Recovering chicks on the edge and not learning how to eat or drink for themselves?

[Petrichoryl]

We ordered a mix of 10 rarer breed chicks last week from Hoovers Hatchery through Tractor Supply Co. and we believe the shipping went particularly poorly due to some of the recent storms and bad weather. All seemed completely dead on arrival, the mailman handing the box to us even said they were likely already gone given the box was silent. Still we saw some wing twitches and tried our best to revive all of them. 2 were dead from the start but the others responded, some more than others. We heated them with the heating pad and plate we'd gotten, along with a space heater (our house can get very chilly at night) and fed them with a mix of water and feed (later electrolytes too) applied to the sides of their beaks and attending to them for a long time.

Over the next 24 hrs all but two died, one survivor that was perky and energetic and always standing and one that was more lethargic, almost always sitting, with a messed up eye (possibly due to the other one, who kept pecking at her face??). Its been about 72 hours since the package arrived and this all started and we feel we are constantly still on the edge of loosing them. We check in on them and feed them about every three hours, and sometimes more often than that, giving them more feed mixes, water, and egg yolk with q-tips (still applying to the edge of their beaks as we've been told to).

They don't seem to be eating or drinking on their own and we have tried many times to encourage them to do so, dipping their beaks in the water, tapping to approximate pecking at the feed, and it still seems the only way we can get them nutrition is through the q-tip method, and they don't even take in much at that. Recently they've been dodging our attempts to feed/hydrate them and leaning away so I'm really not sure what to do. I just tried to feed them again about an hour ago and I'm not sure what I did wrong, if I went too fast or something went down the wrong pipe but one of them (the healthier, standing one) coughed up bubbles/spittle and god was that terrifying. (This especially freaked me out as one of the other early to pass ones did that too shortly before dying.) Upon last check both are sitting on the floor, still breathing so hopefully sleeping but they do seem decidedly worse off than earlier.

Any advice or condemnation is wholeheartedly welcome, we want so badly for these little ones to make it through and would deeply appreciate any tips from people who may have gone through similar situations or know chick health in general.

Sorry for a downer of a post but I hope you're all having a nice night!

 

[picklestheduck]

We ordered a mix of 10 rarer breed chicks last week from Hoovers Hatchery through Tractor Supply Co. and we believe the shipping went particularly poorly due to some of the recent storms and bad weather. All seemed completely dead on arrival, the mailman handing the box to us even said they were likely already gone given the box was silent. Still we saw some wing twitches and tried our best to revive all of them. 2 were dead from the start but the others responded, some more than others. We heated them with the heating pad and plate we'd gotten, along with a space heater (our house can get very chilly at night) and fed them with a mix of water and feed (later electrolytes too) applied to the sides of their beaks and attending to them for a long time.

Over the next 24 hrs all but two died, one survivor that was perky and energetic and always standing and one that was more lethargic, almost always sitting, with a messed up eye (possibly due to the other one, who kept pecking at her face??). Its been about 72 hours since the package arrived and this all started and we feel we are constantly still on the edge of loosing them. We check in on them and feed them about every three hours, and sometimes more often than that, giving them more feed mixes, water, and egg yolk with q-tips (still applying to the edge of their beaks as we've been told to).

They don't seem to be eating or drinking on their own and we have tried many times to encourage them to do so, dipping their beaks in the water, tapping to approximate pecking at the feed, and it still seems the only way we can get them nutrition is through the q-tip method, and they don't even take in much at that. Recently they've been dodging our attempts to feed/hydrate them and leaning away so I'm really not sure what to do. I just tried to feed them again about an hour ago and I'm not sure what I did wrong, if I went too fast or something went down the wrong pipe but one of them (the healthier, standing one) coughed up bubbles/spittle and god was that terrifying. (This especially freaked me out as one of the other early to pass ones did that too shortly before dying.) Upon last check both are sitting on the floor, still breathing so hopefully sleeping but they do seem decidedly worse off than earlier.

Any advice or condemnation is wholeheartedly welcome, we want so badly for these little ones to make it through and would deeply appreciate any tips from people who may have gone through similar situations or know chick health in general.

Sorry for a downer of a post but I hope you're all having a nice night!

Don’t feel bad for posting here, we are here to help each other! I’m very sorry you are dealing with this. Do you have a way to check the temperature in there brooder? I think for the first week or two it’s supposed to be 95°. The coughing/bubbly breathing most likely means the chick had aspirated and there is probably some liquid in the lungs. It depends on how much is in there to determine if it will survive. Be very careful when giving them food and water and make sure you go slowly and give them time to swallow. Have you tried giving scrambled eggs? I would be persistent with the very gentle force feeding and watering while making sure they do not aspirate. The bird definitely has liquid in the lungs if it makes a hitching clicking noise when breathing. I would say try to get some nutridrench or rooster booster or poultry cell on hand to give these chicks a boost. You can usually get it at tractor supply. Best of luck. Feel free to continue to ask questions, I'm here to help.

 

[picklestheduck]

Also, check their rear ends for poop build up. Pasty bum is a big problem with many chicks. If they have a blockage you need to take a warm wet rag and hold it on there until the poop softens enough to gently get out without ripping feathers.

 

[PattyNH]

I ordered the same exact rare chicken 10pk from Tractor Supply and it has been a nightmare! They arrived Thursday and I have lost 5 so far. I ordered 25 from Murray McMurray, which arrived Friday. Four were dead when I picked them up from the PO. Since Friday 3 more died and I have one separated because it's so weak, her eyes are closed and she keeps getting trampled. This is crazy

 

[Petrichoryl]

I ordered the same exact rare chicken 10pk from Tractor Supply and it has been a nightmare! They arrived Thursday and I have lost 5 so far. I ordered 25 from Murray McMurray, which arrived Friday. Four were dead when I picked them up from the PO. Since Friday 3 more died and I have one separated because it's so weak, her eyes are closed and she keeps getting trampled. This is crazy

God that's rough, I'm so sorry. We eventually lost our last two a couple of days ago, not long after the post. Sometimes things just don't shake out right and I'm hoping we gave them the best care and comfort we could before they passed.

We're gonna take a break from chickens for a while and hopefully order some more developed and healthy/self-sustaining from the start pullets down the line.

I wish you the best of luck with your own troubles and strength to your chicks!

 

[StarCreekFarm]

God that's rough, I'm so sorry. We eventually lost our last two a couple of days ago, not long after the post. Sometimes things just don't shake out right and I'm hoping we gave them the best care and comfort we could before they passed.

We're gonna take a break from chickens for a while and hopefully order some more developed and healthy/self-sustaining from the start pullets down the line.

I wish you the best of luck with your own troubles and strength to your chicks!

Is there anyone in your area who breeds and offers chicks? I'm in NorCal and if by any chance you are too, I'll help you out.