Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: 2 dead chicks  (Read 4455 times)

plt102

  • Joined Jan 2011
2 dead chicks
« on: July 11, 2012, 09:11:23 am »
My chicks are about 8 weeks old and looking healthy but one was found dead last week with no obvious cause. Went to let them into their run this morning to find another poorly nearly dead one. I have isolated it to nurse it but I am worried about the others. Going to worm our big hens and give them some tonic but not sure what to do with my youngsters. Could it be the wet weather?

Fowlman

  • Joined Apr 2012
  • Wiltshire
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2012, 09:38:55 am »
Any sign of blood in their droppings ? You haven't got a drinker in the coop have you ? Wet bedding ?
Tucked away on the downs in wiltshire.

plt102

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2012, 09:54:25 am »
Finding it hard to keep bedding in the coop as they keep scratching it out. Ill put some more in now. Their water is in a dog dish. No sign of blood. I keep moving their coop onto fresh grass. I'm a bit flummoxed. Off to get poultry tonic and flubanvet then back to see if chick no 2 has survived.

Victorian Farmer

  • Guest
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2012, 10:01:27 am »
you ha vent done eney thing wrong .You could off fed these birds medicated chick crumbs i notice iff i dont feed this i will loose some .So you are not on you re own .The others might be OK i lost 2 last week just bad luck .next time use medicated crumbs arbro feeds .

suziequeue

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Llanidloes; Powys
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2012, 10:01:48 am »
Have they got coccidiostat in their crumb/pellets? (sorry - wrote this at same time as VF posted)
We do the best we can with the information we have

When we know better we do better

plt102

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2012, 11:06:33 am »
Are the medicated ones much more expensive?

suziequeue

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Llanidloes; Powys
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2012, 11:36:54 am »
There was some discussion about the relative pros and cons of this on a previous thread plt102
 
http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=23459.msg226865#msg226865
 
I expect that they are a little more expensive but I didn't ask at the shop as we had already decided to go the coccidiostat route
We do the best we can with the information we have

When we know better we do better

plt102

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2012, 12:47:56 pm »
perfect - thanks for the advice. Had given poorly chick a tonic and some water and it is now snug on hot water bottle and towel in cat basket. fingers crossed.

in the hills

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2012, 01:00:04 pm »
Our local agri store only sells medicated crumbs and we have to travel if we want unmedicated. In the case of the 2 suppliers we use the medicated crumbs are actually slightly cheaper.

plt102

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #9 on: July 11, 2012, 01:01:55 pm »
cool thanks - i'll shop around

in the hills

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2012, 01:08:45 pm »
If your chicks are 8 weeks old, they are usually about ready to move onto growers pellets. Not sure if you are intending to give the crumbs so that they get the coccidiostat  ??? . If you only have a small number of chicks they probably won't finish the sack before they are ready for growers.

suziequeue

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Llanidloes; Powys
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #11 on: July 11, 2012, 01:50:36 pm »
Our growers pellets have coccidiostat in them too... but I was quite surprised at just how much crumb six chicks and mummy hen got through in the 4-6 weeks they were feeding them crumb exclusively(although I expect the squizzers and rats had their fair share!!).
 
Then we just tipped the rest of the crumb into the growers and cracked on with that.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2012, 01:52:31 pm by suziequeue »
We do the best we can with the information we have

When we know better we do better

in the hills

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #12 on: July 11, 2012, 02:06:04 pm »
Probably best with a bag of medicated growers then, plt102.


Hope the rest stay healthy. :fc:

Eggs, Chicks & Hens

  • Joined Feb 2011
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #13 on: July 11, 2012, 02:37:02 pm »
I have lost more chicks by feeding them on medicated crumbs you are exposing them to medication that they probably dont need

in the hills

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: 2 dead chicks
« Reply #14 on: July 11, 2012, 03:25:52 pm »
Possibly.


My friend rears all her chicks without medication ..... no losses to date.


I tried without medication last year and had no losses.

 

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