Need advice...chick problems. ASAP

[Teresaann24]

I started off on a hatch on sat. The hatch was going great had lots of pips and everyone zipped out nicely. Till I started noticing problems. One chick came out with its neck hanging down I thought it just needed time to rest and dry. He couldn't stand and he had his head tucked under touching his belly and he would flip over and sometimes fall flat with his head tucked under and his legs stuck out infrount of him. by the next day he started to slowly get control of his head and now you cannot even tell him from the others. The next problem I got was a chick who couldn't even stand he was flat on his belly with one of his legs stuck out behind him he had movement in it and could push himself along. but just layed there sadly by the next morning this little one had passed on. Now 2 days later I am noticing it on another chick it started out as it head just hanging and not lifting it up and now he is doing the same as the 1st one head tucked under to his belly flipping. I have looked at all the chicks no deformed chicks no adnormal things. Heat ran 100.00 the whole hatch humidity was 45-50% the whole hatch till day 18 I turned it up to 65-70% Never opened the incubator after day 18. Temp never went up and down had the eggs in a egg turner the whole 18 days. Candled on day 3-5 again on day 10 and then on day 18. Only lost 6 eggs during incubator 4 never developed and two where early quitters.

I have some pics of the 1st and 2nd chick I mentioned the pic of the 1st chick got worse then how it shows in this picture.

PLZ HELP ME!

 

[Teresaann24]

Also wanted to add I also have a chick who chirps all the time....NEVER STOPS he also acts like his legs get stuck like there working fine and then they get stuck on him he gets stiffed leg and holds them out backwards.

 

[tammye]

I have never hatched chicks, but just read in my backyard poultry mag that dead chicks is usually caused from (? spelling) cocicossis. do you give them medicated chick starter?supposed to help prevent that, also may be Marke's disease, look these up in the search engine, lots of info here on these diseases. good luck

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
There is no possibility of either. Coccidia is picked up from the soil. Marek's is passed on by infected chickens.

Teresaann24, since it's really hard to identify the problem, I'd suggest Poly-Vi-Sol without Iron in their water for several days, to perk them up. You can find it in the baby vitamins section of almost any pharmacy. What breed are they?
Also, do a BYC search for spraddle leg, see if that like the current leg problems.
Sounds like you had darn near a perfect incubation, but sometime chicks just don't make it.

Best of luck to you and your chicks.

 

[geebs]

sound like a possible vitamin deficiency... I would check my hydrometer... it also sounds like mushy chicks... (high humidity).. The crying one will likely be a loss... I am sorry... You will likely lose a few from this hatch.. high humidity and bacteria... etc... I would definetly check my equipment and sanitize for round two... It is amazing how off our equipment can run...

 

[sheila3935]

I just had a little cochin bantam do silimar. She couldnt walk legs stuck straight out in front of her would flop around on her belly, could barely hold up her head. I gave her electrolytes w/ vitamins in it dropped some on her beak several times. 3 days after she was hatched I told DH to cull her if she had made it through the night and wasnt better. The next morning went to check on her and she was up running jumping around. I give mine the electrolyte/vitamin water for at least the first week. Seems to give them a little head start. I have never lost a chick so far except one that was shipped and she was just to weak no matter what we did it didnt help.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I doubt you did anything wrong. Some chicks can make it all the way through hatch and still not make it, just like some start developing but don't make it all the way through hatch. If you have living animals you are at some point going to have dead animals, whether pets or livestock. It is just the way it is.

They are worn out after hatching. Sometimes they just have to rest a while. Some do have problems just after they hatch and, once they rest, are fine. Some never recover.

On the one chirping, I suggest dipping its beak in water so it can learn to drink. I had a shipped chick do that. The day after I put them in the brooder, one just stood around giving that distress chirp. I had dipped all beaks in the water when I first put them in and the others were eating and drinking fine, but that one just did not get it. After I dipped its beak again, it just stood there and drank a bunch. I think I still know which one it was. One of my hens that breed is really stupid. There are a lot of things she still just does not get. But she made it and lays nice eggs.

Good luck with them.