chicken mysteries

The Chicken Lady · « **on:** June 03, 2007, 08:54 »

I have kept chickens for afew years now and still don't know all the answers. This is my second year hatching chicks - incubator and broodies. I have had really good results this year. Last night I went to make sure everyone had enough water for the night and found a sick chick coward in a corner of a pen :cry: - three other chicks with a broody. All the others are OK. I have kept it indoors in a box over night. Given fluids via a syringe. Have got it next to the rayburn for warmth. Don't know whats wrong with it.

Symptoms do not seem to match anything in the books :? Falls over - one eye closed - the other open and bright, makes a clicking noise. Anyone any ideas? :roll:

alan42 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 03, 2007, 13:15 »

are we talking about a fresh hatched chick here? if so it could be anything it might be something like a very seriouse virous ( which i would strongly doubt) to the mother simply stepping on the chick hurting it.
realy you have done everything you can its a case of vet, neck or wait and see.
its your call is it suffering?
alan

mercury · « **Reply #2 on:** June 03, 2007, 20:50 »

Quote from: "alan42"

are we talking about a fresh hatched chick here? if so it could be anything it might be something like a very seriouse virous ( which i would strongly doubt) to the mother simply stepping on the chick hurting it.
realy you have done everything you can its a case of vet, neck or wait and see.
its your call is it suffering?
alan

DITTO

The Chicken Lady · « **Reply #3 on:** June 04, 2007, 08:51 »

No it was over two weeks old. It died this morning. Last night when I got home from work another one had died from the same broody. I don't know why - my husband said that it was dead when he went to look at them before shutting them up for the night. The other two look fine. Does anyone know about vaccinating new chicks, what to vaccinate against and how to get hold of whatever is needed. I don't have a chicken friendly vet in the area but it tends to be if I tell them what I what they oblige. :roll:

Gardening Mark · « **Reply #4 on:** June 04, 2007, 15:07 »

Try not to let any food (chick crumbs) get wet, if it does it can kill them in a few hours, also one of my hens stood on and killed a chick last year and I only had 3 chicks so I brung the other 2 down home and kept them under a light and fed and watered them daily and let them out for a run round the garden. I kept them for a few weeks and took them back to the allotment. They were there for a week and 1 morning went up to find them both dead, blood everwhere especially on their little heads. Still to this day do not know what killed them for sure. You did do all you could, but I've also been told (from other hen keepers near my allotment) that chicks just die sometimes. I know it's awfull, I have 6 that are 2 weeks old and I love them all so will be devestated if anything happens to these little guys(hopefully gals)lol. Good luck in the future!!

alan42 · « **Reply #5 on:** June 04, 2007, 15:51 »

mark the blood on there heads was probably done by the other hens the head is the place they aim for when draging a chick aroung then when another bird sees the blood it has a peck and so on untill it has been brained cruel but thats how chickens behave they were puting the chicks in the pecking order and went to far.
imo
also i feed my ducks and gees on wet chick crumbs so dont know how it kills in a few houirs as mine do great on it ?.
alan

alan42 · « **Reply #6 on:** June 04, 2007, 15:57 »

chicken lady you will be hard presed to find a vet to injeck your chicks and you will probably find it so expensive as to not be viable most vacsines are to treat a hundred birds so vets wount open a vail for 2 or 3 birds.
probably i say as you might be very very lucky and find one that will.
alan

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