Totally Befuddled!! chicks dying!!

[ilovechickens]

I don't know what to do, I got 14 Red Leghorns on Saturday, they were sold to me through a second buyer of hatchery chicks. Besides pasty butt, which has been on going, they are dying, yesterday morning I went down to do morning feeding, and one was dead, they seem letharagic, I went down this morning and another one was dead, both that died had clean bums, they just kind of droop around, not active, I have the temperature correct, they have plenty of fresh water twice a day and food. I clean out their waterers twice daily as their feeders. I also have 2 other brooders with chicks, one of them have 14 between 2 and 3 week old buckeyes, they are lively, chirping, eating, drinking, now pasty butts, and my other brooder has 15 Blue Ameracauna's and they are just like the Buckeye's, so I am befuddled, any suggestions!!

 

[equine chick]

Try putting some sugar water in their brooder or if you have the vitamins for chicks. Call the buyer if you can to see how the other chicks are doing. How old are they and why did he have so much pasty butt. Keep them away from your other chicks til this gets figured out. Where did he get them from? They could have caught a disease or bacteria perhaps.

 

[chickensioux]

What are you feeding them? I agree with some sugar in their water or gatorade. Offer them some yogurt. What do their poops look like? What kind of bedding are they on?

 

[ilovechickens]

He got them from Ideal, he received them on Thursday April 1st and brought them to me on Saturday April 3rd, along with the Buckeye's. The Buckeye's and the Leghorns were together in a box, and the Buckeye's are fine. I have given them sugar water, I will spike it a little more I guess. Thanks

 

[ilovechickens]

they are on pine shavings as are all the other chicks, they are fed non-medicated chick starter the same as the other chicks. There poop if it is not stuck to their butt is okay, I just went down there, and 2 more are pretty lathargic, I spiked the water a bit more with the poultry electorlites, and they are isolated from the other chicks. Their poop is a little loose, with a white cap. more watery than formed.

 

[chickensioux]

Everything sounds great as far as care so they must have come with something. So sorry you are dealing with this issue and for your losses. I suppose they could have coccidia or some other parasite but usually their poop would be more runny or green but it might be worthy of a deworming. I hope you figure this out soon.

 

[ilovechickens]

I just lost another one, again it is one that did not have pasty butt, that is 3 chicks in less than 24 hours

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Maybe double check their temperature with a different thermometer, in case the temperature is off. I know recently, someone posted that one thermometer read in the 80s and another one read 100 degrees. What temperature are you keeping them at? Other than that, it sounds like you have a good set up.

It can't be because of a batch of bad food or all your chicks should be effected. You've got them on pine shavings already? Did you start them on shavings right away or did you have them on paper towels for a few days? Could some of them have over eaten some of the shavings? How are their crops looking? That would be a lot of chicks to have that problem, though. Usually I think it's only a small percentage that might do that.

Were all of the chicks eating and drinking when you got them? Are the sick ones eating and drinking, now? Do you see them eat and drink? If not, you may need to nurse them, to make sure they are not wasting away. For chicks too weak to eat and drink, I use an eye dropper to put drops of sugar water on their beaks. I only do this if they aren't eating and drinking on their own.

Also, are you using a standard dosage of electrolytes? Maybe double check the dosage. One year a woman mixed the solution too strong and her chicks died from that. I don't normally use electrolytes, unless I'm treating diarreah, heat stress or dehydration. I do use sugar water if necessary to revive chicks that are weak from shipping, but after they are eating and drinking on their own, I go to plain water for chicks.

Have you called the person you got them from, yet? I would definitely call them. Is there any way this might be cocci, even without bloody poop? If so, there are meds for that. I don't know what else it could be. I've never had a problem with hatchery chicks having disease, but I've never gotten them from a 3rd party, either. I don't know what they could have been exposed to in those couple of days. Unlike basic care, I don't have personal experience with diseases. I hope you get more help from other people.