Need Help

[Crystal]

Hello,
I am new to this forum. I found it looking for help with my Guinea chicks.
I'm not sure if this is the board I should post it on or not, but here goes.

I got 30 Guinea's on the 21st. I have lost 10 so far.:sad:
They were put in a small stock tank with some wood shavings on the bottom. I dipped all of their beaks into the chick water that was lukewarm with 1T of sugar in it.
I scattered some chick starter through the litter and also filled a small feeder.

Each morning I have found one or 2 dead. I have watched them and the ones that have died are just laying there and not doing anything just before death. I pick them up and dip their beaks back into the water.

I have noticed that the rest are drinking and eating from the feeder

Any idea of what might be causing this?

[Patrick]

Could be many things.

What is the temperature under the heat lamp? Don't guess, use a thermometer. You want it 90 or 95*, with plenty of room for them to get away from it if they choose.

Stop with the sugar water. All the backyard forums, most of the hatcheries and many of the extention services recommend it, but it's creating a super environment for bacteria to grow. It's one of the stupidest things that these so-called experts continue to recommend, and people love to do it, because they have to "do" something, and it's cheap and easy. Give them fresh water and clean feed, in feeders which have been disinfected if they've been used before.

Stop handling them to dip their beaks. They already know where the waterer is, and how to use it. They don't need to be shown any more, and it's causing them undue stress every time you catch them up.

What are you feeding? They should be on a high protein turkey or gamebird starter.

Stop spreading starter throughout the bedding. You're encouraging them to eat feces soiled feed, and to probably ingest shavings too. Neither is good for them. Again, they know where the feeder is.

[cathryn]

I start all my chicks/poults/keets out on a bumpy, wadded up, then flattened out paper toweling or clean rags so they do not learn to eat litter. I agree, no sugar water, and I'd hurry and get them off the bedding. It is worth the extra work cleaning to make sure they do not eat the litter.
Cathryn rainbowsilkies

[Crystal]

Thank you for the info.
I only give sugar water the first 24 hours and then it is fresh clean water.
I only dipped the beaks once. The starter was spread that first day only.
The feed is meatbird starter.

[Pathfinders]

From where did these chicks come? A hatchery? Did you purchase them locally? If they were shipped, it is possible they were chilled. Have you contacted the source from whom you purchased them?

I would definitely get them off the shavings. Check the temp, make sure there are no drafts. Let us know if any more die.

Best of luck with them.

Laura

[Crystal]

I got them from a hatchery. No I haven't contacted them yet.

[Pathfinders]

I advise folks who purchase from a hatchery and subsequently have chick death to immediately inform the hatchery, and update as needed.

Which hatchery was it? When did the chicks start to die? Have you lost any more?

[Crystal]

No more have died, thankfully.
I am now pretty sure that the ones that died ate the litter and it plugged their crop up.

Now here is another question.
Since it gets cold here would you put the wood shavings down and then cover them with paper towels?
I have a shipment of turkeys, cornishx and pheasants coming next week, and it snowed today.
I'm asking because it was advised to not use it. They will be going into empty stock tanks that work act as a draft guard.

[Pathfinders]

Yes, you can put shavings in the stock tanks and put paper towel over them for the first four or five days (or week.)