The black sexlink chicks I got from Stockmans seem very healthy but the chicks I got from Pratts are worrying me. I'm afraid I may have introduced illness to my little flock. I just lost one of the welsummers. I found her dead under the heat lamp. She'd been hanging out there a lot but I thought it was just because the welsummers (had two) were the youngest. When I bought them they were only a day old, Friday that is. The barred rock with the hurt foot is still acting a little off but I'm now hyper worried about the rest of them. I'm going to switch to medicated feed tomorrow as soon as I can get some, but is there anything else I should be doing? I am noticing them laying down, and for some reason I thought they slept standing up before, is this a bad sign or am I just an idiot and didn't realize they normally do that. I'm worried about it because that really is the only symptom (if it is one) the welsummer displayed before dying.
Plus on a side note I'm terrified of having to explain it all to my two year old who has been very into the chicks this time around.
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Sometimes death just happens. It is not uncommon for them to sleep laying down, or even just lay down to relax under the light to get some heat, so I wouldn't be concerned about that. Are the remaining birds running around? Are these birds inside and protected from drafts? You've raised a few batches before, so it doesn't seem like you're likely to be making any rookie mistakes, but it's always worth a check.
I'm fairly sure Pratts and Stock shop both get their chicks from Privett in New Mexico. I don't think either of them have especially different ways of keeping/cleaning up after their birds. While I wouldn't by an adult/point-of-lay chicken from either place (it just so happens that Pratt's sells a lot more of these, so they get the bad rap for this) I don't think their chicks are going to be of a different quality.
They are all doing pretty good. The barred rock with the hurt foot is still hanging out a lot on the roosting bars I have in their cage. They are in my laundry room and I have a sheet covering most of the cage too to help with drafts if they manage to get in the laundry room. Although I noticed that the aluminum foil I used as a reflector for the heat lamp (on the outside of the cage separated by both the bars of the cage and some hard wire cloth) is missing a few pieces, I wonder if the chick managed to eat some. I'm planning on taking it all off in case that is what killed her. I really thought it was out of their reach but perhaps it wasn't.
I think the remaining welsummer might be a little down but she's still moving about pretty good. She seems to like hanging out in the heat lamp more than the others though. Although as I said before the welsummers were the youngest ones.
Oh and this is actually only my second complete batch of chicks to raise. I raised two welsummers by themselves in the late summer but because it was so warm they hung out outside with the heat lamp, instead of the inside care. So I'm still pretty much a rookie.
Sorry for you, Erica, always hard when you try to do all the right things.
Thanks, none of the chicks I got had pasty butt but many of the chicks there appeared to have it. I actually ask for chicks that weren't covered in poop. I'm sure this would have happened eventually it's just added to the feeling that I shouldn't have bought from them. Anyone who explains to me that Americanas are a rare breed doesn't know chickens. They also told me Welsummers are rare too. Thanks a lot for the comfort. I'll keep an eye though to make sure they don't get pasty butt. BYC also suggested sugar in the water or chick saver, which I'll probably pick up. I used to have some but all my supplies are about a year old so I don't trust them.
I was looking at the hatcheries and one of them called Americaunas and Welsummers as "rare." I think they mean they're not common.
Your daughter is only two, so a simple explanation should suffice. Kids who learn about life & death early are better able to handle the death of pets in the future. Death is part of life; its a fact. This is an opportunity to show her how life ends and how we handle it respectfully, so a little funeral, as Karis suggested, is a nice idea.
Welsummers I'd believe are not common but Americanas or Easter Eggers are in every feed store in my area nearly year round.
Yeah. I don't know why they say that. [shrug] :)
I like to use a warm wet washcloth on the pasty butt. You just hold it for a while until it softens up enough to tug off. It feels mean you pull feathers with paste...
We lost 3 of our 8 chicks. All of those chicks were from Pratts. Several of the chicks from Pratts lived though. I think it is normal to expect some death of the chicks. I don't think you have introduced illness as much as that some chicks are not as sturdy and don't make it.
You want to check your chicks for something called "Pastey Butt." This can be fatal but is completely preventable. Check the chicks vent several times a day and if it is cakeing up with waste you need to clear it. This can simply be done by hand, gently with a stick or toothpick (you don't stick it in the chick, just use it to pick the caked waste out) or by soaking the chick's vent in warm water. You want to completely clear it so that they are able to sucessfully pass waste. the reason this is fatal is because they are unable to eliminate wastes.
When they sleep they are splayed out laying down and they look completely dead...freaked me out too the first time.
In terms of your daughter, if the chick is simply gone in the morning, she might not notice. I found that my girls were helped by burrying the chick and having a little funeral for it. Letting them say goodbye and mourn is a learning experience. She is still a little young so I don't know if that would really apply to her yet.