PLEASE HELP BABY CHICKS ACTING WEIRD!!

[Familyofchicks]

Hello!

I have had 10 baby chicks who were healthy and playing a lot but over the past couple of days they just seems to die. We now have 6 left and I'm so concerned. I have 5 baby chicks that just doesn't seems to be eating and I don't know why! I have to put their beak into water for them to drink and two of them just walk around with their eyes closed.

I ran to the feed store and got the water powder that the lady recommended to us and this is the second day they are on it. I know it is 3 days on and 4 days off. But they just don't appear to be eating and I would not like anymore of my babies to die. I've been so depressed about this. I am feeding them chick feed, medicated, and grit. I even moisten it but then don't even eat. Only one of the baby is very healthy. She eats so much and just is so energetic. Please help me!!! I just don't know what else I need to do!

 

[lazy gardener]

Where are you keeping them? What are you using for bedding? What is their brooder set up? What is the temperature in the warm and cool end of the brooder? What was the powder you bought, and how are you mixing it?

 

[Familyofchicks]

Where are you keeping them? What are you using for bedding? What is their brooder set up? What is the temperature in the warm and cool end of the brooder? What was the powder you bought, and how are you mixing it?

I am keeping them in a plastic storage box and their bedding it just a sheet that is for like anything. It's disposable and I have been using this for my older 9 chicks and they have grown up with it fine. The lamp is on one side with water at the other end where the lamp isn't and the food is directly across from it. The temp at the warm end is currently 87.2F and the cold end is 82.2F. I am using this powder mix. Photo below. I mix it using only 1/4 of the small scoop it comes with because I put it into a 1 quart water filler for them and the scoop calls for a gallon. The lady told me to use only 1/4.

 

[lazy gardener]

HOw old are they?

 

[azygous]

One obvious possible reason for your chicks sickening and dying is a brooder made of plastic which holds in heat and a brooder too small to allow chicks to access a much cooler space in which to shed excess heat.

The purpose of a heat lamp is not to heat the brooder but to provide a source of heat for the chicks to replenish lost body heat. Once they absorb the heat, they then need to move well away from it in order not to get too hot.

Overheating then causes a chain reaction of other issues. Pasty butt, diarrhea, constipation, weakness leading to loss of appetite, and all these can lead to death.

Brooder space should provide a square foot for each chick. The heat source should only be hot enough to raise the temperature directly beneath the device and not the rest of the brooder.

In order to save the rest of your chicks, I would get them outdoors in the coop where there's probably adequate space.

There's always the possibility that you've acquired chicks from a private un-certified breeder and they have a serious disease. Information as to the source of these chicks would be helpful.

 

[Chickassan]

Looks like alot of salt in that powder. I wouldn't think that would be a good thing to give.

 

[Familyofchicks]

They are 1

HOw old are they?

they are 1 week and a half old now.

 

[Familyofchicks]

One obvious possible reason for your chicks sickening and dying is a brooder made of plastic which holds in heat and a brooder too small to allow chicks to access a much cooler space in which to shed excess heat.

The purpose of a heat lamp is not to heat the brooder but to provide a source of heat for the chicks to replenish lost body heat. Once they absorb the heat, they then need to move well away from it in order not to get too hot.

Overheating then causes a chain reaction of other issues. Pasty butt, diarrhea, weakness leading to loss of appetite, and all these can lead to death.

Brooder space should provide a square foot for each chick. The heat source should only be hot enough to raise the temperature directly beneath the device and not the rest of the brooder.

In order to save the rest of your chicks, I would get them outdoors in the coop where there's probably adequate space.

There's always the possibility that you've acquired chicks from a private un-certified breeder and they have a serious disease. Information as to the source of these chicks would be helpful.

I have it in a reall big box like a huge one. I've seen other people with the same brooder so I thought it would've been okay. I'll remove them and put them outside then. These baby chicks were incubated and they were actually suppose to hatch with their mother but due to an incident down at my grandparents farm we had to bring the eggs home and incubate them. The eggs were already cared by their mother but mid way through a raccoon attacked the coop and so we had to incubate them for the rest of the way.

 

[azygous]

If you move them outside into a coop, make sure you block all drafts and have the heat source for them to warm themselves.

Are these remaining chicks pooping? What to they look like? Watery? Color? Greenish, white, clear, runny brown? Have you examined them for pasty butt and checked to see if their crops feel empty, hard, soft, or normal?

How about parasites? Have you looked closely at their skin, especially around the vent area to see if there are lice or other tiny bugs?

If these chicks aren't pooping, some oil would perhaps help. You can easily give baby chicks coconut oil in the solid form to loosen up constipation or even impacted crop.