sick chicks! help please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[proud mama m&L]

i bought 6 pullets from tractor supply April 2. I was told they were about a week or two old. the chicks seemed to be doing fine. (Being this is my very first time with chickens i dont know much and am learning as i go) We put them in 55 gal aquarium. About a 1 1/2 after we got them one started acting funny. i know chicks sleep a lot but she was not running around like the other ones were. she started to burry her nose in the shavings and while she was exhaling she was chirping; every single time. i let her be for a little bit in hopes that she would turn around. then she was acting even more strange. everytime she went to walk the best way to describe it was she acted like she was drunk. She would stand up and it would take her a min to get her balance and then she would try to walk, maybe get 3 steps and then fall down in a heap. i looked at her toes to see if they were straight and they are when she is standing. When she lays down she curls them in. Also sometimes when she stand its not on her feet it on that bone rite behind her foot but the rest of her body is in the air. when i was about to seperate her from the well ones 3 more started to act just like her. so i have 4 in the aquarium still that are sick and 2 well ones in a box. i thought it might be the heat lamp thinking they were getting too much light and could not excape so i moved it back some but that didnt seem to improve much. they are at 80 in their cage rite now. im now sure what to do. does ayone have any suggestions? im just giving chick food and water. am i suppose to give them anything else? and the 4 that are sick shake as well. it almost looks like they are having a seizure everyonce in awhile twisting their necks around in the air with their mouths open. PLEASE!!!! i dont want my babies to suffer and i dont know how to help them. any suggestions would be GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kittymomma]

What are you using for bedding in there? Also, do you have a solid lid on the aquarium, or is it open or wire topped?

ETA: I'd get them all out of the aquarium and see if that helps for a start.

 

[BarnsB]

I suspect that this behavior has something to do with either the aquarium or the shavings.
It sounds like sealant or some other chemical in the aquarium is reacting with the heat lamps, Chlorine maybe or bleach?.
For starters I'd put your chicks in a cardboard box; get them out of the tank!
NO cedar shavings like guinnie pigs are on...Go with untreated pine shavings. Ceder will kill them.
Your temp is OK but make sure they have enough space to get away from the lamp. If they are huddled together they are too cold.
If they are panting too hot.
I would also get a different bag of chick starter (just in case it's tainted) & make sure that they have fresh room temp water always available.
Good Luck!

 

[proud mama m&L]

our aquarium is an open top. it is mesh metal because some of the chicks tried to fly out of it. we are using pine shavings and i clean out the old shavings once maybe twice a week just t make sure they are not walking in their mess. when i seperated the chicks at first i put the sick ones in a cardboard box for about 2 weeks. because there are more of them i put them back into the aquarium and the 2 well chicks in the cardboard box because it is smaller. they acted the same in the cardboard box as they did in the aquarium so im not sure what is going on. i did read about them geting cold and sleeping together if they were but they go on and off sleeping together. i give them fresh water everyday. i do have an suto waterer but i dont use it. i empty it out and rinse it and give them clean water everyday. i will try to switch the food but i am still at a loss.