One chick has died at 4 days old

debbieo4914 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 08, 2008 7:55 pm

Hi everyone,

My little buff araucana chick born on Tuesday night has died. They have been with the hen in a guinea pig hutch (scrubbed & bleached & rinsed) away from the rest of the flock and looked okay until this morning. The little buff one just looked a little hunched about 7am, and then when I went back out at 8.30am it was laying under the hen with its eyes shut. I brought it inside and put it in the incubator to warm it, then gave it a small drink of water but it now appears to have passed away! It is on the computer desk in front of me now, still warm as it was in the incubator but no sign of life! He's not stretched out and stiff like most other dead chicks I've seen, just looks like he's gone to sleep.

I'm a little reluctant to throw it out as I have had apparently dead chicks suddenly revive, but I do think this little one is gone.

I have brought my little lavender pekin chick and another two crossbreds inside to the brooder box now, and just left one araucana chick with the hen (I wanted to bring it in too but couldn't bring myself to leave her chickless!).

We did have a storm here last night, but they were not out in the weather so I'm not sure what has happened. They are on chick starter - is ALL chick starter medicated? The one they have now definitely is, and I have added Baycox to their water in case it is coccidiosis.

Deb

Stt · **Joined:** Sun Aug 19, 2007 7:01 pm **Posts:** 3006

hi deb sorry about your loss just keep the little chick with you after an hour if theres no sing of life throw it out

but i no what youmean with not wanting to throw it in the bin incase they are still alive i cant bear that thought

Deans' Poultry · **Posted:** Sat Mar 08, 2008 8:39 pm

Hi Deb, really sorry about the chick mate

Yer i would have guessed cocci' too with just having a recent storm creating a lot of humidity and the chicks being 4 days old. With the weird weather we've been having the past few months i've gone to putting sulphaquin in the water from a couple days old at a rate of 2mls per litre just as a precautionary measure.
No blood in the poo eh? Could also be just one of those things too being survival of the fittest. Anyway hope the rest of the chickies make it through

And no not all chick starters are medicated. It's writtten on the tag if it is

Kylie · **Posted:** Sat Mar 08, 2008 8:48 pm

Sorry bout your little chick Deb

I lost one of my pekin babies today in very similar circumstances only i found it outside the nest box away from its mother late last night, i put it back under her to warm it but went out this morning and found it sitting in the yard not really moving much, i brought it inside and put it in the brooder under a lite to warm it, came back 20 mins later and she had died. I'm thinking its from being cold as it seemed fine yesterday and all the others are running round as normal..

I know this is part of owning chickens but its still a little tough every time it happens :-?

debbieo4914 · **Posted:** Sun Mar 09, 2008 6:41 am

Sorry about yours too, Kylie.

I'll have to ask at the produce store about the chick starter, as I don't get to see any tags because I only buy a couple of kilos at a time (which they scoop out of a bin). I know the one I bought at the other place had a much stronger smell and I did actually think to ask about it and it is medicated.

The other chicks now have treated water as well, and I think I'll take your advice, Darren, and treat any other new chicks as a precaution.

From now on I'm going to have my chicks hatched at a hatchery where they can be vaccinated, and then keep them in brooders where I can watch them a bit more closely.

Deb

Kylie · **Posted:** Sun Mar 09, 2008 7:12 am

I know this is a little off topic but had to ask, do all hatcherys hatch others eggs like that and vaccinate them? I only ask as we have one not far from us and am thinking it maybe an option.

Deans' Poultry · **Posted:** Sun Mar 09, 2008 7:21 am

That'd be a great idea for ya kylie until you get your own bator

oozcorpse · **Joined:** Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:15 am **Posts:** 2715

Sorry abt the losses experienced - it's always sad - but a fact of life. I have also had little ones come back - being so small the cold can on occassion help keep them going - not always of course.

As to Hatcherys - not all do hatch for 'outsiders' so all you can do is ask. Then you need to ask WHAT they vaccinate for. Normally they only vaccinate for Mareks - some for Fowl Pox as well. I am unaware if they vaccinate for Cocci - mainly because it is inhibitively expensive from what I have been able to find out.
Sulphaquin is a good medicant to deter and to help build up resistance. The weather has been crazy - Mother Nature is paying us back maybe??

I would ask about the Starter - would it be viable for you to purchase a large bag 20kg - do you get enough young per season to warrant this?? At least then you know for a fact the manufacture date. All starter and grower has the medicant in it - but it does have a certain life span of course. Many breeders do buy it this way just so they know it is still viable and write off the uneaten remainder knowing they have saved $ in not needing to use the Sulphaquin.
Good luck with the remaining young

Deans' Poultry · **Posted:** Sun Mar 09, 2008 8:20 am

soozorps wrote:

All starter and grower has the medicant in it - but it does have a certain life span of course.

Hey there soozorps, long time no hear

You'll be surprised to know that not all chick starters are medicated for cocci'. One in particular- Kewpie chick starter ration. I looked on the tag and it didnt say that it was medicated. So i rang Kewpie, and they told me that their starter ration(not crumble) isn't medicated. After that i changed to Riverina because it is medicared

Kylie · **Posted:** Sun Mar 09, 2008 10:17 am

Deans' Poultry wrote:

That'd be a great idea for ya kylie until you get your own bator

Yeah i thought it would be, i'm going to give them a call today and ask if they do it :lol:

Thanx for the advice soozorps, if they do hatch i'll be asking about vaccination also.. :-D

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