Sudden Chick Death on Day 5

[pitbullgurl]

Hi all, I just found one of my six 5-day-old peeps dead in the brooder. She was perfectly fine last night.

I know all six were eating, drinking and pooping. Mama hen is in with them and doing a fantastic job so I'm sure she wasn't chilled. She was hatched here so none of the mail order chick issues would apply.

I do have a light on in the brooder during the day bc the brooder is in a back corner of the garage where there isn't much natural light, and I didn't want it to be dark in there all the time. They don't seem to be overheated. Even mama sits under the light sometimes. Brooder is 4' by 4' so they can definitely get away from the light if needed.

She was the last one to hatch, on day 25, and I had made an air hole just to see if she was still alive in there. After that I left her to hatch on her own. Could that be a reason?

What about coccidia? I didn't vaccinate them and they're on unmedicated feed. I've been careful not to bring germs into the brooder (hand sani, remove my boots etc) but of course that's not perfect. Would coccidia cause such a sudden death? There were no signs anything was amiss. The remaining five also seem fine.

Finally, when I examined her body to look for injuries (none found), I noticed a yellow liquid in her mouth. Enough that it dripped out. What the heck does THAT mean??

My main concern right now is the other five and whether they're in danger from whatever got her.

Thank you, you fabulous chickeners!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

last one to hatch, on day 25

What about coccidia? I didn't vaccinate them and they're on unmedicated feed. I've been careful not to bring germs into the brooder (hand sani, remove my boots etc) but of course that's not perfect. Would coccidia cause such a sudden death?

5-day-old peeps dead

I'm sorry for your loss.

The chick may have been failure to thrive - very hard to know unless the body is sent for diagnostics.

At 5 days old, unlikely it was Coccidiosis. Coccidia is a protozoa that lives in their poop and in soil. As chicks are exposed, they build resistance - it's not a problem unless there's an overload.