- Thread starter
- #11
Ok, good to know. My husband has been super worried about these chicks, just like they're his new baby! He wants to play with them but did not want to go around them if he could make them sick, so he wanted me to double check that it was ok for him to be around the birds. I didn't think his germs would hurt them unless he had the bird flu maybe, but he wanted a second opinion. I'll let him know.
After doing some examination of the dead chicks, it seems the issue was some sort of heart failure, like what Cornish Cross can get. They had pretty much the same symptoms and fluid backed up in the chest cavities. I'm not sure why bantam chicks of all different types would be having heart failure...I guess it's just one of those weird things that happen. Fortunately my nephew's 4-H chick, 'Jimmy' the buff Cochin pulled through and is doing ok, so I don't have to explain ANOTHER death to him...poor kid, we've had to explain to him in the last few months the death of our horse, a beef cow, three baby goats that I had promised him he could help raise, one batch of eggs, and three hens, plus his great-grandma died last week too. I'm hoping he doesn't notice next month that our butcher goat is missing too...that's a lot of deaths for a six year old to process!
We'll be getting the new chicks next week, and keeping them in a separate room just in case the others are carrying any nasties.
I'd prefer not to have to mail order, but our local feed store wants $8 apiece for 'assorted straight run chicks' from a hatchery! We're going to be getting some Easter Egger hatching eggs locally too, and depending on what chicks we get in the replacement box, I may have to make one more order, because my husband wants a few silkies, and I want some D'Uccles.
After doing some examination of the dead chicks, it seems the issue was some sort of heart failure, like what Cornish Cross can get. They had pretty much the same symptoms and fluid backed up in the chest cavities. I'm not sure why bantam chicks of all different types would be having heart failure...I guess it's just one of those weird things that happen. Fortunately my nephew's 4-H chick, 'Jimmy' the buff Cochin pulled through and is doing ok, so I don't have to explain ANOTHER death to him...poor kid, we've had to explain to him in the last few months the death of our horse, a beef cow, three baby goats that I had promised him he could help raise, one batch of eggs, and three hens, plus his great-grandma died last week too. I'm hoping he doesn't notice next month that our butcher goat is missing too...that's a lot of deaths for a six year old to process!
We'll be getting the new chicks next week, and keeping them in a separate room just in case the others are carrying any nasties.
I'd prefer not to have to mail order, but our local feed store wants $8 apiece for 'assorted straight run chicks' from a hatchery! We're going to be getting some Easter Egger hatching eggs locally too, and depending on what chicks we get in the replacement box, I may have to make one more order, because my husband wants a few silkies, and I want some D'Uccles.
