Sad looking little TSC chicks need your help!

[zookeeper15133]

I wish you the best of luck with them! A little trick I learned when we raised quail: Put marbles in their water dish for the first week or so, they can still drink, but don't get soaked if they climb in. My bantys are a week old today and I just took them out.
Dehydration is probably why their eyes are shut. Electrolytes are essential, Chick saver, pedialyte, whatever you have.

 

[sweeterdeeter42]

Well, I have lost 5 so far. 3 of which I did not expect to lose. The white one is still alive, although she still looks the same. They have had the electrolyte/vitamin powder in their water since I got them, and I just added agrimycin-343 to their water. The last one that I lost was drinking and eating fine when I left the house about an hour ago, but looked rough, and was dead when I got home.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Were they extreemly small, even for bantams? The first 6 I got this year were really really small. Only 2 have survived to 3 weeks old.

 

[sweeterdeeter42]

Quote:
Yes, I was commenting to my husband last night that they seemed way smaller than the first batch of bantams I got from a different TSC that uses a different hatchery. They are Old English Game Bantams though, so I do not know if they are generally smaller than the sebrights I got before. I am just glad that they were able to be loved before they died, even if I couldnt save them.

 

[sweeterdeeter42]

Well, the little white one is on her way out.

So I am down to 5 out of the original 11. I suppose I knew that this was what was going to most likely happen when I got them. But that doesn't make it any less sad. I did the best I could, though. The remaining 5 are so spunky, they are always playing with the wood chips and chasing each other, so I really hope I dont lose any more.

 

[nhblond]

I am so very sorry to hear about your troubles with the chicks. I have a thread on here, (think it's Plotting Rescue) that tells our story which is quite similar. In a nutshell, we rescued 18 Bantam chicks from our local TSC a week ago. We lost 4 of them, but the remaining 14 are doing really well. They had the heat in the brooder way too high at the store, and even though we told them, they did nothing! I ended up talking to a woman through the university co-op ext. and she said that she was sure the reason we lost the four was because they had suffered organ damage from being to hot. Boy, does it make you soooo mad!!! Anyway, what I did was to put Duramycin and electrolytes in the water for about 4-5 days, and to mix oatmeal in with the food (as you know for the pasty butt). I really hope your remaining chicks pull through. God bless you for trying to save them. We think alike

 

[skylarkdancer87]

So sorry for your losses....I lost three bantams from TSC...they all did the exact same thing you're describing AND they were EXTREMELY small for bantams....I have one lil guy left he's so lonely because I can't put him in with the Araucana chicks they jump on him and peck at him...he so much smaller than they are I put a stuffed animal in with him....so i'm off to get some silkies from a private hatchery today!

so excited!

 

[mother o' chicks72]

Quote:
aw, i am so sorry! i just lost my littlest she was about 1/2 the size of her sister and seemed fine yesterday but wouldn't stand or open her eyes this morning. it was horrible. im so sorry.

hugs

 

[sweeterdeeter42]

Thanks everybody! It is just so sad, even when you know it is probably going to happen. nhblond, I was actually thinking about your post as I was scooping all 11 chicks into that sad little TSC Happy Meal-style box on Friday! I had read it when you first posted it and thought, that sounds like something I would do! LOL. During Chick Days, TSC needs to hire temp. seasonal people who know how to take care of chicks or are at least interested in learning how and doing the best job that they can. Its not fair to the chicks, nor the unsuspecting people that buy them. Im not saying that they shouldnt sell chicks either, because they are actually providing a good service to people that may not be able to get their chicks otherwise. I know that there are very few people that sell chicks around here and not everyone can afford to pay $75 for their chicks on top of $25 shipping from hatcheries, nor does everyone want 25 chicks. But They should at least be better prepared for Chick Days. And I am sure some are. But three out of the four around me are not.

 

[mother o' chicks72]

did the little white one make it?