sick four week old chicks

[Zanna]

I have one to three sick french black copper maran chicks, four weeks old. Very lethargic and feathers look all puffed up. I just isolated them tonight, they arrived from a breeder 1 1/2 weeks ago and looked fine until two days ago or so. Not much info. to go on I know, but I should know more in a day or two as they are out of the big flock now so I can really keep an eye on them. Any advice at this point??

 

[drdoolittle]

I don't really have any advice. The weird thing is, that I got some silkie chicks from a breeder about 2 1/2 weeks ago, and they were doing really well, and suddenly 2 were dead. Two more are showing signs they are sick----puffed up, not too active, and one of them can't open her eyes. They have been kept separate from my older chickens this whole time, but are with 3 of my own chicks around the same age----those 3 seeem fine. Wonder if it's the same thing that is wrong with yours?

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Maybe look up coccidiosis and see if that matches, chick starter is medicated to help prevent it but not 100% effective. Kind of guessing that if the chicks are in with the big chickens they may not be getting full starter diet but would be exposed to lots of coccidiosis carrying adut poop.

 

[Zanna]

Thanks for the help, I know I don't have much to go on. This morning two of the 3 I isolated look the same, lethargic, feathers puffed, not really interested in food or water, the other looks ok. I wasn't sure that one was sick but I isolated it anyways. Their poops, eye colour, feet colour all look normal to me. By big flock, I meant flock of youngsters. I had 13 four week old birds of several breeds arrive from the breeder (two days in the mail from Arkansas to Oregon), and I added them to 15 youngsters of the same age that I had hatched out myself. They are in my main coop but separated from the grown chickens. I have been feeding them meat bird feed as there are many roos in the bunch that I plan on butchering if I can't find homes for them. The breeder did feed them chick starter prior to arrival and I fed the ones I hatched chick starter from hatch till four weeks when I moved them out of the brooder into the outside coop. I have also been feeding them lots of fresh kale from my garden, cucumbers and squash which they love. Any thoughts on an impacted crop? They have free choice grit in their pen. Their crops do not feel especially hard this morning. I made a mixture of hard boiled egg, olive oil, yogurt, honey, grated apple and carrot and rolled oats to see if they would eat that this morning. Only the seemingly healthy one is eating it.............. The breeder had a very poor hatch rate and I only ended up getting 8 of the french black copper maran chicks so I will be sad if I lose some but I know it is limiting what we can do. I will look into the symptoms of coccidosis just in case.