Please Help!!

[Pippy1]

On Friday 24th, I bought tiny chicks that I was told were a couple of days old from IFA.
I bought 2 buff orpingtons., 2 black australorps, 1 barred rock, 1 Rhode Island Red, and 2 Ameraucnas.
One ameraucana died a short time later that day and the "warranty" was still good and so I went back and got another ameraucana. They have all been doing great and growing and very active until today. Had a little pasty butt with both of the Orpingtons, but gently removed and fed scrambled egg and they have been good. Today one Americana was dead this morning when I got up. I couldn't see anything wrong with her, just lying there dead. Now, I just found the second Ameraucana laying there dead and a whole bunch of her intestines were outside her body and the other chicks were pecking at them and eating them. So both Ameraucanas are gone! I don't know what is happening! Help! They were very active and growing and eating great and looked fine! Feathers starting to grow etc.! I think the first one that died during the night had probably the same thing,but the others had eaten the intestines and so I didn't see them. Please help! What is wrong? Could it just be this breed- one died the first day, now the other two! So sad! I don't want to loose the rest if I can do something! None of the others have pasty butt and there had been no pecking of the rear end either.

 

[cowboyclayt]

Maybe the temperature is too hot or cold. Have you been giving medicated feed? How big is the brooder?

 

[Pippy1]

Hi,
Now both Orpingtons are dead! I have got to figure this out if I can! It is so weird! One minute they are just fine....active, eating trying to fly and the next dead. I just watched the one die. She was pecking food all active like and then just slumped right in the feeder. That fast!
I have a heat lamp and a thermometer that is reading 89 by the lamp and would be cooler on the other side. I am feeding mannapro non -medicated organic non gmo chick starter crumble.
They are in 27 gallon tote, but I am going to get something bigger because they are starting to be able to fly.......just in these 7 days since I got them they have started flying up.
What in the world is going on? I am so sad!

 

[Pippy1]

I am putting a tiny amount of apple cider vinegar in the water. The chicken lady Patera from Appalachia homestead does this. I'm only putting like a fourth of a teaspoon in the water dish. I have been doing this since day one and again in these 7 days they have started to grow little wing feathers and seemed like they were thriving! I put pine shavings in etc. I did give them bread once several days ago. I put some lettuce and tomato a few days ago, but they didn't really know what to make of it that much and didn't really eat it and so I took it out.

 

[ginger7]

I think the intestines might have been outside just as a result of the others pecking.

How are you doing today?