Need help with my 6week old chicks please

[lacce18]

hi all,
still new to forums.. but i have a real problem at the moment. we have a young batch of 6 week old chicks (we grew them from eggs ourselves) and they have been really healthy until today.

today i had 5 of them die. i have no idea why, they have clean fresh water and fresh food twice daily, their pen is secure from predators, they have a pen thats half on grass, half enclosed with a bed of hay. When checking the bodies they had no cuts, no lumps/bumps, nothing dodgy.. i just dont understand what happened?? and if any of the other chicks are going to die aswell.. there are 12 left.. anyone have any suggestions on what this could be?? cheers.

 

[Rainwolf]

did it get cold? do they have a heat source? a sudden drop in temps can do that.....
New bag of feed? does it smell different? possible bad bag of feed?

 

[lacce18]

wow thats a fast responce.. thankyou! um now that you mention it we have had weird weather.. but it hasnt been cold at all. we're in a heatwave (summer here) at the moment, and yet yesterday it was raining all day. They've been outside for a week now (put out when they we're 5 weeks old because it was so warm) and they have been fine for this past week. their food i believe is fine... new bag we got last week, and our other chicks (in a seperate pen) are all fine and theyre eating the same thing. i'm just so devastated, and so clueless right now.

 

[Rainwolf]

could they have gotten too hot and not enough cool water?
Dehydration?

 

[Highlander]

I would check the hay for mold if it has been raining. I don't like to use hay for that reason.

 

[Rainwolf]

I would check the hay for mold if it has been raining.   I don't like to use hay for that reason.

ohhh good point!
I don't use hay either and did not think of this.

 

[lacce18]

hmm you see last night at about 11pm we checked on them quickly, and we quickly re-did their water cause it was a lil dirty.. and then this morning, 8am, was then two had died... and yes they we're completely out of water, it was bone dry (which is very unusual) so i cleaned out and re-topped up their water.. and when i found the next two dead, they still had clean cold water .. so again, this is why im very confused. sorry to be so dumb at the moment. Would dehydration knock them out that quickly??

 

[lacce18]

wow you guys are so fast.. and i am so not used to forums.. um they have a enclosed sleeping part which is attacked to their pen.. the hay is in there, which is undercover, and sheltered.. the hay was actually fine this am.. and i took it all out, just in case.. and put some more clean stuff in.

 

[silkie_sue]

Maybe Cocci?

 

[lacce18]

oh please dont think im dumb... but cocci? What is that?