chicksinthailand
Chirping
- Aug 26, 2021
- 21
- 52
- 54
I have a mixed flock of Sikie, Polish, and Japanese Bantams.
I started out letting the hens raise their chicks outside, and lost about 90%. I had some that made it to 2-3 months, got sick, and started dying. I had those examined postmortem, and they came back with IBV and Avian Leucosis.
Then I changed to incubating inside, and brooding inside to 6 weeks, then moving to a separate pen in a completely new area outside. The most recent batch indoors was 13 chicks. I lost about 3 in the first 6 weeks indoors, and then over the next 6 weeks outdoors I lost 5 more- 3 to a mystery illness, 2 to wet pox. Another that made it past 3 months just died yesterday, leaving me with 4 from that batch.
Excluding the two that died of wet pox, all were fine in the evening, were found lethargic in in the morning in their brooder box, had yellowish diarrhea with green solid bits (they are raised on grass outside), and died within 24 hours from onset of symptoms.
I feed non medicated starter supplemented with garlic, neem, and moringa. I alternate between plain water, vitamin supplemented water and aloe/thyme infused water. I give probiotics a couple times in the first 6 weeks. The feed is fresh. The brooder is kept clean and sterilized between batches. I give amprolium and withhold vitamins after they have spent a couple days outside for cocci, (I lost chicks to that in the past, so I know they are being exposed). I have tried treating the sick ones with sulfamet, tylosin, neomycin, and oil of oregano, (each individually on different birds) with no success. I have kept all these far away from my adult birds and the area where the chicks that had IBV and leucosis were.
I thought quarantine measures and combining natural and medical treatments would reduce my mortality rates, but they haven't shifted at all. Now I'm wondering if what I have is vertical transmission of one or both of those diseases in the eggs. My hens have had no acute illness lately, but some sicknesses have circulated in my flock with a few fatalities among adult birds. I don't know if these diseases can be transmitted through the egg while the hen appears to be healthy.
I'm open to suggestions for trying to reduce mortalities, I'm really not sure of what else I can be doing. Or if it is a matter of vertical transmission then I may have to stop hatching out chicks from my hens. Any ideas are appreciated!
I started out letting the hens raise their chicks outside, and lost about 90%. I had some that made it to 2-3 months, got sick, and started dying. I had those examined postmortem, and they came back with IBV and Avian Leucosis.
Then I changed to incubating inside, and brooding inside to 6 weeks, then moving to a separate pen in a completely new area outside. The most recent batch indoors was 13 chicks. I lost about 3 in the first 6 weeks indoors, and then over the next 6 weeks outdoors I lost 5 more- 3 to a mystery illness, 2 to wet pox. Another that made it past 3 months just died yesterday, leaving me with 4 from that batch.
Excluding the two that died of wet pox, all were fine in the evening, were found lethargic in in the morning in their brooder box, had yellowish diarrhea with green solid bits (they are raised on grass outside), and died within 24 hours from onset of symptoms.
I feed non medicated starter supplemented with garlic, neem, and moringa. I alternate between plain water, vitamin supplemented water and aloe/thyme infused water. I give probiotics a couple times in the first 6 weeks. The feed is fresh. The brooder is kept clean and sterilized between batches. I give amprolium and withhold vitamins after they have spent a couple days outside for cocci, (I lost chicks to that in the past, so I know they are being exposed). I have tried treating the sick ones with sulfamet, tylosin, neomycin, and oil of oregano, (each individually on different birds) with no success. I have kept all these far away from my adult birds and the area where the chicks that had IBV and leucosis were.
I thought quarantine measures and combining natural and medical treatments would reduce my mortality rates, but they haven't shifted at all. Now I'm wondering if what I have is vertical transmission of one or both of those diseases in the eggs. My hens have had no acute illness lately, but some sicknesses have circulated in my flock with a few fatalities among adult birds. I don't know if these diseases can be transmitted through the egg while the hen appears to be healthy.
I'm open to suggestions for trying to reduce mortalities, I'm really not sure of what else I can be doing. Or if it is a matter of vertical transmission then I may have to stop hatching out chicks from my hens. Any ideas are appreciated!
