Poults dying! What the heck!?

[sabella]

We got four bourbon red / royal palm poults. They've been doing great in the brooder. They hatched June 2. We just moved them outside. Our chicks and ducklings of the same age are doing great. I found two dead poults this afternoon. When my husband went to do night check and dispose of the 2 dead ones he found a third dead and the fourth is half dead. He also just confessed to giving some feed that had been rained on. Could that be it? The other birds didn't kill them and they were thriving yesterday. They went outside two days ago and have been moved to a new spot twice a day.

 

[Marty1876]

We got four bourbon red / royal palm poults. They've been doing great in the brooder. They hatched June 2. We just moved them outside. Our chicks and ducklings of the same age are doing great. I found two dead poults this afternoon. When my husband went to do night check and dispose of the 2 dead ones he found a third dead and the fourth is half dead. He also just confessed to giving some feed that had been rained on. Could that be it? The other birds didn't kill them and they were thriving yesterday. They went outside two days ago and have been moved to a new spot twice a day.

Yes, that could do it. So can the new grasses, if they don't have grit. My DD just did this to me with some ducklings.

How frustraiting. Giving wet or has been wet food is very dangerous for poultry.

 

[sabella]

We were sure to give them grit. It must have been the spoiled feed. Dangit!! I've already given them a months worth of organic feed too.

 

[PekinBantam]

Yes, that could do it. So can the new grasses, if they don't have grit. My DD just did this to me with some ducklings.

How frustraiting. Giving wet or has been wet food is very dangerous for poultry.

How about wet powdered corn? We give it to the birds (chickens turkeys and ducks) all the time. But we don't mean wet by rain, we wet it with water from the well because it's so powdery the birds won't eat it.

 

[zekii]

We don't move our new poults outside near other birds until they are at least 4 weeks old, and even
then keep them seperate from other birds. Be carefull what you feed them until they are at least 6 weeks old then you can start giving them greens. Add some grit to dressing to their feed to help digestion.
Poults don't develope thier immune system fully until they are 8 weeks old, so we don't let them
on the ground until then

 

[PekinBantam]

How are they?

 

[frank53061]

You know you would think that all animals would have some kind of built in knowledge of what they can and cant eat but from what little information I have my vote would be that some of them have eaten something while free ranging.
Wet feed could have done it but how long was the food wet mold or fungus Bactria would still have to develop before it would be harmful.
I have put out feed that had gotten wet but was consumed before much time went by.
Is there any fields near by that are treated with chemicals?.
And then sometimes I hear that peoples Poults just drop dead for no good reason.
I hope the rest are doing well I know it can be frustrating.

 

[casportpony]

Sorry to hear about your losses. Curiously, why has no one mentioned the possibitly of histomoniasis, aka blackhead? I'm new to turkeys and peafowl, but I have learned recently that when I have nothing but poults and peachicks looking sick, it's histomoniasis.

-Kathy
Gilroy, CA

 

[Frosty]

Sorry to hear about your losses. Curiously, why has no one mentioned the possibitly of histomoniasis, aka blackhead? I'm new to turkeys and peafowl, but I have learned recently that when I have nothing but poults and peachicks looking sick, it's histomoniasis.
-Kathy
Gilroy, CA

It probably wasn't mentioned because they only real symptom mentioned was that they were dead. If a poster mentions that the birds look unthrifty for a bit, quit eating and stand huddled, etc... then they died, then the topic if histomoniasis will come up.

Depending on how long ago the feed got wet, it could be the problem. Wet food on it's own won't make them sick, but if it was long enough ago that mold started (like frank53061 said) then it could cause problems.