Flying Roller
21 posts
Apr 21, 2004
3:30 PM
|
Hey guys
I mated my 8 pairs together about a month ago and the eggs recently hatched - problem is, most of them are dying. Either at a day old or like a week after or so. This never happened in the past so I'm a little surprised by what's going on. Here's what I've been doing and maybe you can help me out:
1) Feeding Turkey Grower Pellets with Milo & Peas
2) Water daily with 1 tbs of bleach to 1gallon water
3) Preventative Anti-biotics in water also
4) Red Grit & cuttle bone purchased at feed Mill
5) Fresh hay for Nesting Material
Recently we've had a few cold days dipping into the freezing point (Canada North eh?!) but I don't think that would be the problem would it?
Also, I never de-wormed my adults, never had to in the past. Could this be a problem as well?
Anyhow, any thoughts would be a great encouragement, I've lost 7 chicks in 8 nests since last saturday and I'm pretty frustrated about it all. Thanks in advance.
Terry
|
MCCORMICKLOFTS
59 posts
Apr 21, 2004
3:57 PM
|
Terry, my first impression is it sounds like parathyphoid. It is common for one or both of the parents to be a "carrier" of it and it is passed onto the embryo during incubation. Often this results in "black eggs" or chicks dying while hatching. But it also includes sudden death during the first week of age. Based on what you said you were doing, I would speculate this is the cause. I would also be curious to the antibiotics you said you were giving as well. Only a handful are designed for E-coli-based bacteria such as Amoxicillin and Cephalexin to name a few. Baytril is very effect to, but harsh on youngsters. Since the breeders have lost their young, I would follow these steps:
1. Clean out the nest boxes and sterilize them.
2. Run the breeders through a 7-10 day treatment with your choice of E-coli (paratyhphoid-salmonella) effective anti-biotics.
3. After 10 days of treatment provide a vitamin/electrolyte/probios combination for three days to help regenerate their intestinal environment.
4. Use pine needles or tobacco stems instead of hay for bedding. Hay is prone to mold which can promote the development of several health problems, especially when combined with the feces of the youngsters.
5. Monitor the dropping of the next round of youngsters. If they seem more waterery than normal, add anti-biotics to the water again. The parents will give the youngsters the antibiotics through feeding.
I had a similar problem with two pair last year and by following these steps the next rounds were perfectly health and everything was back to normal.
Good luck.
Brian.
|
Mother lode lofts
3 posts
Apr 21, 2004
4:21 PM
|
Brian,sound advice,but one thing that caught my attention Terry was "preventave Antibiotics" in the water,thats scary if you are doing it on a regular basis,plus bleach ? that kils all bacteria including "good"
|
Steve S.
Guest
Apr 21, 2004
5:58 PM
|
To add to what Brian and Scott have said,
And it is important to use about 7 drops of tamed Iodine in a gallon of water once a week for the breeders.
Also use applecider vinegar at 1 teaspoon per gallon of water.
This keeps the bacteria (The Bad ) type down for E-coli and samonella.
After treating the breeders with an antibiotic and worming them STOP giving them the antibiotic preventative before resuming to breed them.
The Iodine and vinegar will take care of the bacteria in the eggs and youngsters.
Use a good gut bacteria such as probios or just plain yogurt it is the same but cheaper.
I hope the breeders are not carriers of paratyphoid.
Good Luck
Steve Sissel
|
Joe
Guest
Apr 22, 2004
4:12 AM
|
Have you introduced new birds to your loft? If so they may be the cause of the desease. If not I would seriously review your loft set up and practices.
Stop your breeding season. It is imperative that you have your loft rodent proof as they are the major cause of paratyhphoid-salmonella.
Make sure your feed is properly stored as well so rodents can't get at it. Clean and sterilize the entire loft, feeders, waterers, scrapers etc.
Worm your bird first and then follow the steps Brian has laid out above.
Monitor the birds for a week after this treatment. Any bird that looks sickly cull it. Resume breeding and monitor all pairs. Switch mates with any pairs that have dead youngsters or younsters dieing while hatching. This way you will determine if the cock or hen is responsible (In most cases it is the hen). If they fail to raise youngsters again cull them.
Never again use antibiotics for prevention unless you have a problem.
Joe
|
Flying Roller
22 posts
Apr 22, 2004
7:15 AM
|
My feed is kept in Sealed Barrels away from rodents and the pens I have them in are all made of tin off the ground with plywood floors I scrape daily.
Yes, I did introduce 2 new pairs from the breeder I got my original stock from, but everything looked VERY healthy (They all still do)
The prev. antibiotics used are called "Vetoquinol" with Penicillin G Potassium and Streptomycin sulfate as active ingredients along with 11 other vitamins & nutrients. I did this last year too at the beginning of the season just to boost them for the 1st 5 days of the breeding season. (It's a poultry starter recommended to me)
I will do what you guys have recommended, I just was wondering about the iodine, why is it used instead of bleach?
Thanks for all the info,
Terry
|
MCCORMICKLOFTS
60 posts
Apr 22, 2004
12:10 PM
|
Terry, bleach is the anti-christ to all things living, the end result being everything alive is now dead, including anything you combined in the water with it. Never use bleach in conjunction with anything else and after you use bleach, you must follow up with pro bios to re-introduce the good gut bacteria as well as apple cider vinegar to nuetralize the intestinal ph. The two pair you brought in could have been carriers but would not have infected the other pairs. It's a problem your birds have as a group, and can easily be remedied if you follow the steps several of your fellow fanciers have provided.
|
