Immunity issues.

[Gavin1985]

Does anyone have experience with chick fatalities and possible causes? The last couple of hatches now I have had 2 or 3 chicks up to 4 weeks old die. They all start off fine but there is always the odd one or two which seems to just give up the ghost.

No notable symptoms except that they get weaker and weaker until they just die. My initial thought is that it's immunity problems and that some chicks are just have weaker immune systems.

Any one with similar experiences?

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Gavin. We hatched 48 Wyandotte and Orpington chicks (from our own adults) in 7 back-to back incubations and didn't lose any. I gather that is exceptional. At day 2 they all had a spot of probiotic yoghurt in their beaks to promote digestion function and they were fed on Dobson and Horrell chick crumb without ACS. They went outside onto grass at 6 weeks and we lost none to Coccidiosis. Perhaps that's a good starting formula?

Bronchitis kills them at about 3 days and that's from the parent. Nutritional/ vitamin deficiency in the adults will cause problems as well, so check your egg sources. But generally losing some just happens and we've had losses in chicks we've bought.

 

[tygrysek75]

Birds which closely related also can suffer with early death.if the parent stock is weak the chicks will be weak too.Is 1 breed problem or you had tried difrent breeds?Salmonella is also killer of the chicks and trasfers to them thruu egg.If you incubating do you propely desinfect everything? Few other desises can be also tranfered thruu egg.You may missing somethig like how was their poo loked like?

 

[victorias poultry]

I would disinfect everyting from the incubator down to the brooder but many possible causes already listed above. Hope you have better luck on your next hatch.

 

[Gavin1985]

I disinfect the incubator after each hatch so I don't think it's a problem there. And as i'm only losing the odd one or two, I'm inclined to think it's something that's being passed either from the parent hen or through the egg. I had 5 chicks DIS this time which was really high. One started to unzip and got no further, and 4 didn't so much as make a peep.

I'm thinking something has got into some of the eggs or that one or two of the hens have an underlying problem I haven't spotted.

 

[tygrysek75]

It is possible that humidity is to high id you have so many DIS

 

[Gavin1985]

I set it to 65% for the last 3 days. First 18 days at 45%

 

[tygrysek75]

I think is to high,have you ever tried run your incy dry until piping of the first egg?If not try,put some test eggs and see what happend.

 

[Gavin1985]

Thanks folks.

I will try a lower humidity next time i think. And some pro-biotic yogourt. And see if that makes a difference.