Please help- chicks dying

[liddylou92]

I ordered 46 chicks from a hatchery that had decent reviews online. Upon arrival we had 2 dead chicks (I figured problems with transport), next day we had 6 dead chicks, another on day 4, day 5 and 6 more dead chicks. Around the same time we got chicks from Rural King. None of the Rural King chicks seem to be affected by whatever is going on.

Through the last few days we've only noticed one spot of blood on a ramp. We have 103 chicks so one spot didn't make me jump. Some of the chicks were found dead first thing in the morning. 3-4 have appeared to be dead, then we found they were evidently only paralyzed another was separated due to excessive loud chirping, kept one eye closed most of the time then also became paralyzed within 2 days. All other chicks appear to be healthy.

Since we got these birds we have been feeding them a non-GMO feed from Honeyville. I also add diatomaceous earth to their feed as well as oregano basil, etc based on recommendations from fresheggsdaily.com Their waterers are changed daily and have apple cider vinegar as well as 1 crushed garlic clove per gal in it.

DE has been sprinkled in the coop and we use pine shavings.

There's everything- can anyone take a guess if why my chicks are dying and how I can protect the others?

TIA,

Liddy

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. I think you just got a bad shipment of chicks. There can be much stress involved in shipping, including being too cold, too hot, smothering from piling up, and dehydration. Some shipments suffer no problem, while others can have heavy losses. About all we can do is give electrolytes in the water and keep them warm, but not too hot. Sometimes the damage is already done. Some rarer breeds may be weaker, and bantams can be delicate.