What's wrong with feed store/hatchery chicks this year?

[minamisfit]

I've never in my almost 10 years of raising chickens had so many baby chicks die. The ones I've hatched are doing great. But I've had 4 of the same breeds from two different feed stores die despite my efforts to save them. 2 buff brahmas from Rural King and 2 Buff Orpingtons from tractor Supply. Is it just my luck this year?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What symptoms are you seeing?
What treatment(s) did you administer?

Shipping stress can be hard on chicks. Some chicks fail to thrive or are not able to survive the stress.

 

[minamisfit]

They did great the first couple days, then I noticed sudden onset of fatigued. I administered probiotic/electrolytes and when I noticed them not eating tried the raw egg yolk. They all get magic chick water when I first bring them home and also medicated chick feed. They just don't make it. None of them even had pasty butt.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

They did great the first couple days, then I noticed sudden onset of fatigued. I administered probiotic/electrolytes and when I noticed them not eating tried the raw egg yolk. They all get magic chick water when I first bring them home and also medicated chick feed. They just don't make it. None of them even had pasty butt.

There does seem to be a lot dead peeps. Is it because of more people getting into chickens? Weather fluctuations, possible shipping delays? This is the first year we went directly to a breeder and our peeps are thriving and are ready to be moved to the coop, with heat and low draft protection of course. We are getting more the middle of March from the same hatchery. we are also receiving a doz Lavender Orpington eggs from a local neighbor this Monday. Maybe we dodged a bullet by not ordering from our usual interstate supplier.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

They did great the first couple days, then I noticed sudden onset of fatigued. I administered probiotic/electrolytes and when I noticed them not eating tried the raw egg yolk. They all get magic chick water when I first bring them home and also medicated chick feed. They just don't make it. None of them even had pasty butt.

I don't know then.
All you can do is what you normally do. Try offering wet feed or grinding feed up smaller.
It's possible shipping stress or rough handling are part of the problem.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that you have lost some. How are they being kept, and what type of waterers are they using? Weather in February is usually very cold for shipping chicks, especially if they are in the mail more than a day. I have noted in past years, that many chicks have feeders filled with pine shavings and nipple waterers in some feed stores I have visited. They don’t seem to keep things cleaned out. Bantam chicks cannot reach some of the nipples. You see chicks with pasty butt, and no one seems to care if you point that out. I usually try to get chicks in milder weather months, and try to get there the day they arrive. The stores that keep the chicks away from people handling them are preferred as well.

 

[Rurumo]

I don't like having chicks shipped in February, and this year we've had two bitter cold spells in Feb, depending on the part of the country you are in, and maybe these chicks passed through one of them. Big feed stores tend not to take great care of their chicks either, but the small family owned ones seem to do a much better job, with some going out of their way to make sure every chick they receive has a chance. March/April will be a better bet.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I'm in the Midwest and we just had yet another bad snow storm roll through causing all kinds of shipping delays in the surrounding states as well along with extra cold weather (temperatures going from 50 one day down to 6 degrees the next). My guess is the chicks shipments are being caught in these storms where they are delayed and dealing with extreme temperature changes.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

They did great the first couple days, then I noticed sudden onset of fatigued. I administered probiotic/electrolytes and when I noticed them not eating tried the raw egg yolk. They all get magic chick water when I first bring them home and also medicated chick feed. They just don't make it. None of them even had pasty butt.

Sounds like shipping stress coupled with failure to connect with food.

Poultry nutri drench.. direct dosed to the beak works more miracles than those probiotic/electrolyte mixes.. in MY experience;.

Sorry for your loss.

Glad your home hatched ones are thriving!

 

[PattyNH]

I'm so sorry for your losses!! I'm in NH and I just had two batches of chicks delivered from two different hatcheries - one Thursday during a snow storm, and one Friday during single digit temps. I've lost 4 from the first batch, 6 from the second and one currently in my bra because it's tiny and keeps getting trampled. One order was originally supposed to be delivered the week of 2/6 which was in the 50s and even 50s. I have no clue why in the world they would ship chicks during this weather! I have had ordered from hatcheries in the past and never had these horrible outcomes before...