I have 5 silkie babies, about 10 days old, from a mail order hatchery. They are in with a dozen other mixed chicks. Silkies seem to be struggling. Over and over they are getting pasty butt. A coupe have swollen sore looking vents. (Probably from all the cleaning?) This morning one of them is doing the dreaded hunched, wings out, lethargic stance. What am I doing wrong or what can I do different? Do I need to separate them from others? That is my first inclination and I am going to work on that today. Any other thoughts? EDIT: 2 or 3 of the silkies are doing fine. The 3 that are struggling are very small, also....considerably smaller than the other silkies. One of them, I noticed this morning, is getting stinky. Their bottoms are poo matted, but I CAN still visibly see the vent, but they still act like they are struggling.
Pasty butt is really not a problem I got an adult chicken that I have to still help her clean her but once in a while. So I wouldn't worry about them. And through my experience with silkies, I have had one out of my three pass away because she had sleeping a lot more than normal and lethargic. I would try to separate that chick for a will and watch closely and how it is acting.
A wet matted hind end is a definite sign that there is something wrong. I don't have a lot of experience with this issue, and have never even used medicated feed or treated for coccidiosis. So, you have a total of 17 chicks? How big is your brooder? What are you using for bedding in the brooder? What are you using for a heat source, and what is the temp under the heat, and at the opposite end of the brooder? What are you feeding them?
Not experienced but been reading a lot. What I've read suggests that diet will be the issue. Clean them so they aren't blocked, and restrict their diet to whatever dry chick feed you are giving them, with NO TREATS. Also, clean their waterer, and provide with fresh water. Repeatedly replace dirty water and dirty feed with fresh clean water and feed. At least, that's what I'd do based on my reading.
