Sick Baby Broilers

[Danielsinghtt]

Hello,

I am new to farming and I have 25 broilers which are two weeks old.

I have noticed that two are sick. They are sleeping while standing and trembling, they are not eating nor drinking water independently. They are smaller in size compared to the others.

When I hold them, their crop are filled with air. They start to chirp, I guess for pain, when I touch it.

I hand fed them electrolytes with a syringe, they drink slowly but are not eating. I observed that when they mess, it's cold that they are passing out.

I provide my chickens with clean water everyday and are given electrolytes once a week.

Please help, it hurts me to see them suffer.

Thank you in advance.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Without a lot of information other than lethargy, I surmise they are nearing the age when some young chicks begin to succumb to coccidiosis. That happens when they consume too many oocysts of the protozoa coccidia. That is a cyst of sporulated zygotes. Basically a cluster of 8 new parasites ready to attack some specialized portion of digestive tract of the vertebrate that species of coccidia specializes in.
The best defense is bedding that is bone dry. Coccidia need moisture in order to continue its life cycle. They can't reproduce in a dry environment. If the bedding gets wet, oocysts shed in the feces will allow the parasite to reproduce rapidly.
Otherwise, if that is the problem, get some Corid from the feed store. Corid is amprolium, a thiamine blocker that tends to control the parasite.
Often, one of the symptoms is blood in the feces.
Few other things so frequently cause failure to thrive in such young birds.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have a heat source for the chicks? What are the daytime versus nighttime temps now? Have you seen any pasty butt?

 

[Danielsinghtt]

Without a lot of information other than lethargy, I surmise they are nearing the age when some young chicks begin to succumb to coccidiosis. That happens when they consume too many oocysts of the protozoa coccidia. That is a cyst of sporulated zygotes. Basically a cluster of 8 new parasites ready to attack some specialized portion of digestive tract of the vertebrate that species of coccidia specializes in.
The best defense is bedding that is bone dry. Coccidia need moisture in order to continue its life cycle. They can't reproduce in a dry environment. If the bedding gets wet, oocysts shed in the feces will allow the parasite to reproduce rapidly.
Otherwise, if that is the problem, get some Corid from the feed store. Corid is amprolium, a thiamine blocker that tends to control the parasite.
Often, one of the symptoms is blood in the feces.
Few other things so frequently cause failure to thrive in such young birds.

Thank you for the information, this is news to me.
I use wood shavings as my bedding and I replace it every week.
But I will take your advice to prevent further casualties.

One past away this morning, the other is eating and drinking water independently again.

Thank you.

 

[Danielsinghtt]

Do you have a heat source for the chicks? What are the daytime versus nighttime temps now? Have you seen any pasty butt?

Yes, I do have a heat source. The day time temps are extremely hot. The pen is properly ventilated but they still show signs of heat stress so I put some blocks of ice in their water.

Yes, I have noticed that the chick that passed this morning had pasty butt.

My first time taking care of the little ones and all of this is just demotivating :'(

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. I would also recommend keeping bedding stirred and add new bedding as needed to keep it dry. You might want to go ahead and start Corid at 2 tsp per gallon of water for the liquid, or 1.5 tsp of the powder for 5-7 days. If you have the body, you could take a look at the abdomen and intestines to look for signs of coccidiosis. Many state vets will also do a necropsy.

Edited to say, pasty butt needs to be addressed right away or they cannot poop. Usually it first occurs in the first few days of life.

 

[Danielsinghtt]

Sorry for your loss. I would also recommend keeping bedding stirred and add new bedding as needed to keep it dry. You might want to go ahead and start Corid at 2 tsp per gallon of water for the liquid, or 1.5 tsp of the powder for 5-7 days. If you have the body, you could take a look at the abdomen and intestines to look for signs of coccidiosis. Many state vets will also do a necropsy.

Thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Do you know what to do for pasty butt?

 

[Danielsinghtt]

Do you know what to do for pasty butt?

I do, thank you.

I checked the rest and they are fine.
I appreciate the assistance, thank you so much.