Should I be worried about the baby?

[Ridgerunner]

The peeping Azygous is talking about is a very plaintive peep. The chick just stands around giving this constant soul-rending peep. It is quite different from the normal peeping healthy active chicks give. If you don’t recognize it, you don’t have it. It’s that sad.

By 8 days you should be getting toward the end of the worst part of that risky “fail-to-thrive” period. Some chicks are just deficient at hatch, there is something wrong with them and they are not meant to make it. It’s still possible something could be wrong, but by 8 days they have long ago used up the yolk they absorbed before hatch and have to be eating and drinking or they would already be dead.

Different chicks naturally have different levels of activity, just like different people. But if a chick, or in the future a full grown chicken, is lethargic feeding them something to raise their energy levels is a good thing. I’ve used hummingbird liquid for that. Give them something to provide quick energy to see if they can shake it off. From here it is hard to say if that chick needs help or not, but it won’t hurt.

We all approach Coccidiosis in different ways. It is a killer. It’s caused by a “bug” that lives in the ground and thrives in warm moist soil, especially of manure is present. Manure is always present in our brooders, coops, and runs. It’s more of a thread in warm moist climates like the Gulf Coast and less a threat in cooler drier climates, but all you need is a damp spot around a waterer and you are at risk, especially in a warm brooder. That “bug’s” life cycle needs a couple of days in warm wet soil or dirty water to be dangerous. Totally dumping the water every two days minimum is really important if they can poop or scratch pop in the water. That depends on your type of waterer. Dumping daily is better. Clean water is important.

The bug lives in the chicken’s digestive system, different strains living in different parts which makes some strains more dangerous than others. Having a few in their system is a good thing, they will develop immunity to that strain in two to three weeks of constant exposure. The problem comes in when the numbers in their system get out of hand. The normal problem comes when the bug is present, water is not changed out or the brooder, coop, or run is really wet, and the number of bugs really grows. The chickens eat those bugs’ eggs (not really eggs but close enough) and the eggs hatch inside and numbers explode.

Normally if you keep the brooder dry and keep the water clean Cocci is not a problem. That’s how I manage it and I don’t have a problem, but even then some people do because of the strain of the bug they have.

I do something else. Starting the second day in the brooder, I feed them dirt from the run where the older birds have pooped. This gets grit and any probiotics the older birds have into them, plus it exposes them to the strain of Cocci I have. With them in the dry brooder mine don’t get sick but by feeding them more dirt every few days the constant exposure allows them to develop the immunity they need. When they hit the ground they are already immune.

I don’t feed medicated feed. There is nothing wrong with medicated feed, at least feed where the medication is Amprolium, you can check the label to see what your medicine in medicated feed actually is. Amprolium in this dosage does not kill the bug, it hinders its reproduction. It helps keep the numbers down so the chick can develop immunity but not be overwhelmed by the numbers. It’s still possible for the chick to be in danger from Cocci even with medicated feed, especially if you have dirty water or a wet brooder, but it really helps.

Medicated feed only does you good if that bug is present. If that bug is not present it won’t hurt anything but it won’t help anything either, it’s just a waste. A pretty common occurrence on this forum is someone feeds medicated feed in the brooder where the bug is not present, then stops feeding it when the chicks leave the brooder and hit the ground where the bug is present. Most of the time this isn’t a problem, but if the ground is wet and warm the chicks can get Cocci and even die. Then people will rant about how medicated feed doesn’t work. Medicated feed works great but like any tool it has to be used properly.

I have nothing against medicated feed, I just don’t need it the way I raise my chicks. Hopefully this will help you make an informed decision on whether medicated feed is right for you.

Good luck with that chick.

 

[azygous]

Many of us, even though we brood in the run or coop with adult chickens, do not bother with medicated feed. An alternative to vaccinations and medicated feed is to provide natural "inoculation" in the form of a clump of sod from your yard. The chicks will scratch around in the soil and eat the grass, deriving an early exposure to pathogens.

