[Thompson24]

Hi guys

Im really feeling low at the min,

This my third lot of hatchings and having the same trouble with them all:-

the first lot was 20 buff orbington eggs. out off 10 chicks I was left with one!
the second lot I had 40 marran eggs 32 hatched and three weeks on Im now down to 8
the last lot was 20 light sussex and Im now down two one chick.

I have them in seperate brooders.  They have constant access to food and water.  The also have a brinsea heat lamp and a section of there borroder where they can escape the heat lamp.


The chicks seem to be fine, then over the first few weeks they seem to fade off, they seem to hunch up and stand alone then the day after there dead?  I clean the brooder at least once a day.  I have tried alsorts of beddings, Tried towels, shavings, newspaper etc.

I really dont know what im doing wrong?  I just wasnt to give up as I feel Im puttigng the chicks lives at risk and dont know why. Why am i so rubbish?

[Kate and her Ducks]

I don't have any answers for you but have you thought of taking one of the dead chicks to the vet for a post mortem? They will then be able to tell you what is going on if they haven't been able to tell what is going on. Might seem like a big expense for one dead chick but better than sending good money and eggs after bad and risking more  chick's lives as it is not going to stop by the sounds of it until you know what is going on.

[Foxy]

I dont know what to say, it must be heart breaking for you. It can be hard getting a new incubator sorted, and at the end of the day, the eggs are only as good as the stock they came from.
Take heart, you are not doing anything wrong.

[Hensington]

Sounds like cocci, clean everything with bleach. Then start again feeding a medicated chick crumb. Also try ACV in the water, it changes the PH in the gut making it more difficult for cocci to establish.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccidia

Try Coxoid, you should be able to get it at your local feedstore.

[woodside farm]

What chick crumbs are you feeding? make sure it is medicated, such as marriages.
I clean my chicks out aprox once a week, I use newspaper with a piece of sand paper for the first week, then wood shavings.
I do lose the odd one or two, usually within a couple of days, some just don't learn how to eat, but I do hatch quite a few at a time.

Hope this helps,

Michelle

[Thompson24]

I use farmgate chick crumbs, I have thrown the bag out so will see if they have a website to see if its medicated.  many thanks

[too many girls]

Farmgate chick crumb is medicated, but it won't prevent cocci, just helps to prevent it, have you thought about taking your chicks to Will at Castle vets in Barney, i did with mine when they got cocci and he saved them, he specializes in poultry and is the biz plus as poultry is now treated at the large animal practice the cost of treatment is low, i think i paid £17 for consultation, postmortem and treatment for mine and a lab test of poo from my other birds.

[Foxy]

Where are you brooding them? inside or out? do you have other birds?
I always see to my youngest chicks first before sorting the adults out to avoid any transmission from adult to young. I am not convinced if you are new to chicken keeping and brooding inside that it is cocci. You may just be very,very unlucky.

[too many girls]

losing 52 chicks out of 62 seems more than unlucky, i would take them to a vet and find out what's going wrong.

[Thompson24]

Hi

I was brooding them inside, therfore always seen to them and then showered before going to see to my hens.

I will give the vet a call and see how much it will be as it will be worth finding out.  (Will I have to wait till another dies now to get a post mortam as the last chick died three days ago?

[too many girls]

put the chick in a bag in the freezer if you still have it, Will will tell you whether to take it with you or not (make sure you give it time to thaw) at least this way you can find out what the problem is before you plug your incy in again..................

[too many girls]

did you get to speak to a vet Thompson? how are the remaining chicks?

[Thompson24]

Hi I tried the vet and didnt get any luck as the guy you said to speak to was busy then off course now is the weekend.  I spoke to my own vet who said that I would have to waiti till another one died and take it straight down (not much help really)  I have moved the chicks to a new brooding area I have made and am in the process of bleeching everythin in the old one

[Kate and her Ducks]

Well at least you have a plan in case another dies and can get it straight down there so you can find out what is going on.

[muntjac]

ok lets start at the beginning here.. and before anybody starts ranting on this is how i have done it and it still werks in scotland  ........ the temperature of your brooder...s could be a factor .if you have incubated the eggs at the temperature of 99.5 forced air .. ( as a brinsea incubator is ) with a humidity of 60-65% until the last 3 days and then a humidity level of 80-85% and stopped the incubator turning on the 19th day with an expected hatch on the 21st day you should have at least a 90% hatch assuming all the eggs are fertile .....  here is where  we change tactics , we remove the chicks to a brooder within an hour or so ( when they are dry ) with a heat lamp set at low  this is placed approx 12 inches above the chicks in an area of 5ft by 2ft brooder  for 12 chicks any number after this you should increase the brooder area by 50%  on an increase of chicks numbering 6 more , the heat lamps should be set at the same level both in temperature and hieght .  raise the heat lamps as the chicks reach 2 weeks by 25% also .   by this time they should be well on thier way .. now you should allow at least 3 water drinkers with pebbles in ( to stop the chicks falling in and chilling ) for the 5ft by 2ft . increasing this number as you transfer them to a bigger brooder  , by 4 weeks they should be in a brooder twice the size of the initial one with also an increase of drinkers ... food wise they should have a minimum of 2 feeders  for the 5ft by 2ft brooder and add 1 more as you move them on ...... they should be on chick crumb for the first 7 weeks then moved onto layers or growers depending on what they are to be used for .water should be changed both morning and night to stop any contamination by dodo or bedding, food should be topped up twice daily and more as they grow , empty any left over food from one feeder into another  so that you have a continuos turnover of fresh food . if a feeder is contaminated by dodo or wet dump the food and wash the feeders each time you refill.   clean out the brooder daily the chicks should have a lights out in the room they are kept in  do not turn the heat lamps off until the 5th week when they should be able to cope with the cooler temps of the house . you should start to acclimatise them to the outside with an outside run at this point  bringing them in on cold days . hope this helps .... oh and cleanliness is next to  raing your chicks all the way to the table or the egg