Sudden Pullet Death

[angelb]

Hi there. I'm new at keeping chickens and my group of 4 week old pullets has been doing great up until today. I have a mixed flock of various layers and we came home to find the White Rock dead. She had been fine the night before as we check them all over carefully every day. There have not been any changes to their feed or environment and we were just getting ready to build their coop this weekend so they could start spending time outside. Right now they're living in a mesh pen built in the corner of our garage that has about 2.5 sq. feet per chick. Are they still very delicate and vulnerable at this age? They are starting to look pretty sturdy and more like hens than chicks so I was feeling confident that we were on the right track with raising them well. Any idea what could have been the problem? They're on medicated feed and had their Marek's vaccination when I got them from Meyer Hatchery. Please help! I've already grown very attached to these girls and will be devastated if we start losing more.

 

[CarriBrown]

First, welcome to the forum!
I'm sorry to hear about your girl. Sometimes they just die for (what appears to be) no reason. With her being that young, it sounds like it was some sort of genetic defect. I know what it's like to come out and find one of my girls gone... I'm afraid that more will die. That's usually not the case, though.
I'd keep an eye on the flock's behavior and note any changes.
If you do see changes or find another dead bird, I would call the state vet and see if you can have a necropsy done. In my sig line, there is a link to my page with information on finding your state vet.
Good luck.

 

[angelb]

Thank you very much for the reply. You helped me to feel a bit better. I will continue keeping a close eye on them. Although I'm new to chickens, I've had pet parrots for years so I have an idea of what to look for in birds that are sick.

Once I know they're alright, I'll probably be looking for 1 more pullet to add to my flock since our city only allows us to keep 12 and I want to have the maximum. Is it risky adding a bird in from another flock? I wouldn't want to bring in one that is going to make the others sick.

 

[CarriBrown]

If you do bring another bird in, it's very important to quarantine for 30 days, more if possible. If I were you, I wouldn't bring another bird in. At least wait to make sure you don't have problems within the flock you already have. You may see some of us talking about a "closed" flock and that's what we're talking about.

 

[purpletree23]

If you have parrots than you know that by the time a bird shows signs that it is sick it's almost too late. Keep a good watch on their appetites, amount of water they drink and the consistency of their poops. What are you feeding them? Medicated or non medicated feed. Any treats? Do they have chicken grit available and how warm is the area they are living in.

Make sure their eyes are clear and they don't have any discharge from their noses. Were they vaccinated at the factory?

We'll start there.

 

[purpletree23]

Sorry....you already answered some of my questions. Are the chicks walking on a wire floor or is it a solid floor. Is it concrete? What kind of bedding are you using. Still using a heat lamp?

 

[threehorses]

I wanted to ask some questions, too.

First, I'd recommend that you pick all the babies up and really give each one of them a very close exam. Check their weight - feel who's light and thin, who's a good weight. Check their down for any evidence of mites or lice - they're nearly microscopic so check carefully.

Then can you tell us what the babies are eating exactly? ("chick starter-grower medicated with amprolium" for example). At four weeks, they should only get play sand (a small bit) offered as grit, or "chick grit". They're really too young for most treats that aren't easily dissolved - like a little yogurt, some a tiny bit of cooked oatmeal. But 98% of the rest of their food should be good fresh smelling chick starter or starter grower with amprolium (not BMD) medication.

At four weeks, they should be around 80 degrees in the brooder at the coolest. And watch the warmth.

Are you using any vitamins/electrolytes in the water? It's not necessary with good complete food (age appropriate) but if you are, you certainly don't want to over do it - could this be a possibility?

I'd also pick the rest of them up and listen carefully to their breathing ... "Feel" their breathing. You can often feel and hear respiratory snicks and hiccups and wheezes through your hand. Don't mistake them for the happy little silent peep that babies will do when you pick them up.

Even big babies.

If you can help us with some of these questions, we'll be able to better provide more accurate answers.

 

[angelb]

Hi everyone. Glad to see some more responses. Here are my answers:

If you do bring another bird in, it's very important to quarantine for 30 days, more if possible. If I were you, I wouldn't bring another bird in. At least wait to make sure you don't have problems within the flock you already have. You may see some of us talking about a "closed" flock and that's what we're talking about.--Thanks for the advice. I will wait a few weeks to make sure the others are alright. We will have our coop built soon, so once the babies are ready to move out there maybe I can disinfect their chick enclosure and then bring in 2 new ones (wouldn't want them to get lonely!) that can stay in the chick enclosure during quarantine. I know of someone local who has some laying pullets that are around the same age so I think once the quarantine is over, they should hopefully integrate well.

If you have parrots than you know that by the time a bird shows signs that it is sick it's almost too late. Keep a good watch on their appetites, amount of water they drink and the consistency of their poops. --Yes! All too true.

