dying chicks

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Torry on August 25, 2012 at 7:45am

Sorry to hear about your chicks.  You said you've been raising birds for years, so please, no offense, but are you checking their lil' chickie butts?  Shipping birds means close quarters and sometimes their own excrement crusts up, causing toxicity.  A week seems somewhat fast but always expect about 20% mortality up to sexual maturity.

Permalink Reply by dawn hughes on August 25, 2012 at 3:44pm

Is there somewhere you can take one of the dead chicks to be tested to see what is killing them. It sounds like you have a lot more experience in raising chickens than I do but, just the fact that so many of them are dying is very disconcerting. The seizures are also very worrisome. So sorry. Please do let us know how this turns out for you.

Permalink Reply by peace varga on August 26, 2012 at 9:55am

yes all clean and happy chicks till the 5 or 6th day i have never

loss more then one or 2 birds in the raising before

Torry said:

Sorry to hear about your chicks.  You said you've been raising birds for years, so please, no offense, but are you checking their lil' chickie butts?  Shipping birds means close quarters and sometimes their own excrement crusts up, causing toxicity.  A week seems somewhat fast but always expect about 20% mortality up to sexual maturity.

Permalink Reply by peace varga on August 26, 2012 at 10:00am

we contacted a fella from the University of Conn. he said could be shipping shock but was more certain it was a brain disease ... its not spreadable but is genetic cause them to have a seizure them be paralyzed ...he said the larger hatcheries have a high demand for chicks and they ship all chicks ... regardless i am done using Murray McMurray as a hatchery...