sick peep & dead peep

[denice]

I have purchased 25 chicks from a well known hatchery. They hatched Saturday , one had splayed legs and crooked feet. We did all we could splints, hand feed and worry and pray. It is dead now.

Two more looked weak to me, now at day 3, all others seem to be fine. They are all white leghorns.

I am feeding chick starter, sugar water with quick chik and oxyteracycline hydrochloride. They had a slice of tomato they did not eat, some crushed egg shell, some crumbled egg yolk mixed with raw egg yolk, and a couple pieces chopped celery and a large strawberry. I doubt the two sick peeps got much as they are not aggressive enough.
I put the two weak ones in a little box in the corner so they wouldn't get tramped so much. Now I see one died and the other looks like it is next.
I did move her to the water and she drank but when I moved her to the feeder she would not peck.
yesterday they all seemed pretty much equal but she is as light as a feather. Even when I feed her away from the others she will not peck at the food. I am afraid to handle her to much because I wonder if that contributed to the death of #1 peep. It did not contribute to the death of peep2 I am sure as we did not suspect she was near death and so did not try to save her. The second and third peep just laid in the box on their sides and sleep.

The temperature is a steady 92 degrees with no drafts.

I have enclosed pictures of where I am keeping them (in the house as it is northern Michigan and to cold this week for even the garage with a heat lamp. also enclosed the peep # 2 dead. The last pictures are of peep #3 still alive but I doubt for long.
Does anyone see anything I am doing wrong?

well one thing is I cannot see how to post the photos, I did upload but they don't show up.

 

[paddock36]

Can't see the photos. Is the chick starter medicated? If not, then you need to get medicated chick starter. It should say it somewhere on the bag. If it is I would get some Teremicen (don't think I spelled that right) and put it in their water. You can get it from the feed store.

 

[denice]

thank you for your suggestions.
The chick starter is medicated and I have been putting oxyteracycline hydrochloride in their water since day 1 (it is Terramycin).

I don't know why the pictures don't show up.
The third peep is still alive but will not eat. I do not see any others that look weak at this time.

 

[missred871]

Well I cannot tell you a solution to this problem but I myself encountered a similar problem and can tell you what happened on my end. I purchased 12 americana and aracauna mixed. They were anywhere from a week to two weeks old (I am guessing). I purchased them from a breeder as well. From the dozen one of the smaller (younger looking) chicks fell weak and within a few hours she was simply lethargic. I tried desperately to give her electrolite and vitamin water with a syringe but a few hours later to no avail she had passed. Then two more looked a little floppy (within a couple hours of chick #1 falling ill) and they became lethargic and limp soon after. There poo seemed fine but they would not eat though they would in fact drink from the syringe. I never figured out what did it but all the others survived and are thriving. I have not had any problems from the rest of the group (knock on wood). My theory is as with any other clutch you will lose some. It is heart breaking and unfortunate but other than what you are already doing for your chicks with the grower crumbles and the T there is really nothing else you can do. It broke my heart to lose those three chicks, makes you feel as helpless as they are when there is nothing you can do for them. (ps the other 2 chicks were dead by the afternoon the next day I spent most of the night up with them trying to hydrate.) I wish you luck with your chick and hope it turns out better for you. You may be able to pull it through. All I can say is isolate it and try to keep it hydrated. A good thing to do is get some flintstones vitamins or other childrens vitamin and crush it into a powder. Dissolve it in about a 16oz glass of water. put it in a syringe and give the birds a few drops about every ten drops of reg water.

 

[denice]

thank you both for your thoughts, suggestions and concerns. My son showed me how to get the pictures up so I did post a few.
Tomorrow I plan to move them into a large horse water trough in the garage as all the rest of them are fiesty and seem to need more room.

She is still alive and probably starving to death, it just breaks my heart to see the little thing suffer. I was gone all day but when I got home I noticed her poo looks about emerald green. I am guessing it is hers because it is in her little box altho one of the more aggressive peeps could have gotten in and then jumped back out. If it is hers I wonder if she got poisoned with something. I forgot to mention I did give them all a few snips of cut fresh grass yesterday. I have not put anything chemical on my lawn ever.

 

[chickenzoo]

If you have any mushy canned dog food try putting some warm bits in her beak. Also could mix some water in the chick starter and make a mash and see if she'll eat. So sorry........ If you have any Corid you can try some in her water. I swear sometimes Coccidia is in the air... LOL

 

[drumstick diva]

If you could get Pedialite infant vitamins (NO IRON) and give her 3 drops a day, that might perk her up. It seems to be quite a mainstay among chicken-ers. I don't know if your chicks are old enough for things like grass, veggies etc. especially if they aren't getting grit sprinkled on their food. Since you are giving medicated starter I don't know that you need to use another antibiotic along with it.Too much antibiotic can kill off good natural bacteria and can cause diarhrea.

 

[Chickenaddict]

Maybe they are being overmedicated? the mix of the antibiotics which they shouldn't need unless you know exactly what is wrong with them then go out and find the right medication for the illness and the amprolium in the feed could be the culprit? I have heard time and time again terramycin is worthless yet feed stores are quick to tell ya it's a cure all. Maybe try some plain yogurt and take the little one off the terramycin and possibly the medicated feed. I have never fed medicated feed to any of the chicks I have raised here, I heard tooo many people complain about lots of chicks dying when they fed the medicated verses non medicated. Hope the little one pulls thru for you

 

[KKatknap]

Honestly, this happens - even when you do everything right. It's very sad but true. So don't beat yourself up over any of it. You can't be faulted for the efforts you have made!

For me, I go with medicated chick starter and plain water. No other foods, and unless they have been shipped and need the extra boost, I don't usually sugar their water. For the one that's sickly, I would scramble the yolk of an egg and try to get her to eat that.
I don't think you should need the extra meds in the water, but I also don't think that has caused the problem.

Poly-vi-sol or Pedialite (without iron), as previously suggested, probably wouldn't hurt any if you can find some - might give her the extra oomph she needs.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[denice]

For sure now I know it is her poo that is emerald green. I did the oatmeal, ground medicated chik starter, and yogurt mixed in with the medicated water, no sugar this time. The only time I get a response from her is when I take her away from the clutch. She peeps until I bring her back. She is ok being isolated but close to them.
I will try the polyvolsol or pedialite or both in the morning. I have been up till 1 or 2 with them every night and it is starting to catch up to me.
I have had chickens before altho it has been a while and never had a problem like this.
All the rest of the peeps are very robust.
lots of different opinions, and many good suggestions I will try. In the meantime I will research more. All of the medications came in a chick starter package i ordered when I ordered the chicks. The feed came from the local tractor supply store.
Not much info came from the hatchery which was surprising.
Thank you again for your support.