Sick chicks, breathing hard and gasping.

[LarkMeadows]

I have two batches of chicks hatched by two different hens in the same week. They are now four weeks old and have been doing great. Eating well, strong, happy and overall healthy.

However, yesterday I found a chick from one hen laying in the corner, cold, empty crop, breathing really hard and fast and gasping every once in a while. I put her on a heat pad and gave her probiotics and warm oat mash with molasses and apple cider vinegar as well as some VetRx to help her breathing. However nothing helped and unfortunately she only lasted a few hours.

This morning I went to check on everyone else and a chick from the other hen is by herself huddled under the heat lamp and it seems she's breathing harder than normal.

Any suggestions? I've given them all probiotics, apple cider vinegar, garlic and sugar water but I have no idea what could be causing this and what else to give. Also, while it has been cooler these past few days, the lowest it's gotten over night is 55 and all the chicks have heatlamps as well as their mom to huddle under.

 

[coach723]

Have you changed anything in the environment, bedding, feed, painted anything, etc? Are the heat lamps new, are the bulbs the correct kind, labled for poultry? Has it been wet where you are, could there be mold anywhere? Check your feed, whatever container you have it in, check all of it, top to bottom, dump it in another container, look for mold or spoilage. Any chemicals on the ground they could be getting into, leaking machinery, etc. or water run off from those areas? Any new plants that have grown up in their area? A few years ago someone lost some chicks that ate poisonous caterpillars.

 

[LarkMeadows]

Have you changed anything in the environment, bedding, feed, painted anything, etc? Are the heat lamps new, are the bulbs the correct kind, labled for poultry? Has it been wet where you are, could there be mold anywhere? Check your feed, whatever container you have it in, check all of it, top to bottom, dump it in another container, look for mold or spoilage. Any chemicals on the ground they could be getting into, leaking machinery, etc. or water run off from those areas? Any new plants that have grown up in their area? A few years ago someone lost some chicks that ate poisonous caterpillars.

Nope, nothing been changed recently at all. Heat lamps, bedding, food, etc is the same it has been since they hatched. It has been super wet recently, rained pretty much every day this week but the chicks are in a brooder in the barn so they haven't been getting wet. However, both hens do have a habit of spilling their water containers so it's possible that is causing mold. Whenever they do it I replace the bedding but the water may have seeped into the wood of the brooder. No chemicals anywhere near them. No new plants or bugs. Though they did get some mushy strawberries a few days ago.

 

[coach723]

Can you post some pictures of your set up, it may help. Do you have two brooders, each with a hen and her chicks, or all are together? What are the dimensions?

 

[LarkMeadows]

Can you post some pictures of your set up, it may help. Do you have two brooders, each with a hen and her chicks, or all are together? What are the dimensions?

I'll add pictures as soon as I get home. Each hen has her own brooder which are each 3 foot by 3 foot. The brooders are basically solid wood boxes with wire tops. Feeders and waters are the normal quart size plastic ones. One other thing to note, the chick won't stop pecking her legs and other chicks legs. It's gotten to the point were her legs are bloody. I've tried putting stuff on them to make her stop but nothing seems to be working yet.

I have always treated for mites/lice just in case but after examining everyone I don't see any. Could she have some nutritional deficiency that's causing her to peck herself?

 

[coach723]

At 4 weeks a 3 foot by 3 foot box, with an adult hen, is probably way too small. When they are over crowded all kinds of problems can happen. Also, chicks that are with a broody don't really need a heat lamp, the broody will keep them warm as needed, so the box may be too warm. By 5 weeks even chicks with no broody don't need supplemental heat any more. They are also getting close to the age when the broody will leave them and drive them away. I've had broodies stay longer, and some leave them as early as 4-5 weeks, they usually know when they are ready. So some of that may be going on also. It's hard to say if the temperature is the issue with the ones that are sick, they could be getting stuck on the bottom of a pile if they are trying to get away from the heat lamp or the hen. Pecking and cannibalism is common when there is overcrowding. You may need to separate that chick until the legs heal enough that they are no longer attracting attention. It's generally best to leave wounds open, but if she won't leave them alone no matter what you put on there, then you may have to wrap them. I would use some rolled gauze for padding and some vet wrap or co wrap (not too tight, just enough to keep it on) to protect them until they heal, if necessary. I really think you probably need to move them outside, or come up with a much larger solution. Space (lack of it) causes all kinds of problems.

 

[LarkMeadows]

At 4 weeks a 3 foot by 3 foot box, with an adult hen, is probably way too small. When they are over crowded all kinds of problems can happen. Also, chicks that are with a broody don't really need a heat lamp, the broody will keep them warm as needed, so the box may be too warm. By 5 weeks even chicks with no broody don't need supplemental heat any more. They are also getting close to the age when the broody will leave them and drive them away. I've had broodies stay longer, and some leave them as early as 4-5 weeks, they usually know when they are ready. So some of that may be going on also. It's hard to say if the temperature is the issue with the ones that are sick, they could be getting stuck on the bottom of a pile if they are trying to get away from the heat lamp or the hen. Pecking and cannibalism is common when there is overcrowding. You may need to separate that chick until the legs heal enough that they are no longer attracting attention. It's generally best to leave wounds open, but if she won't leave them alone no matter what you put on there, then you may have to wrap them. I would use some rolled gauze for padding and some vet wrap or co wrap (not too tight, just enough to keep it on) to protect them until they heal, if necessary. I really think you probably need to move them outside, or come up with a much larger solution. Space (lack of it) causes all kinds of problems.

Sorry, should have clarified, these guys are a pretty small bantam breed so even at 4 weeks they are tiny. I tried larger boxes for a few years when I first started but for some reason this breed of chicks can be pretty silly and I find they tend to get lost in the bigger boxes which then causes them to get cold. (Doesn't help that the moms usually aren't that great). That's part of the reason I have a heat lamp, so that if any get lost they can at least stay warm. They also don't have all their adult feathers yet. Each hen has 3 chicks and so far I haven't had any problems with overcrowding.

I am starting to think this particular chick may be blind or has messed up eyesight. I have seen her trying to drink from the water dish and dipping her head in front of it a few times before she finds the actual water. I'm definitely thinking of separating her in case it's something contagious and also so she stops pecking the other chicks legs.