PLEASE HELP ASAP my baby chicks are dieing!!!!!

[lisafowle]

Please somebody help i got 4 baby chicks from my sons nursery and they were all fine up untill now i think they are 6 weeks old one died last friday it went week and kept sitting on its bum had no energy wouldnt really eat or drink.i seperated it from the rest and it died the sunday.now ive found two more chicks going the same way they look dayzed they urge they find it hard to get on their feet when they do they wobble, their poo is black tar like, i feed them on breadcrumbs, wheatabix, corn, they have water constantly so i dont understand whats wrong with them.i still had the 60 watt bulb light on for them not sure if i am to keep doing this?their bedding is a layer of newspaper,then a layer of sawdust, then a layer of hay. could anybody please help?


ive read it may be cocci and to get corid but i dont know where to get it from there arent and poultry feed places in plymouth my area where i live in england

 

[Imp]

Breadcrumbs, wheatabix, and corn are not good nutrition for chicks. You probably need to get them on a complete chick starter type food. Probably need extra vitamins and electrolites as well. I'm thinking its daytime there now, so you can go to a feed store. Are their butts stopped up from the poop? then you need to gently clean it off.
Sounds like they are inside in a brooder??? I think cocci is in soil.
Are they eating the sawdust and/or hay? check to see if their crops are full and hard.
Sorry I can't help more.
There must be someplace you can get chicken supplies there, maybe another chicken owner?

Good luck,

Imp

 

[lisafowle]

its not pasty butt which is what i thought with the one that died last friday thanks for pointing out that you could get cocci from soil not from a brooder yes they still are in the massive cardboard pen that my husband built because the weather has been horrid hail for us to of put them outside yet.i live in a little town that doenst really have many stores the one pet shop we do have only sells the corn and the lady that works there told me i was ok to give them the corn but just chopped down but the corns very hard to chop down so maybe they have the food stuck in thier crop?yes i think they maybe eating the sawdust coz they arent very intelligent at this stage.when they arre waking up they are very dayzed and they are flickering their heads an awful lot. is it possible that they could eat bird food instead of the chick feed?coz i cnt seem to get it anywhere?reallly appriciate your help thank you

 

[5Leepy!]

Perhaps you can order some chick feed online? Is there another town close by that has a feed store? They really need a balanced diet at this age. I'd suggest giving them extra vitamins as well. Here in the states we have an infant vitamin called Polyvisol that helps along with Vitamin E with Selenium and Vitamin B. It sounds like they have a vitamin deficiency, to me. Also, have you given them grit? If they aren't eating chick feed, they need grit to help them break down what you're giving them.

 

[speckledhen]

They are malnourished since they were not fed a proper diet. They may have cocci, but they were probably more susceptible from not having proper nutrition.