Polish chicks dead...

[lilchik]

I have lost 2 of my polish chicks. The first one was 1 week old (died last week) and the second one was 2 weeks old (died yesterday morning). Both chicks seemed healthy, were eating and drinking, acting normal. I went to bed and when I got up the next morning they were dead (first one last week and second one yesterday morning). The first chick had nothing abnormal about it, but the second chicks abdomen was wet. There was a small amount of pinkish colored poop coming out the vent and the feathers surrounding the vent (about the size of a quarter) were damp. The poop did not look bloody, just pinkish. Prior to the deaths, both chicks had normal poop.

I have never had Polish chickens before. I recently got 3 polish chicks and 3 houdan chicks. All 3 houdans are doing fine and the other polish seems to be doing fine also. The 2 lost were buff laced polish and the one surviving is a silver laced polish.

The chicks were in a brooder in the house. The brooder is covered. There are 4 frizzle chicks in with them also, all healthy and doing fine. All chicks are 2 weeks or less. There couldn't have been any injuries.

I'm at a loss as to what happened to them. Any ideas?

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

Couldnt help you with finding out what happened But you are not alone I have heard of so many people having their polish chicks die suddenly this spring. A friend of ours ordered 100 chicks from ideal and all but 2 gradually died all polish. My own daughter has had 24 different hatches of polish die this spring. I know this doesnt help you find out what happended but it doesnt surprise me at all. When I raised polish I found they were better in their own brooder I had a better success rate of survival. If you found pinkish poop do you feed medicated. watch your other chicks for signs of bloody poops

 

[suzyq53511]

I would check all the chicks poo...

 

[lilchik]

I do feed medicated chick starter. All the other chicks poop is normal, no pink or bloody poop, completely normal colored.

I still have one polish chick left, seem completely healthy. I have my fingers crossed he stays that way.

 

[suzyq53511]

Knock on wood...

 

[lilchik]

This is my silver laced polish chick, only one left.

This is one of the buff laced polished that died, sleeping in this picture. Poor babies.

These are 2 of my 3 Houdan chicks sleeping.

 

[fastpat]

Quote:
I don't have Polish crested breeds, but do not feed medicated feed at all. I had all of my chicks vaccinated by the hatchery before shipment and have no problems at all.

I'm an RN and have a problem giving antibiotics or fungicides to an healthy animal that is asymptomatic.

The next time you order chicks, I recommend you have them vaccinated before shipment and feed non-medicated feed.

 

[lilchik]

I didn't get them mail order. I purchased them from a breeder near me, so they weren't vaccinated. Almost everything I have read recommends feeding medicated feed. I too am an RN, but am fairly new to raising chickens so have been using BYC as my main resource of education, along with some books. Thus far the medicated feed has caused no problems. Do you think that may have caused the death in the polish chicks? I do have non-medicated feed for my Call and Muscovy ducklings. It would be much easier to purchase and feed one type of starter feed. Especially since I worry that when MDH is helping I worry he will feed the duckling medicated feed by mistake.

Do you vaccinate for Merriks disease? Any the vaccination is only good for newly hatched chicks, correct? My concern is I can not vaccinate the adults, from what I have read. Do you vaccinate for anything else?

 

[sonjab314]

I'm new to chickens this year too and absolutely fell in love with polish chicks. I have purchased 6-1 day old chicks from my local hatchery and have had no problems with them at all. Then a friend of mine gave me two polish hens and they are fine too. I put the hens in with 3 of my older polish chicks and have had no issues with them. I feed them Purina Start and Grow, same as my other breeds of chicks. Hope you find out what is going on with them. Chicks are too precious in my opinion.

 

[lilchik]

I used Purina Start and Grow also, its medicated.

The Polish and Houdan chicks are precious! I love my Frizzle and Silkie chicks, but the Polish and Houdans have such personality!!! Look at the pics I posted of the Houdans, when they sleep the get all relaxed and stretched out, never saw any other breeds do that.

I have been hatching and raising Frizzle and Silkies for the past 2 years, but this is the first time for Polish and Houdans.

I was thinking of contacting the breeder where I got them for some more, but am worried since I already lost two. Maybe I would be better to order from a big name, such as McMurray or another company.