Vit. Deficiency in Chick...Questions for those who have dealt with this.

[chickensioux]

I have a 5 week old bantam cochin that started showing signs of a vit. deficiency (stumbling, etc but eating and drinking and cheeping normally). I started Vit. E, selenium, Nutri-Drench and sugar in water. This has been going on for about 4 days now. My questions are:

How long does this usually last?
How many of you have had full recoveries?
Is there anything else I can do that I haven't started?


Thanks for any and all responses.

 

[dawg53]

You might want to try giving Avian Super Pack to your chicks. Dosage is 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water for 5 days once a month.
http://www.jefferspet.com/avian-super-pack/camid/LIV/cp/AB-P1/
(dosage correction)

 

[Michael Apple]

I have a 5 week old bantam cochin that started showing signs of a vit. deficiency (stumbling, etc but eating and drinking and cheeping normally). I started Vit. E, selenium, Nutri-Drench and sugar in water. This has been going on for about 4 days now. My questions are:

How long does this usually last?
How many of you have had full recoveries?
Is there anything else I can do that I haven't started?


Thanks for any and all responses.

Might not be a vitamin/mineral deficiency. What do you feed them? What supplements or medications, if any, did you use in the water/feed from 2 day old chicks up to now?

 

[chickensioux]

Might not be a vitamin/mineral deficiency. What do you feed them? What supplements or medications, if any, did you use in the water/feed from 2 day old chicks up to now?

Well, they were on Chick starter for turkeys, quail, pheasants before I realized I had picked up the wrong feed. They were on that for the first 3 weeks. Now they are on Chick Starter/Grower for chickens. Other than that, they have had Nutri-drench added a few times in the first few weeks.
What could it be?

 

[Michael Apple]

Turkey starter has too much protein and too much calcium usually. That could present a number of problems. I've experienced that chickens don't like the taste of Poultry Nutri Drench in water. I dose it orally from the bottle. It should have an adequate supply of the vitamins needed besides B vitamins which are very important. A,D,E vitamins get stored in fat cells whereas B vitamins pass through a bird's system rapidly. This is why I prefer to supplement water with vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and probiotics. The brand I use recommends 3 days a week (Avian Super Pack). If there are protozoans or parasites depriving red blood cells composed of vitamin B. I also build chicks' immunity to Coccidiosis, 4 weeks of age at most, with Corid in the water. I've seen symptoms of Coccidiosis in chicks as early as 2 weeks over the years.

Here's a link on nutrition: http://www.poultrynews.com/New/Diseases/Merks/207000.htm

Here's a link about Coccidiosis: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1138/coccidiosis-control

Treats and table scraps may be fine in moderation for mature birds, but even then, they shouldn't be left around to form bacteria/molds that chickens could ingest and get sick.

 

[chickensioux]

I ordered Avian Super Pack and will start that when it arrives. Will change how I give Nutri-drench. This has been going on for about a week. It started slowly, got kinda bad she could barely stand, now she seems a little stronger and more stable but just a little. In other words, I would say she is improving very slowly. I only have 2 chicks, one very healthy and this one. I would hate for her to die and leave me with one lonely chick. They were hatched indoors and have never been outside.