Update on sick chicks: what else can I do ?

[BrahmasMama02]

This has been a rollercoaster ride! Yeah, I don't know what I've been dealing with. My fiancé and I have had stomach issues the past few days. Don't know if we're worn out by these chicks or what?! Right now, we are at a standstill. Peanut passed away this morning after a long fight. We have one little who's on her way to chicken heaven...I don't know how much loss I can take.

The brooder temps are where they should be^ The light is raised a pretty good ways off of the brooder. Which yes, is a big tote. We are in the works of constructing a big brooder made of moving boxes so that when all of our chicks are bigger, and they aren't dropping dead anymore I'm going to mix them. We are planning on making it pretty big. Will take up a at least 1/6 of our large spare bedroom.

I have come to the conclusion that the chicks aren't overheating. I truly believe that it's something else. I know that overheating is the most likely cause of this mayhem, but because of what I've documented over the past week.... in no way shape or form does it align with the ailment of these chicks.

Here is how it has gone: 11-day old chicks: (mix in the now occasional pasty butt...I finally stopped dealing with this after one yesterday yay).

1) Chick starts sticking by its lonesome away from other chicks who are climbing/ running around with food in their beaks/ chirping happily etc....wings droopy, eyes slightly shut. I give them a few drops out of a syringe with diluted sugar water/ egg yolk or Nutri drench (more severe sick chicks because I've had them on Corid).

2) Chick perks up starts eating and drinking on its own but still wobbly. Then 30 minutes later it returns back under the light where it continues to sit wings droopy, eyes slightly shut.

3) chick starts having runny stools (Looks more like SPRAYING) And continues to be uneasy on the feet and lays down a lot.

4) Loud chirping and then death

This cycle has been having 1-2 chicks at a time. Because small chicks grow so quickly, I have noticed that the smaller chicks (of the same breed) have been the ones to exhibit these behaviors. One by one...from smallest to smaller to small to small-ish. This specific thing has wiped out 10 chicks now. (I've lost thirteen including ones I lost in the first couple of days / which I know is more common).

I have one chick I've been keeping an eye on who still shows that they are eating and drinking on their own..but their responsive time is very delayed and its quite small compared to the other chick of its kind in their brooder. (brahma chick).

Out of the 26 chicks I bought the first two go arounds I thought I'd lose roughly 3 chicks (a little over 10%) Out of those I've lost 10 chicks (38%). On my third go around we bought 9 more to be safe and we've lost two and are about to lose another (33%). Out of all the chicks that we have purchased we have lost/ or about to (37%) That's a 37% mortality rate... A rate I've never seen out of all the chicks that I've reared up for my mom.

So yeah, thank you for taking the time to read my "rant". I wish things were going differently. If any of the 1-4 symptoms sound familiar to you...do not hesitate to reply with an idea of what it could be. I've inspected my brooder and I do not believe that they are getting poisoned by plastic gasses, I do not believe they are too hot.

I've had a lot of success with chicks from Rural King before but maybe it's just too dang cold in Iowa for these chicks to be shipped over here (Virginia). I've never gotten chicks this time of the year. Everything I see appears more like a sickness than a sudden thing. I had 5 chicks get sick at once and then two and so on...

 

[rosemarythyme]

maybe it's just too dang cold in Iowa for these chicks to be shipped over here (Virginia). I've never gotten chicks this time of the year.

I really think this is the main culprit. I know you wanted enough chicks to split between you and your mom I think? But I'd really suggest not getting more until the weather warms up, just to make it more likely that chicks get through the shipping process with minimal stress.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

It's your call but I would really just stop acquiring chicks right now if this was happening to me. I'd start all over again in a few weeks. I'd get water tested to rule out issues, build a brooder I could feel confident about, without question, get chicks from somewhere else. I am not exaggerating, I've never had even one chick death and I've seen only one mild pasty butt, This is 20years of getting 5 chicks every spring, not as many as you but still I don't think chick death should be this common. I get them in super cold months even though I agree with rosemarythyme, it's so much better to wait, but I'm incredibly impatient. I would indeed wait however, if I experienced all that you're experiencing. When you truly don't know what's causing the problem, you should consider changing up every single thing..... Objective is turn this from a bad experience to a good one!