What are you feeding them? Medicated or non medicated feed. Any treats? Do they have chicken grit available and how warm is the area they are living in.--I'm feeding them medicated feed that I got from Meyer Hatchery. As a treat, I occationally toss in a couple bits of raw veggies such as broccoli or romaine lettuce. I just started the treats recently. I have chick grit available to them that I got from tractor supply. The bag says it crushed granite. The pieces are bigger than sand but since it was specifically for chicks hopefully it's ok. The temp in their area is right around 80 degrees with the 250 watt red heat bulb I have suspended over their enclosure. I think the temp is probably good since they don't seem to be clustering right underneath it or hiding away from it.

Make sure their eyes are clear and they don't have any discharge from their noses. Were they vaccinated at the factory?--Yes, I checked all of them for that last night. They were vaccinated at the hatchery before being shipped out.

Are the chicks walking on a wire floor or is it a solid floor. Is it concrete? What kind of bedding are you using. Still using a heat lamp?--I have about 3-4" deep of pine shavings in their enclosure. About 2 weeks ago I took some of it out and mixed some fresh stuff in to keep it sanitary. There's enough there that it always stays dry. Underneath the bedding is a concrete slab. I'm still using the heat lamp but I might switch to only using it at night soon as temps around here are about 75-85 during the day and they're in a nice non-drafy corner of the garage.

First, I'd recommend that you pick all the babies up and really give each one of them a very close exam. Check their weight - feel who's light and thin, who's a good weight. Check their down for any evidence of mites or lice - they're nearly microscopic so check carefully.--I'll have a good look for lice when I get home today. Weight-wise, there's a lot of varience since the different breeds seem to be progressing at different speeds but I checked to see if I could feel their keel bone easily (an indicator on parrots at least) and none of them seemed especially thin or too pudgy.

Then can you tell us what the babies are eating exactly? ("chick starter-grower medicated with amprolium" for example). At four weeks, they should only get play sand (a small bit) offered as grit, or "chick grit". They're really too young for most treats that aren't easily dissolved - like a little yogurt, some a tiny bit of cooked oatmeal. But 98% of the rest of their food should be good fresh smelling chick starter or starter grower with amprolium (not BMD) medication.--This is the stuff: http://www.meyerhatchery.com/get_item_10pcs_10-pound-chick-starter-feed-shipping-included.htm I know it's medicated but I don't know with what. I'll check that when I get home. As I mentioned, I'm using chick grit and giving some veggies as treats here and there. Maybe I'll back off on the veggies for a bit though per your recommendation.

At four weeks, they should be around 80 degrees in the brooder at the coolest. And watch the warmth. --luckily the outside temps here haven't been getting over 80 so I think we're good in that dept. I have a 250 watt heat lamp that I heave suspended over their enclosure. A few weeks ago when it was warmer, I had it on a timer to shut off the heat lamp during the hottest hours of the day.

Are you using any vitamins/electrolytes in the water? It's not necessary with good complete food (age appropriate) but if you are, you certainly don't want to over do it - could this be a possibility?
--Nope, no vitamins or electrolytes. I change their water daily but they do sure get it gross quickly! I was using a chick waterer before but we just put in the DIY waterer that I found on this site made from a 5 gallon bucket. The bucket and pan were brand new and I washed them out with dish soap and rinsed well.

I'd also pick the rest of them up and listen carefully to their breathing ... "Feel" their breathing. You can often feel and hear respiratory snicks and hiccups and wheezes through your hand. Don't mistake them for the happy little silent peep that babies will do when you pick them up. Even big babies. --I'll make sure to keep an eye on that. I'm fairly sure that they're all good (even the one the died seemed fine) as I usually pick a couple to hold for a bit every day, trying to get them used to humans. My cochin chick (I got her for a pet, rather than for laying) will even fall asleep in my arms...so sweet!

 

[threehorses]

Well everything sounds fine, doesn't it? Perplexing! It might have been a one-off incident.

And I'm glad that you're experienced with parrots. That will really help. I find that the chickens will be more V shaped in their keel area that our birds are. (We have 'toos, greys, and an eclectus here - yay for the 'inside chickens'!) But definitely shouldn't feel too light or Y shaped.

And yeah - they really do develop differently, the different varieties. But I think you should easily be able to tell what feels right for each one knowing what they'll turn out to be.

By the way, I hear that Oxine is a wonderful disinfectant. What's nice about it is that you could technically dilute it and use in their wate r- it's that safe. Of course I wouldn't recommend going that far as it's an antibacterial and of course their digestive tracts NEED the good bacteria. But the safety is nice. But for germs, it's quite deadly. It's even used to nebulize. So definitely any lingering fumes after disinfection aren't going to be harmful. I need to buy some myself. Someone I've known of for years loves it for her birds.

So no other birds showing symptoms, right?

 

[angelb]

Hi all! I figured it was time for a quick update. So far, so good. Everyone else is still looking and acting healthy. The little buggers are becoming quite proficient flyers and escaping easily from their 4 foot tall pen and have taken to free ranging in the garage! Luckily, the garage should be safe as it doesn't seem to have anything dangerous they could get to such as oil spills, chemicals, etc. I can't wait to get the coop and yard finished so we can keep them contained a little better.