soften/loosen it, then wipe it with a paper towel. You can put a little dab of vaseline or coconut or olive oil on their vents to try prevent it happening again.

They should be on only chick starter crumbles and nothing else for their first month to six weeks. Silkies can suffer from vitamin deficiencies and having other stuff not as nutritious can harm them. I use a little shallow container (plastic peanut butter jar lid) put crumbles in it, then wet them good. They should get excited over that. It's good for them to eat more and it's got hydration too.

I sure hope they start getting stronger and growing well for you!

Thank you for your reply.
Yes, we have done electrolytes/probiotic mixture and did a warm water bum soak this morning. Just on starter crumbles for feed. Even have thermometer with the heat lamp making sure it is 95-100.

The two that have died were completely fine and then just tanked.

Hoping no more die. I have to break the news of this second one dying to my kids in the morning. I suppose it is teaching them about the cycle of life, but I would have never ordered silkies had I known they were so fragile at the beginning.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you for your reply.
Yes, we have done electrolytes/probiotic mixture and did a warm water bum soak this morning. Just on starter crumbles for feed. Even have thermometer with the heat lamp making sure it is 95-100.

The two that have died were completely fine and then just tanked.

Hoping no more die. I have to break the news of this second one dying to my kids in the morning. I suppose it is teaching them about the cycle of life, but I would have never ordered silkies had I known they were so fragile at the beginning.

They aren't that fragile though, as shipping can have a hard impact on any breed chick. I hear of this happening a lot, unfortunately. I'd raise the lamp up a smidge, though, so it's more like 90-95.

Hopefully, the rest will be fine.