Sudden Illness and Death in Three-Day-Old Chicks

[Twitcherette]

Hello, we've had a tragic incident of illness in our new chicks that eventually ended in death. I'm hoping to get some input on causes for our own knowledge, but especially to protect the rest of our chicks in case the illness is contagious.

Two days ago (3/27), we bought a mess of chicks (who can resist! It's almost Easter!). The feed store had just gotten them in that day (so they were just shipped). We got chicks from 6 breeds; all seemed well and appropriately chick-like that evening and the following morning.

When we came home yesterday after 5, I found one of our 2 RIR chicks face-down in the feeder, wings splayed and legs sticking up. I immediately picked her up, surprised and relieved to find her still alive. Sadly, both our Light Brahmas and one of our 2 Americaunas also began displaying the signs of increasing weakness and lethargy.

One of the Brahmas (Annabelle) was the worst of the bunch, and at one point in the evening passed a strange black poop. She began having fits of straining her head an body back away from her legs. Sadly, but probably fortunately for her suffering, she died after 8 last night. I suspect she was the same chick that had been looking extra sleepy in the cage at the feed store (we weren't able to pick our own chicks). I noticed that while the other chicks' legs and beak were a nice strong pink from the warmth of the heating pad I had under their towel nest in my lap, her legs and bill remained pale.

The RIR and remaining Brahma revived somewhat by 9, able to stand on their own again and peeping without stimulation, although they were still extremely lethargic, hardly ever opening their eyes. However, they all eventually died in the wee hours of the night, the RIR (Ruby) hanging on the longest.

None of them did the same black poop or seemed to experience the fits that Annabelle had. They exhibited no other noticeable symptoms than the inability to support themselves and extreme sleepiness.

Our remaining 7 chicks seem hale and hearty, and we want to keep them that way!

Any help is appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Twitcherette

 

[Eggcessive]

I would guess they were stressed in shipping--too cold maybe. I go to my local big feed store, and I hear the clerks talking about how the chicks were forgotten at the post office in the back room or other stories. When they come directly to your post office for you to pick them up you still don't know what they have been through to get there. Sometimes it takes a couple of days for them to show illness. Just watch their behavior and their bowel movements for signs of coccidia, and if you can get some chick electrolytes with vitamins it might be good to give them some in their water for a day or two. Make sure everyone is drinking.

 

[Eggsoteric]

Can you describe your set up for them; what you're feeding; bedding; heat lamp temp, etc.?

 

[Twitcherette]

Eggcessive, thanks for the response.
Yes, we figured at least some of it was shipping trauma. We've heard some pretty ghastly stories about what happens to chicks during shipping too. I just want to be sure that if it's something we can prevent, then we can take the appropriate steps to keep them well.
Since all this happened last night, we had to use what we had on hand and dosed the sick chicks with unflavored Pedialyte electrolytes, and put a bit in the well chicks' general water.
Thanks for the warning of what to watch for. We're definitely wary about the bowel movements and watching for unusual eating, drinking, sleeping behavior.
The input is appreciated!

 

[Twitcherette]

Eggsoteric, certainly. I've uploaded a visual aid to help clarify:

(This is a night-time shot taken just a short while ago)

There are two heat lamps, and we can turn one off and/or raise or lower that lid (it goes halfway across the top) to help regulate the temperature in the box. (The lamps are red because they are old tortoise lamps.) I don't know the exact temperature in there, but we've been keeping it pretty nice in there and have been observing normal chick activity and dispersal in the box (no habitual clustering under the lights or away from the lights). It's naturally a little cooler in that room (the only one we have available that would be safe for them) so we've been careful to keep it around normal skin temperature in the box for the little peepers.
Their floor is newspaper covered with a sprinkle of pine pet bedding to help with clean-up of the pooey little girls.
Their water dish has an old (washed) beach stone in it to keep them from standing in the middle of the water or stumbling in and getting soaked. We've put a little Ideal Animal Health Vi-tal Supplement in their water; that was in their water since we first got them, before the 4 chicks got sick. We're feeding them Kruse's Perfection Poultry Feed.
We raised chicks uneventfully last year with the same set-up.
Thanks for checking to see if you can advise our problem; let me know if you need more information.