Two dead chicks - Is it YBS?

[Guest Denny]

I have read what the symptoms of YBS are, and other than yellow poo, I cannot see anything else that points to YBS as crops are not full of water, there is no watery poo.  Can anyone tell me what was wrong with the chicks?

 

Yesterday when I checked the loft the two 3 week old chicks were alert and clicking away bright eyed and looking well.  This morning I went into the loft and found one dead, with a crop full of seed.  I checked the nest bowl from the breeding pair and droppings were firm and very normal and the other chick to a different pair, seemed to have no problems whatsoever happily clicking away, again no evidence of watery droppings or a crop full of water.  About two hours later as I was cleaning the other sections, I went back into that section of the loft and found the other chick really lathargic and so very cold.  So I got some wheat sacks out and warmed him up and he seemed to perk up, again his crop was full of seed.  He lasted about another four hours and he too ended up the same way as the other chick.  But this time I noticed that there was a firm egg yolk coloured dropping just showing at his tail end, again it was firm, not watery.

 

I have not experienced this before, what would have caused this?  How can I reduce the risk of it happening again?

 

 

[Roland]

Phara / Samonela would be my first fright.

had a lovely pair of grizzles on the trap one day, about 4 weeks old. Dead next day. Then again same pair bred two lovely grizzle youngsters. Ended the same way. Avian Vet reckoned then, that nigh 2 out of three lofts may well have carriers not showing a sign ...  

[Sajfos]

Most likely to be either Paratyphus /Salmonella or Streptococcus , only way is droppings test as the medications are different in each case .

[Reid]

Once again we are guessing even though you hae given a great deal of detail.

Could the parents have picked up slug pellets or something similar and passed that on to the young?

[Guest strapper]

I have read what the symptoms of YBS are, and other than yellow poo, I cannot see anything else that points to YBS as crops are not full of water, there is no watery poo.  Can anyone tell me what was wrong with the chicks?

 

Yesterday when I checked the loft the two 3 week old chicks were alert and clicking away bright eyed and looking well.  This morning I went into the loft and found one dead, with a crop full of seed.  I checked the nest bowl from the breeding pair and droppings were firm and very normal and the other chick to a different pair, seemed to have no problems whatsoever happily clicking away, again no evidence of watery droppings or a crop full of water.  About two hours later as I was cleaning the other sections, I went back into that section of the loft and found the other chick really lathargic and so very cold.  So I got some wheat sacks out and warmed him up and he seemed to perk up, again his crop was full of seed.  He lasted about another four hours and he too ended up the same way as the other chick.  But this time I noticed that there was a firm egg yolk coloured dropping just showing at his tail end, again it was firm, not watery.

 

I have not experienced this before, what would have caused this?  How can I reduce the risk of it happening again?

 

 

salmonela would have brought on watery droppings b4 it took hold of the chicks life,unless a test is done there is no way of knowing exactly why those chicks died...funny enough i had two from same nest do the same..b4 feathering up...only two ever.

the parents are now on chicks again doing fine.

my personal thoughts were that the parents had come off them while we had the cold weather and didnt return on them at night....maybe spooked by a cat.

 

[OLDYELLOW]

could be many factors for chicks dying on nest , without getting the full picture hard to get anything concrete ,  heres a few questions , when were chicks alive last ?, when did you see them dead ?, have you checked for red mite in the nest ? are you using any artifical lighting ?

[Guest bakes]

mate the only real way you no what made the youngster die is my haveing one sent to have post mortam the avian vet will tell you what they died off and if you got a problem in your loft they would give you a solution,tablet to try to sort out whats going on no point guessing as it will only make things worse in the long run by treating blind would do more harm then good find out what the problem was then treat for the problem by the right means.

 

all the best.

[Peckedhen]

I don't think that they would chill at three weeks old - they are nearly ready for weaning by then and I have mine down on the loft floor.  They sound to have gone downhill very quickly......hope that you get it sorted Denny. Good luck.

[Guest youngboy]

wel there  few forms of youngbird sickness and stops crop being digested heres a site that might help! and others to

all the best!

 

 

http://www.albertaclassic.net/E.coli/sickness.php

[Guest Davy Fleming]

May think along the lines that the old birds were out and picked up something that may be poison ?????? but as the guy said it's really a guess, sorry mate

[fletch]

sounds like a poisoning to me, but i am not a vet and the only way is to test droppings are all others young ok, are the parents ok