- Jun 2, 2008
- 33
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We have ordered many chicks over the last several years...now either I am just the most black thumbed person when it comes to raising chicks...or something is wrong here.
THIS time...we ordered from Ideal. Chicks were shipped on 2/17 and we got them 2/19. There were 62 red broilers and 18 golden sex links. Within a few hours 5 were dead...I mean just flopped over and died. I immediately called Ideal and she said to give them 24 hours and call them back. So I did...we lost 2-3 more in that time frame. I called them the following Monday and they were supposed to issue a credit. It hasn't happened yet.
Everyone has seemed healthy and happy...except I noticed that some were much more scrawny looking than others. Where some were feathering out and growing...some still looked like they were only one week old.
Several days ago, I noted that a few birds looked "wobbly" is about the best way I can think to describe it. They don't want to walk, are off balance and will put one wing down to correct their posture, lay to one side when lying down, look sleepy all the time, and don't seem to want to eat or drink when in with the healthy birds (try to stay out of everyone's way and don't fight to eat or drink like the healthy ones). I pulled all gimpy looking birds out that seemed to be having balance issues and have put them in their own box with their own food and water (to which I added apple cider vinegar, colloidal silver, & have been giving them 2 drops of Elderberry Syrup for viruses twice a day). I am feeding the sickly looking ones some regular feed and scrambled eggs daily. Their appetites are still vigorous and they are drinking but still off balance and some "crawl" to the food and water but mostly stay laying down. The smallest and sickest that I first noted looks more lively although he/she is still "limpy" at least he will move now and walk around.
I scan the brooder daily and see if anyone looks like their butt is wobbling and if they are, I pull them out and put them with the sick group.
I can't think that this is anything that I have caused. To me...it sounds like AE. I can't seem to find any other viruses/diseases that even remotely sound like what I am seeing here.
My problem is we have lost every chick that we have bought in the last year and a half. It seems that if I buy them grown, they make it. If I try to raise chicks, they always catch something and die. I don't understand it. The first batch we had died due to Marek's. We have never figured out why we lost the rest but in retrospect, I think that the Marek's got into the untreated wood of the brooder and infected every flock that we've bought and tried to raise since then. These chicks were put into a brand new brooder and seemed to be doing really well (one or two smothered but other than that...fine) until now.
THIS time...we ordered from Ideal. Chicks were shipped on 2/17 and we got them 2/19. There were 62 red broilers and 18 golden sex links. Within a few hours 5 were dead...I mean just flopped over and died. I immediately called Ideal and she said to give them 24 hours and call them back. So I did...we lost 2-3 more in that time frame. I called them the following Monday and they were supposed to issue a credit. It hasn't happened yet.
Everyone has seemed healthy and happy...except I noticed that some were much more scrawny looking than others. Where some were feathering out and growing...some still looked like they were only one week old.
Several days ago, I noted that a few birds looked "wobbly" is about the best way I can think to describe it. They don't want to walk, are off balance and will put one wing down to correct their posture, lay to one side when lying down, look sleepy all the time, and don't seem to want to eat or drink when in with the healthy birds (try to stay out of everyone's way and don't fight to eat or drink like the healthy ones). I pulled all gimpy looking birds out that seemed to be having balance issues and have put them in their own box with their own food and water (to which I added apple cider vinegar, colloidal silver, & have been giving them 2 drops of Elderberry Syrup for viruses twice a day). I am feeding the sickly looking ones some regular feed and scrambled eggs daily. Their appetites are still vigorous and they are drinking but still off balance and some "crawl" to the food and water but mostly stay laying down. The smallest and sickest that I first noted looks more lively although he/she is still "limpy" at least he will move now and walk around.
I scan the brooder daily and see if anyone looks like their butt is wobbling and if they are, I pull them out and put them with the sick group.
I can't think that this is anything that I have caused. To me...it sounds like AE. I can't seem to find any other viruses/diseases that even remotely sound like what I am seeing here.
My problem is we have lost every chick that we have bought in the last year and a half. It seems that if I buy them grown, they make it. If I try to raise chicks, they always catch something and die. I don't understand it. The first batch we had died due to Marek's. We have never figured out why we lost the rest but in retrospect, I think that the Marek's got into the untreated wood of the brooder and infected every flock that we've bought and tried to raise since then. These chicks were put into a brand new brooder and seemed to be doing really well (one or two smothered but other than that...fine) until now.