 

[BrahmasMama02]

It's your call but I would really just stop acquiring chicks right now if this was happening to me. I'd start all over again in a few weeks. I'd get water tested to rule out issues, build a brooder I could feel confident about, without question, get chicks from somewhere else. I am not exaggerating, I've never had even one chick death and I've seen only one mild pasty butt, This is 20years of getting 5 chicks every spring, not as many as you but still I don't think chick death should be this common. I get them in super cold months even though I agree with rosemarythyme, it's so much better to wait, but I'm incredibly impatient. I would indeed wait however, if I experienced all that you're experiencing. When you truly don't know what's causing the problem, you should consider changing up every single thing..... Objective is turn this from a bad experience to a good one!

We are Definetly done getting chicks this year . I decided to contact corporate rural king. And they’ve also been on filtered water for the past week ^ water out of bottles and jugs . We haven’t been using well-water and still get issues. Food has been purina medicated start - grow . Ive never seen mortality rates like this either … thats why im baffled.

 

[BrahmasMama02]

It's your call but I would really just stop acquiring chicks right now if this was happening to me. I'd start all over again in a few weeks. I'd get water tested to rule out issues, build a brooder I could feel confident about, without question, get chicks from somewhere else. I am not exaggerating, I've never had even one chick death and I've seen only one mild pasty butt, This is 20years of getting 5 chicks every spring, not as many as you but still I don't think chick death should be this common. I get them in super cold months even though I agree with rosemarythyme, it's so much better to wait, but I'm incredibly impatient. I would indeed wait however, if I experienced all that you're experiencing. When you truly don't know what's causing the problem, you should consider changing up every single thing..... Objective is turn this from a bad experience to a good one!

And I also have to add that even though this is the first time I’ve had chicks at my house- I’ve raised up dozens for my mom growing up and havent seen this - only thing that it reminds me of is when her chicks got Coccidia once .

 

[The Welch Chickens]

@Lizparrish311, this sounds like a truly awful experience. I'm so sorry

 

[BrahmasMama02]

@Lizparrish311, this sounds like a truly awful experience. I'm so sorry

I appreciate the support it’s been terrible . I’m so exhausted

 

[SandyRiverChick]

And I also have to add that even though this is the first time I’ve had chicks at my house- I’ve raised up dozens for my mom growing up and havent seen this - only thing that it reminds me of is when her chicks got Coccidia once .

Good to know that you for sure know how to do this successfully. In trying to determine root cause, the things that haven't changed are: time of year, Hoover's is source/ Rural King is re seller, location of brooder in your house, brooder type, feed. Coccidiosis as people say is rare at this age but I don't think it can be ruled out. It may wind up that root cause is as Rosemarythyme said - time of year and Hoover's shipping/Rural King receiving process. It can be something like a new employee at Rural King throws them all in a ^100 degree stock tank and the stress of shipping plus trampling and heat is just to much for a day old chick. Then you pick up a stressed out chick and it gets more stress via transferring to your house.

 

[BrahmasMama02]

Good to know that you for sure know how to do this successfully. In trying to determine root cause, the things that haven't changed are: time of year, Hoover's is source/ Rural King is re seller, location of brooder in your house, brooder type, feed. Coccidiosis as people say is rare at this age but I don't think it can be ruled out. It may wind up that root cause is as Rosemarythyme said - time of year and Hoover's shipping/Rural King receiving process. It can be something like a new employee at Rural King throws them all in a ^100 degree stock tank and the stress of shipping plus trampling and heat is just to much for a day old chick. Then you pick up a stressed out chick and it gets more stress via transferring to your house.

I had actually changed the feed when I started dosing them corid . I was using country road which on the bad said (should be only source of Amprolium ) and was thinking about switching to un-medicated with corid but read that people didn’t have trouble dosing with corid and using purina medicated starter . Which I’ve been watching them for signs of thallium deficiency but haven’t seen signs of THAT. And yeah maybe it’s the room ?

The brooder tho - I’m actually kind of excited to see what I can make with the moving boxes… but question is .. how do I keep the bottom from getting completely damaged / clean it ?

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I started out a long time ago with cardboard and then realized that all of the time I put into modiying it, I could have just put into a wooden box, with hardware cloth top and sides for better ventilation. At a minimum, you could put OSB in the floor of the box.