Sick chicks

[jwdoherty0620]

I recently started 70 chicks, 50 esas that I bought and 20 that I hatched. Everything was fine when suddenly I found a dead chick. The next day two. Then I noticed that several didn't look well. the next day six dead and they all looked sick. I kept the water fresh and the feed, but they didn't seem to be interested in either. The dead piled up and all I could find online was that chicks are expendable. Finally, the dying slowed two, one then none. The remaining chicks are rising hell again, eating well and chasing one another. I have about 40 left and am in a quandary. What happened???? Anybody have any idea.

 

[narwhal master]

Might be a disease, If you have introduced new chicks into the brooder they might have been carrying it. You should try antibiotics in their water.

 

[realsis]

Yes it could have been a disease. So sorry for the loss. I just went through something similar to my flock and sadly lost all but one bird to it....once a virus hits it can spread like wild fire. Pretty awful. I know. ..so sorry for your having to go through this. Good luck in the future and God bless

 

[Kelsie2290]

How old were the chicks when they started dying? Did they have any symptoms? Usually when young chicks start dying off the first thought is coccidia.

 

[Eggcessive]

I disagree with giving antibiotics. Which chicks died, the ones you hatched or the shipped chicks. Shipping can always be a gamble since you don't know what kind of stresses they had. Cold, heat, too long in transit, etc. Hatching your own is risky too since the incubator has to be sanitized, the eggs have to be clean, and the chickens laying them must be healthy and disease-free. I'm glad they have stopped dying. Make sure they are on clean litter, put some ACV in the water--1/2 ounce to 1 gallon ratio, give them probiotics and vitamins. I usually place a piece of sod in my brooder every few days to let them peck it and get exposed early to the coccidia that is in your soil. If they show signs of being sick again such as lying puffed up, ruffled feathers, lethargic, and diarrhea (sometimes bloody) then treat with Corid 2 tsp liquid or 1 tsp powder in 1 gallon water for 5-7 days.