[Nails]

Please could someone give me some help and advice (sorry Hi everyone, new to this site) i have a 4 week old Barnvelder chick that i hatched myself in the incubator, i managed to successfully hatch 2 but last night one of them died, the other one is looking very poorly now, she is just sitting perched on the side of the water bowl, feathers looked ruffled, she has eaten a little today and drunk, her faeces is very runny, and a browny red colour, she is sitting with her eys shut and head under her wing, she just generally looks ill and is not acting as she was 3 days ago. I am a new comer to chickens and have looked in my book but so many illnesses sound the same, please any help would be great to try and save her.

[GrannieAnnie]

Sorry Nails, changed your font colour to black as I couldn't see what you'd written!

I'm no expert on chicken diseases, but browny poo could mean e coli caused by stress, dirty litter, chilling or nutrition problems.  Have they been kept warm enough during the past 4 weeks?

Or if the poo has red in it, is that blood, possibly coccidiosis.  But someone who knows more about it will be along soon.

Hope little chicky pulls through.

[Nails]

Please could someone give me some help and advice (sorry Hi everyone, new to this site) i have a 4 week old Barnvelder chick that i hatched myself in the incubator, i managed to successfully hatch 2 but last night one of them died, the other one is looking very poorly now, she is just sitting perched on the side of the water bowl, feathers looked ruffled, she has eaten a little today and drunk, her faeces is very runny, and a browny red colour, she is sitting with her eys shut and head under her wing, she just generally looks ill and is not acting as she was 3 days ago. I am a new comer to chickens and have looked in my book but so many illnesses sound the same, please any help would be great to try and save her.

All the chicks are moving around the brooder they are not huddled together, i have taken the poorly one out, and she is in a separate brooder now, water and food are changed twice daily sometimes more if dirty, and i clean them out daily. You said stress could introducing more chicks to the brooder cause this?

[GrannieAnnie]

It's possible I suppose, but wouldn't have thought so.  Stress is a funny thing, but sometimes these things can just happen and you never know why.  I raise a lot of chicks, and weak ones die at a day old or they can die at several weeks old.

It is heartbreaking, I know.

Have a look at the poo pictures and see if any looks like your chicks poo!

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=17568.0

[Nails]

It just looks like normal poo but runny, should i have wormed them by now? could that be the problem? i have looked in my book but could not see from what age they need worming.
The first chick that died had the yellow foaming poo, but in that link it says that is normal.

[GrannieAnnie]

I don't usually worm mine until they reach point of lay Nails, wouldn't think it was that if they are still in their brooder!

Anyway, must away to my bed now as alarm will go off at 6!!  Then I lay there for 15 minutes saying do I REALLY have to get up now!!!   

I'm sure tomorrow you will get more informed replies than mine!!! lol  nite nite for now!  Fingers crossed for your little one!

[Nails]

Many thanks Grannie Annie and good night i must do the same otherwise i will never get up in the morning.
night night

[Vember]

Have you recently added more chicks to the brooder nails?
If so it is possible that they could have fetched something nasty in with them

Sarah

[Nails]

Yes Vember i have, and they all seem fine, very active, showing no signs of illness, it funny that it is just the 2 i hatched all the others seem ok

[Vember]

Are the new birds the same age?  Have they been picking on the Barney?

Have you changed their food recently?


Sarah

[Nails]

Food has stayed the same, and yes all about the same age, not seen them picking on the barney's the first one that die was quite big, the one that is poorly is a fair size as well

[Vember]

hummm odd

The new chicks, have hey had any vaccinations that your aware of? Where were they housed before you got them ?

I'm still thinking that they might have fetched something in with them They may have built up an immunity to it, but your birds haven't

Think the best bet woould be to find a poultry vet and get the Barney checked out

Sarah

[Nails]

I dont think they had been Vacinated, i will take the little one to vet tomorrow, and keep and eye on the rest, we have her on her own so hopefully the rest will be ok. Thank you for your help