One of three chicks died

[tneff24]

Hello!
"Newer" chicken owner here. This is our first round of chicks.
We live in an urban area.
Hatched late February.
Not laying yet.

36 hours ago- one of our chicks was lethargic, not eating/drinking, eyes closes,
laying there. Wouldn't move. Woke up this morning and she had died overnight.
Same general symptoms as "egg bound"- although they are not laying age yet.
Husband said he picked her up last night and she "pooped" a pale yellow almost
pus-like discharge. No foul smell.

Other 3 seem "fine". Acting normal. As I was talking to them a few minutes ago
I notice black, dirty looking specs on their tail feathers. Are we dealing with mites?
Not sure if that took the other one down. Would it happen that fast?

We're perplexed.

Also, looking at Diatomaceous Earth and getting conflicting information. Could this
(dust particles) be bad for the birds? For my dog? For us?

Not sure what we should do.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Most sick chickens show the same general symptoms you described. It's not uncommon for a well looking bird to die quickly like that. There are so many reasons it impossible to guess without an autopsy.

Mites you usually see around the head. They generally won't kill a bird unless it is already sick. You can dust them with a pyrethrin based poultry dust if you are concerned. They usually dust bathe to keep parasites under control, so make sure they have a place to do it.

I personally will never use DE. I feel it isn't safe for me or my birds, but others have a different opinion of the stuff.