Possible pullorum death?

[love2grinchicke]

One of our chickens hatched 4 of her chicks. Two died, of unknown causes. I just read on the Junior APA that young chicks can die soon after hatching for no outward sign, from pullorum. Is it possible that those two died from pullorum? Our flock has not been tested, so I have no idea.

 

[Eggcessive]

Pullorum is fairly rare in the US. There could be many causes of your chicks deaths, from vitamin deficiency in the parents to something happening to the eggs during incubation by the broody hen. Pullorum testing is pretty standard in NPIP testing as you probably know. Here is a link that includes a lot of possible causes: http://www.provimi.in/Poultry/Early chick Mortality.pdf

 

[love2grinchicke]

Okay, my brothers, who were checking on them after hatch, said that one died because the mother 'abandoned' it. She was not sitting over it. Not sure about the other one.

 

[Eggcessive]

You have to keep an eye out for the chicks for a few days because some broodies will peck their chicks, or sometimes the chicks will get away from the broody hen and either get too cold or will get attacked by the other chickens (this happens frequently.) The chicks could have also been weak or sickly, and she could have shunned them.

 

[love2grinchicke]

The second one was very small.