Whats Killing Them???? HELP!

[Wolftalk]

I am house sitting (again) for people with chickens and one day we came over and found 4 cold chicks outside the coop with a hen. The people didnt have any chick starter and i was afriad that if i put them in the big coop they would get killed. so i took them home. and i set them up in a box with food water and light. they all seemed fine but one died the second day.... it was weak and couldnt stand up. i gave it water and did everything i could for the little guy, but he stil died. WHY???? and today i came home from school and 2 more were dead. and had been showing the same symptoms. so now i have 1 lonely chick. WHY DID THEY DIE???????? im clueless! i have no idea what killed 3 out of 4 chicks! and now what do with the 1 lonely one? and why did none of my other 3 previously rescued (2 months ago) chicks survive and not these guys???

any advice/commensts are greatly appriciated

 

[wbruder17]

What were the symptoms, other than lethargic? Are you sure they were eatiing? Runny noses, eyes? Pasty butts? How active were they when you took them home? I've never had a chicken chick just die for no reason, and I've raised lots and hatched lots, but I've heard it happens.

Tho I did have a full grown quail chick die before hatching....anyway, off topic...

 

[Wolftalk]

im pretty sure that they ate something... and they were less than 3 days old becuase they had thier little pip things on thier beaks, so they could have still survuved off thier yolk for at least another day. and the first one that died wouldnt open its eyes and kept flipping over and flailing and flapping its little wings. i just cant figure out what it was that did this to me! its so sad! oh and they could all stand up and peep when i took them home. all except the one that survived had just hatched and kept tipping over.

 

[Henwillbehens@]

what exactly did you feed them?

 

[Wolftalk]

Just regular chick starter from Tractor Supply. My other 2 month old chicks have eaten it for a month and had no reaction at all.

 

[wbruder17]

It wouldn't have been the food from the store....but maybbe somethiing they ate before you took them home. There was certainly something wrong, disease or something, that would cause it to flip over and flap around like that.

 

[Wolftalk]

which is funny becuase the one im holding now is FINE!

and yet 3 of them died!

who knows! thanks for your help!

 

[TrystInn]

I don't think its your fault, at all. They likely picked up one of several naturally occurring bacterias like Cocci in the soil since they weren't receiving Starter at the beginning.