Silkie chickens

[Kheinrich]

hi, I have two batches (two weeks apart) of silkies currently in the same brooder with a divider down the middle.

In the two week old batch, I started with 12 and ended up with 3. Of the three, the chick is almost the size of a day old chick. She eats and seems normal, but she cries a lot unless I hold her. Also, one of the bigger chicks is sneezing and has gunk coming out of her nose, but she eats like a pig and runs around.

In my second batch of 20, I woke up yesterday to a dead chick. I expected one or two to die, but that’s it. This morning, I had 3 chicks die in a matter of 10 minutes. The others seem strong and healthy, but so did the other 3.

I’m completely lost. The temperatures are right, there’s always food and water in the brooder, and it’s draft free. I have been using nutri drench, vitamin waters, and cooking eggs for both batches. What else can I do?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos of the chicks and your brooder set-up?
Where are you keeping them - inside/outside?
What type of lamp are you using - do you have photo of the box the bulb came in?
How old are the 2groups of chicks?
What is the temperature in the brooder?
What type of feed are you using?

Losing that many chicks suddenly, I would be checking the lamp to make sure it's not teflon coated and also seeing if the temperature of the brooder is not too high.
Chicks only need one warm spot to get warm - let the rest of the brooder be cool. You mention they are in a draft free area - but is there ventilation/air circulating?

You mention sneezing with gunk coming out of the nostrils - is any portion of your brooder wet or moldy? It could be a respiratory disease you are dealing with - Mycoplasma, Infectious Coryza and Infectious Bronchitis are fairly common.

You're feeding eggs - do they have a source of chick grit (crushed granite) free choice? What does the poop look like?

 

[Kheinrich]

Can you post some photos of the chicks and your brooder set-up?
Where are you keeping them - inside/outside?
What type of lamp are you using - do you have photo of the box the bulb came in?
How old are the 2groups of chicks?
What is the temperature in the brooder?
What type of feed are you using?

Losing that many chicks suddenly, I would be checking the lamp to make sure it's not teflon coated and also seeing if the temperature of the brooder is not too high.
Chicks only need one warm spot to get warm - let the rest of the brooder be cool. You mention they are in a draft free area - but is there ventilation/air circulating?

You mention sneezing with gunk coming out of the nostrils - is any portion of your brooder wet or moldy? It could be a respiratory disease you are dealing with - Mycoplasma, Infectious Coryza and Infectious Bronchitis are fairly common.

You're feeding eggs - do they have a source of chick grit (crushed granite) free choice? What does the poop look like?

I’m feeding them medicated chick starter and I was told you don’t need grit with eggs. The 2 week (3 week this Friday) is at about 82 degrees. The second batch is at their first week this Friday, and they’re at about 93 degrees with a cool side of 81. We lost the small white one in the first batch and we are down to 13/20 in the second batch. Their brooder is always dry and somewhat clean with a every other day clean out (all of the brooder bedding is scooped out). I’ve kept handling the little ones to a minimum besides cleaning pasty butt.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Check them again for vent pasting and see that there crop is emptying - it's hard to gauge crop function when they are under lights 24/7, but do the best you can with that.

I do prefer to make chick grit available free choice for chicks the very first week regardless of what I feed them. Chicks eat bedding, poop, feed, etc. I also feel grit helps stimulate gizzard function.

Watch their behavior - that is a good way to judge if you have temperature right in the brooder. If they are constantly under the light, then they are too cold. If they are as far from the light as they can get, they are too warm. Keep the food/water on the coolest side of the brooder.

 

[Kheinrich]

Check them again for vent pasting and see that there crop is emptying - it's hard to gauge crop function when they are under lights 24/7, but do the best you can with that.

I do prefer to make chick grit available free choice for chicks the very first week regardless of what I feed them. Chicks eat bedding, poop, feed, etc. I also feel grit helps stimulate gizzard function.

Watch their behavior - that is a good way to judge if you have temperature right in the brooder. If they are constantly under the light, then they are too cold. If they are as far from the light as they can get, they are too warm. Keep the food/water on the coolest side of the brooder.

What am I supposed to check the crops for? Some of the chicks that are starting to die will walk then flop onto the ground. I try my best to pick them up before they get trampled. Are they weak or sick?