When this is done during the first week or two of a baby chick's life, there is a window where they're developing natural immunity to these pathogens, a lot like a human infant gets when exposed to breast milk during their early weeks.

If you happen to have a wild turkey population, you will get an added dividend. These wild birds harbor a mild form of Marek's that will immunize your chickens against the poultry form of the disease.

I say again. Save your money. Medicated chick feed, when you're brooding indoors as you are, just isn't necessary.

 

[RRLaney]

The peeping Azygous is talking about is a very plaintive peep. The chick just stands around giving this constant soul-rending peep. It is quite different from the normal peeping healthy active chicks give. If you don’t recognize it, you don’t have it. It’s that sad.

By 8 days you should be getting toward the end of the worst part of that risky “fail-to-thrive” period. Some chicks are just deficient at hatch, there is something wrong with them and they are not meant to make it. It’s still possible something could be wrong, but by 8 days they have long ago used up the yolk they absorbed before hatch and have to be eating and drinking or they would already be dead.

Different chicks naturally have different levels of activity, just like different people. But if a chick, or in the future a full grown chicken, is lethargic feeding them something to raise their energy levels is a good thing. I’ve used hummingbird liquid for that. Give them something to provide quick energy to see if they can shake it off. From here it is hard to say if that chick needs help or not, but it won’t hurt.

We all approach Coccidiosis in different ways. It is a killer. It’s caused by a “bug” that lives in the ground and thrives in warm moist soil, especially of manure is present. Manure is always present in our brooders, coops, and runs. It’s more of a thread in warm moist climates like the Gulf Coast and less a threat in cooler drier climates, but all you need is a damp spot around a waterer and you are at risk, especially in a warm brooder. That “bug’s” life cycle needs a couple of days in warm wet soil or dirty water to be dangerous. Totally dumping the water every two days minimum is really important if they can poop or scratch pop in the water. That depends on your type of waterer. Dumping daily is better. Clean water is important.

The bug lives in the chicken’s digestive system, different strains living in different parts which makes some strains more dangerous than others. Having a few in their system is a good thing, they will develop immunity to that strain in two to three weeks of constant exposure. The problem comes in when the numbers in their system get out of hand. The normal problem comes when the bug is present, water is not changed out or the brooder, coop, or run is really wet, and the number of bugs really grows. The chickens eat those bugs’ eggs (not really eggs but close enough) and the eggs hatch inside and numbers explode.

Normally if you keep the brooder dry and keep the water clean Cocci is not a problem. That’s how I manage it and I don’t have a problem, but even then some people do because of the strain of the bug they have.

I do something else. Starting the second day in the brooder, I feed them dirt from the run where the older birds have pooped. This gets grit and any probiotics the older birds have into them, plus it exposes them to the strain of Cocci I have. With them in the dry brooder mine don’t get sick but by feeding them more dirt every few days the constant exposure allows them to develop the immunity they need. When they hit the ground they are already immune.

I don’t feed medicated feed. There is nothing wrong with medicated feed, at least feed where the medication is Amprolium, you can check the label to see what your medicine in medicated feed actually is. Amprolium in this dosage does not kill the bug, it hinders its reproduction. It helps keep the numbers down so the chick can develop immunity but not be overwhelmed by the numbers. It’s still possible for the chick to be in danger from Cocci even with medicated feed, especially if you have dirty water or a wet brooder, but it really helps.

Medicated feed only does you good if that bug is present. If that bug is not present it won’t hurt anything but it won’t help anything either, it’s just a waste. A pretty common occurrence on this forum is someone feeds medicated feed in the brooder where the bug is not present, then stops feeding it when the chicks leave the brooder and hit the ground where the bug is present. Most of the time this isn’t a problem, but if the ground is wet and warm the chicks can get Cocci and even die. Then people will rant about how medicated feed doesn’t work. Medicated feed works great but like any tool it has to be used properly.

I have nothing against medicated feed, I just don’t need it the way I raise my chicks. Hopefully this will help you make an informed decision on whether medicated feed is right for you.

Good luck with that chick.

