Poly-Vi-Sol with Iron

[Island Chicken AK]

I have seen lots of references to using poly-vi-sol WITHOUT iron, but I have only been able to to find it with iron. Anyone know why you are not supposed to give chicks iron? With just one drop of Poly-Vi-Sol would it make any difference?

 

[gritsar]

Iron in high doses is toxic, which it would be for a chicken (compared to a human child).
I didn't use any type of vitamin supplement with my chicks. IMO, it's not needed so long as you are feeding a good quality chick starter. I never lost a chick.

 

[Crickett]

If you feel you need to give a vitamin supplement, and cannot find poly-vi-sol WITHOUT iron, you can give pedialyte halved with water, or gatorade halved with water. However, if your chicks are not sick, there is really no reason to give this to them. It's only if they are sick that they need the supplements. Kind of like giving medicine to a child if they don't need it; all you would end up doing is making the medicine ineffective when they do need it.

 

[Island Chicken AK]

Thank you both for your responses. I too, am slow to medicate unnecessarily. I personally don't even take aspirin or other for a headache. Earlier, there was a dire situation involving our mail order chicks. Unfortunately we lost many. Of 25+1 from MM there were 10 DOA, 4 critical, and the other 12 seemed okay. The timing of the shipment was quick IMO. According to MM, hatched, vaccinated and shipped at 10am last Tues. Post office called at noon on Thurs. We lit the brooder and car heat and drove straight there. At the PO we noted the obvious casualties and headed home. Got the active 12 to drink and into the brooder. Isolated the 4 criticals and got them warming. They were still breathing but listless. Tried to administer quik chik electrolyte solution w/sugar with a dropper. Two seemed to aspirate it and none of the 4 lasted another 15 minutes after arriving home (we live only 5 minutes from the PO). The first 18 hours in the brooder all seemed fine. Fri morning we herded all chicks to one end of the brooder and put in a temporary divider so we could inspect them one at a time and make sure again that each was drinking, eating etc. One by one we checked each chick and dipped its beak in the waterer (quik chik solution per instructions). After all were checked we removed the divider. After 45 minutes one chick dropped as if having a seizure, neck craned all the way against its back, loud chirping, and then flopped over onto its back kicking and struggling. Within a couple of minutes 2 others had same symptoms. We decided to try the only poly-vi-sol we could find, which included iron. 1-2 drops per affected chick. 2 died later, followed by 4 more overnight. One of the first 3 that we treated still survives now a week later, although she still shows signs of weakness. So of the 26, we are left with 6. All along, food has been chick starter, supplemented twice per day with hardboiled egg yolk, and quik chik electrolyte powder from MM in the water. I don't know if the poly-vi-sol with iron saved the one chick or not, but I doubt that it killed the others. Most likely just too late to do any good, but as soon as symptoms appeared.

 

[TXmom]

Yikes, what a horrible start for those poor chicks, and you

Are these your first chicks? It doesn't always turn out that badly...I've ordered chicks twice, and they all arrived alive and healthy. You said you turned the car heat on...is it cold where you are? Maybe they were chilled in shipment, but even then you shouldn't have lost that many...they should have kept each other warm. What was the condition of the box...were they handled roughly? I'm just so sorry you're going through this.

I assume you called the hatchery about the deaths...what did they say?

About your original question...I have no idea how much Iron would be considered toxic to chicks, but I doubt 1 or 2 drops would be deadly. Sounds like it was just too late to save them...for whatever reason.

 

[Cetawin]

I am sorry for your troubles with the babies. All poly-vi-sol has iron however the one labeld as polyvisol with iron contains too much iron for them...the pharmacy should carry a baby vitamin without additional iron. Good luck with them.