# 4 out 11 chicks have passed away in the last 10 days



## Tommy (Apr 23, 2020)

hey guys, totally new here and new to chicks. My wife and I purchased 11 chics from 2 different farms and are raising them up in a 80 gallon steel tub with a heat lamp (lowered with rhestotat to have a hot spot of 100 on one side of the oval tubb) and a heated brooder plate in the middle of the tub. We've noticed pasty butt on about half of them and have been cleaning it off them as we see it. Weve added electrolytes and probiotics to their water over the last few days with hopes that this helps. It looks like we have a 5th one looking familiarly weak. We are trying to figure out why so many are dying. Any help would be appreciated.

Tommy


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Are they on a medicated chick feed? The first thought is coccidiosis infection. Pick up some Amprol (amprolium) to put in their waterer. When they are that young it's very difficult to do much more for them.

I am a bit concerned that the bin is also too warm for them. Are they avoiding the heated areas?


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## Tommy (Apr 23, 2020)

The hot side is 100 in one spot but closer to 92 on that side. Mid way across the setup the temp is 82 and 77 on far side.

I need to figure out where to get amprol


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

TSC, Rural King, most feed stores carry it. 

Are the chicks trying to avoid the heat?


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## Tommy (Apr 23, 2020)

robin416 said:


> TSC, Rural King, most feed stores carry it.
> 
> Are the chicks trying to avoid the heat?


No they don't seem to avoid the heat. Is the Vetrx stuff the same thing? I picked up some a couple days ago but haven't used it. Also they are on medicated feed.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

VetRX is crap. It doesn't do anything. It's all commercial hype.


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## Tommy (Apr 23, 2020)

They have corid (amprolium) at tractor supply. Its a 9.6 % solution. How much does this need to be diluted for chics?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It should tell you on the bottle. I don't have any here so I can't tell you. I'll do a little digging and post it here in case it doesn't.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

And I was talking on the phone at the same time I said what I did about VetRX but it really is junk. There are no ingredients in it that does anything at all. The only thing it's really useful for is brightening up the color of a bird's comb in a chicken show. 

And don't believe the hype about DE, diatomaceous earth, sand does the same thing a whole lot cheaper for dust baths.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Here you go: 9.6% liquid - dose is 2 teaspoons (10 ml) per gallon for 5 days, then 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) per gallon for 7-14 days.


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## Tommy (Apr 23, 2020)

Thank you so much!


robin416 said:


> Here you go: 9.6% liquid - dose is 2 teaspoons (10 ml) per gallon for 5 days, then 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) per gallon for 7-14 days.


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## TomC (Apr 9, 2020)

Welcome to the group. My concern would be heat. With no more chicks that you have, I would think that either the heat lamp or the brooder plate would be enough. If it were me, I would put one or the other heat sources at one end of the tub, the feed and water in the middle, and nothing at the other end. 

My brooder pen is 8X8 ft. inside of a heated workshop that is kept at about 60 degrees. I only had my heat source along one side, with the feed and water in the middle. Granted, I had allot more chicks, but you would be surprised how many of them stayed mostly on the cool side. They would go to the warm side for a bit, but mostly preferred the cooler side. We lost a few, maybe around 10%, but nothing close to the 40-50% you've lost. We also added probiotics and electrolytes to their water for the first week.

I think losses are kind of expected during the first week, but nothing close to what you have without something else going on.


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## Sylie (May 4, 2018)

over heating the chicks can cause pasty butt (1 of the many things that can) I am also worried about that heat, especially with a warming plate as well, you don't need all of that heat in a metal bin. The general rule of thumb is the hottest spot in the bin should be 95 degrees for the first week after hatching then decrease the temp by 5 degrees each week after that. Now, that being said, your best bet for telling the right temperature is to watch the chicks behaviour, they will crowd together in the hottest spot in the bin if they are cold and will usually cry a lot. they will space themselves out on the edges of the hot zone and sleep apart from each other if they are too hot. They will stay where they are comfortable, if you see them spending the largest majority of the day directly under the heat lamp and huddled together, they are too cold, if they spread out and try to stay away from the heat lamp, they are cold. They'll find their own perfect temperature zone if possible.
Please make sure that the thermometer you are using is calibrated correctly.


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## Tommy (Apr 23, 2020)

Update here: I'm on day 3 of administering amprolium in their water. I am on day 2 of removing the heat lamp and just keeping the heated breeder plate. Unfortunately 2 more chicks died. One was on the way and died shortly after I had started this thread and the 2nd one passed just now. Both had pasty butt. Both had those symptoms 3-4 days ago. The remaining 5 chicks all seem in very good spirits. And no pasty butt. They are eating well and drinking. Very discouraging that we lost 6 thus far.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

There is a learning curve and in trying to do everything just right sometimes it's the wrong thing. You came here, you asked for help. That's really a good thing. Too many don't. 

Tell me something, do you know which chicks died? Any chance they were all from the same place? 

If the others are looking healthy your troubles might be over.


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## Tommy (Apr 23, 2020)

Thanks for the encouragement. 5 out of the 6 came from the same farm.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

There is a strong probability that it was the chicks and not the environment if most of those came from the same place. It's not that unusual to lose one or two when they've gone through all the stress they do being moved around. 

I'm sorry I didn't think to ask that earlier.


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## Sylie (May 4, 2018)

I was going to ask the same question that Robin did, I agree with her, most likely they were "sickly" to begin with, something going on internally and didn't show itself until after you got them home.
I'm seriously sorry for your loss


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