sultans... did I just get weak stock?

[bkreugar]

This year I had wanted a few more exotic breeds so from my local feed and seed store (he gets MANY different breeds over the summer)
I special ordered sultans,houdans and splash cochins.

I have had them for 2 weeks and started with 6 but am left with one of the sultans. Right from the start they struck me as weak stock. One was spraddle legged and one lethargic. I put special attention into them when they looked sick, but still left with just ONE from 6.

Went back today to the feed store to get black frizzles that he had (not special ordered for me) and he asked about my special ordered chicks. When I told him about the death rate and my weak stock thought he looked perplexed. He even gave me 2 extra frizzles which I sure didn't expect.

I knew Cackle had them but he said they came from ideal, he said it was POSSIBLE they came from cackle and ideal just got them from Cackle. Told him I sure didn't hold him responsible but would NEVER reccomend the breed.

I also lost one houdan and 2 of the cochins so it is POSSIBLE that there was an illness of some sort. But they were fed medicated feed and once thye looked off I gave them extra electrolytes and care.

I also finally got my BCW polish and although was TOLD they are delicate, they are thriving and I lost NONE of those and they were in the brooder at the same time. SO I come away with weak/closely bred stock.

ANy thoughts and has anyone HAD luck with sultans? I sure don't see them mentioned here much!

 

[tinychicky]

i know sultans are seceptible to all sorts of things that most breeds aren't, so it could be a disease only the strongest of your chicks survuved

i'm sorry you lost so many babies

 

[bkreugar]

Thank you I had not heard that. I HAD heard that about the polish, but can;t say I have experienced it, as of yet. I appreciate the thought.

 

[tinychicky]

a lot of more rare breeds are like that.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

I've heard others say that Sultans have an impune-system problem and are weaker when it comes to fighting off illness and the first stages of life. Out of the two I've owned, my girlie caught some sort of minor cold as a young pullet. None of her non-Sultan 'family' caught anything. But it was nothing huge, nothing a little VetRX couldn't fix. She's alive and well in my backyard right now, and has been since.

A male from another hatchery, my first Sultan, caught an upper Respiratory illness at a year and a half old. Due to housing issues, we were unable to remove (isolate) him for over 2 WEEKS, so he had absoulte contact with the rest of the flock (ate the same feed, drank from the same waterer, breathed the same air, slept in the came small coop). No one else suppressed so much as a sneeze.

I've always considered it more 'rotton luck' than a general breed thing for myself. Ironically, my Sults coped in varying temperatures. They don't seem to have a weather-hardy issue...

Others who have owned them say that they don't notice any difference between Sults and other birds...Go figure?