Wow that's really good information thank you! I change the water everyday and always check to make sure there's no poop in the food. It's a big brooder and I do my best to keep it very clean and dry. I always wash my hands before I do anything with them. I think based on reading all this I don't need the medicated feed. They're all eating and pooing normally as far as I can tell. I dripped some water on their beaks this morning to make sure they're all drinking. The one I'm worried about pooped on me this morning and it looked pretty normal I think. Hopefully she's just naturally less active than the others.
As far as the dirt goes...I should get some from a place the older chickens dig in, but not poop in? I don't want to overexpose them to too much but it definitely sounds like a good idea. Thanks for all your help!

Many of us, even though we brood in the run or coop with adult chickens, do not bother with medicated feed. An alternative to vaccinations and medicated feed is to provide natural "inoculation" in the form of a clump of sod from your yard. The chicks will scratch around in the soil and eat the grass, deriving an early exposure to pathogens.

When this is done during the first week or two of a baby chick's life, there is a window where they're developing natural immunity to these pathogens, a lot like a human infant gets when exposed to breast milk during their early weeks.

If you happen to have a wild turkey population, you will get an added dividend. These wild birds harbor a mild form of Marek's that will immunize your chickens against the poultry form of the disease.

I say again. Save your money. Medicated chick feed, when you're brooding indoors as you are, just isn't necessary.

Definitely don't have wild turkey lol, but thanks for the info. I'm feeing like I don't need the medicated feed since we are brooding indoors and I don't feel like they're exposed to too much. My oldest chicks are 2 weeks old and my youngest are 9 days. Just confirming that it's not too early or too late for the soil method?

 

[mirandalola]

I can't say for sure what's going on with your chick, but I can tell you what happened to me:

Brought 13 chicks home, put them in a nice clean brooder, cleaned their water, gave them food, was so excited to have chickens! 2 days later, woke up to find a chick dead. No symptoms. No warning. Later that day, one chick was lethargic, sleeping when others were awake. Chick died that evening.

Took me a day or two to figure out it was coccidiosis. I didn't ever see the bloody poop until after I'd started treating them; even after I started treatment, I lost one more.

In the future, if I ever see a lethargic chick in my brooder again, I'll start treatment with Corid immediately. 2 teaspoons of the 9.6% liquid in 1 gallon of water, make it their only source of water.


Good luck with your chickie!

 

[azygous]

You have nothing to lose, and the chicks will enjoy it, by giving them a clump of sod from your yard.

Make sure you place it on a dish so you don't have a big mess in the brooder! If the soil happens to have small pebbles or granules, it will double as grit so you can begin offering treats!

 

[Blooie]

I have never fed medicated food nor had chicks vaccinated, and I throw a clump of sod - roots, dirt, grass and all - into the brooder with them when they are practically brand new. It's part of the environment they'll be living on, and besides breaking up boredom in the brooder pen it helps build those critical early immunities. That DOESN'T mean that I ever tell people NOT to feed medicated or have chicks vaccinated against coccidia - it's just what I do. I've never had a single case of it, either with my chicks or adults.

Your chick might have been weaker than the others to start with, so the Nutri-drench is the best idea to help her. But sometimes, despite our best efforts, chicks simply fail to thrive and die. It doesn't mean the owner has done anything "wrong", although we often waste time beating ourselves up when what we should be doing is focusing on giving a healthy, long life to the ones we do still have.

I wish you all the best. Your chicks are adorable, and I know you are anxious to do everything you can for them.

 

[Blooie]

You have nothing to lose, and the chicks will enjoy it, by giving them a clump of sod from your yard.

Make sure you place it on a dish so you don't have a big mess in the brooder! If the soil happens to have small pebbles or granules, it will double as grit so you can begin offering treats!

We posted at the same time, @azygous ! Shoot, mine more than LOVE the mess in the brooder...take dust baths in it and the whole 9 yards, in addition to the other benefits you mentioned. Of course, since I brood my chicks outside (as I know you do), that bit of dirt dust added to the other dust doesn't bother me in the slightest!