Please help ASAP! My new meat birds are dying on their back.

[LaynaDon95]

I just got a shipment of meat birds from Ideal yesterday. They are about 2 days old now and 3 have already died. I found one on it's back last night, alive, looking like he had splayed leg. I taped him up, he could walk fine, so I put him back in. I found him dead this morning, on his back and 2 others like him. They aren't acting funny, other than looking like they are getting splayed leg. Could splayed leg really be causing this? Should I change the flooring of the brooder for now? I see a few others starting to show the same signs. What do I do? Please help ASAP. I can't afford for them to all die.

 

[jdywntr]

What is your brooder temp?
What is the flooring/bedding?
What are you feeding? Are they eating?
Are they drinking?

 

[LaynaDon95]

What is your brooder temp? I haven't checked with a thermometer, but they seem comfortable. They are in a kid pool and have plenty of space to move away from the light if they want.

What is the flooring/bedding? leaves from my yard. It's what I've used with all my chicks and they have done fine. I went ahead and changed them onto a sheet though for now.

What are you feeding? Are they eating? I was feeding 20% Dumor starter/grower (the shipment came in mixed up and I couldn't tell the meat birds from the leghorns, but I think we've gotten it straight now.) but I just swapped them to 28% gamebird/turkey starter. They are eating, yes.

Are they drinking? Yes! Like crazy! They've already been through almost a gallon of water.

 

[jdywntr]

It could be the resulting shipping stress. Sometimes they just don't make it. It sounds like everything your doing is good. I usually don't have a thermometer in my brooder but as long as they aren't piling it sounds fine.

Are you checking for pasty butt? Any problems with the abdomen/naval area in the ones that died?

You may want to post in the emergency section too.

 

[LaynaDon95]

It could be the resulting shipping stress. Sometimes they just don't make it. It sounds like everything your doing is good. I usually don't have a thermometer in my brooder but as long as they aren't piling it sounds fine.

Are you checking for pasty butt? Any problems with the abdomen/naval area in the ones that died?

You may want to post in the emergency section too.

I've not really checked for pasty butt, but I just picked them all up to put the sheet in the brooder and didn't notice anything. I'll check. I did notice their bellies felt "full", but they are eating a lot and I'm not sure how "full" meat birds tummies are supposed to feel. This is my first time raising them. Could the have ascites so young?

 

[LaynaDon95]

BTW, the puppy in your pic is SO cute! Is he/she a pyr?

 

[LaynaDon95]

They just keep getting worse! Every time I look at them I find at least one more on it's back. No more have died yet, but one is so weak it probably will soon. I don't know what's happening. They seemed fine yesterday.

 

[jdywntr]

If you have electrolytes available, like save-a-chick you can try that. Maybe try some sugar water to pep them up? Spraddle leg wouldn't kill them unless untreated for so long they couldn't get to water/feed.

The only thing that I'm familiar with dealing with their belly is omphalitis which is basically an infection from unhealed navals. Not sure about ascites.

Yes the pup is a Pyr, he's 5 months old in the pic and with his best friend, my 12 lb Shih Tzu.

 

[LaynaDon95]

If you have electrolytes available, like save-a-chick you can try that. Maybe try some sugar water to pep them up? Spraddle leg wouldn't kill them unless untreated for so long they couldn't get to water/feed.

The only thing that I'm familiar with dealing with their belly is omphalitis which is basically an infection from unhealed navals. Not sure about ascites.

Yes the pup is a Pyr, he's 5 months old in the pic and with his best friend, my 12 lb Shih Tzu.

They had electrolytes. I read that too much salt can cause something like this in meat birds, and the electrolytes I gave them are kinda high in salt (Though I don't think it should be too high) so to cover all the bases I replaced them with plain water and I'm trying to get them to eat mashed bananas to help lower the salt level in their bodies. We'll see. So far I haven't found any new sickly ones *knocks on wood* but the sickly ones I already have aren't getting any better.

He's really cute. I love GPs. Both my dogs are mutts. I know Maggie's mom was a black lab, but Toby could be part turtle for all I know. No one knows where he came from.

 

[LaynaDon95]

Another dead and another dying.