Weak Poults

[Stacykins]

Go figure that three poults I got from a Porter's assortment are three I definitely want to keep are probably going to die.

The poults arrived on Friday. I dipped beaks, taught them how to eat, and observed them drinking. Most look great! Except for three, a self buff, a regal red, and a bourbon red. I already lost on self buff. They're standing with heads hanging, wings dropping. They fall over when other poults knock into them, then just lay there. Heat doesn't seem to be an issue, as the others are active, moving through the brooder and not clustering.

I gave them some sugar water, an attempt to give them a boost. It didn't do much for the lethargy. They hardly wanted to open their eyes for me. They didn't feel cold to me, at least.

I am about to go feed them some egg yolk. But I'm not convinced that is truly going to help as much as I want it to. It is almost like failure to thrive.

What would you do?

 

[iwiw60]

What kind of brooder setup do you have? You say temp isn't the problem....what temperature does your thermometer read?

 

[Stacykins]

94 degrees Fahrenheit. All the other poults are acting normal, you know, well dispersed through the brooder. No huddling like they are cold, or far away from the heat source/panting.

The bourbon red is now dead.

 

[iwiw60]

94 degrees Fahrenheit. All the other poults are acting normal, you know, well dispersed through the brooder. No huddling like they are cold, or far away from the heat source/panting.

The bourbon red is now dead.

So very sorry for the loss of your bourbon red chick...

Can I ask...how "large" is your brooder, and what type of material is the brooder made of?

 

[Stacykins]

4' x 2', plastic, well ventilated. Bleached between uses. Current bedding is paper towels (not slick) to prevent shaving ingestion while they get the hang of eating, changed daily.

When they grow a bit, they'll be moved to an 8 x 8 stall (with heat lamps, of course) But right now, they're staying put, since I don't think it would be good for them to go out, yet.

 

[iwiw60]

4' x 2', plastic, well ventilated. Bleached between uses. Current bedding is paper towels (not slick) to prevent shaving ingestion while they get the hang of eating, changed daily.

When they grow a bit, they'll be moved to an 8 x 8 stall (with heat lamps, of course) But right now, they're staying put, since I don't think it would be good for them to go out, yet.

I can see a potential problem right off the git-go. Please(!) do not use bleach on the interior of your brooder box!!! Bleach emits fumes of sorts and that could very well be what's contributing to your chick deaths...just thinking here, of course. You can use, as most of us do, white vinegar mixed with citrus for cleaning. I forgot to ask also....how old are they right now?

 

[Stacykins]

I can see a potential problem right off the git-go. Please(!) do not use bleach on the interior of your brooder box!!! Bleach emits fumes of sorts and that could very well be what's contributing to your chick deaths...just thinking here, of course. You can use, as most of us do, white vinegar mixed with citrus for cleaning. I forgot to ask also....how old are they right now?

Except it was bleached about a month ago, not yesterday, plenty of time to air out. Considering most people use weak solutions of bleach to clean incubators and the like, it is not a problem.

They are five days old. They were shipped poults from Porter's.