The nuggets are on the mend!

Things are looking up for the chickens! My chicken farming buddy (another fanatic) came by to pick up some of our excess papaya, and took one look at our dying babies and said "Coccidiosis! That's what they have! One of my hatches got it once and nearly died! I have meds for that. I'll bring it by tomorrow!" So this morning, she brought the meds by, and we put some in their water, and they are looking better already! After a 5-day treatment, they will be really fit! We are very happy to have friends that know something, and that have helped us save our babies. What is cocciodiosis? According to Backyard Chicken's website:

Coccidia are a microscopic parasitic organism that infect poultry when ingested by the chicken. The parasites found in the ground or bird feces attaches itself to the lining in the gut, multiplies and becomes an oocyst feeding in the digestive tract which will make it bleed. Once infected it passes the parasites in its poop days before symptoms occur. The coccidia that infect chickens do not affect other types of livestock, and vice versa. Different kinds of birds are even infected by a different kind of coccidia. Coccidiosis (pronounced cock-sid-ee-oh-sis) in chickens is caused by nine species of Eimeria protozoa, some are more serious than others. It is fatal, but if your chicken survived this disease it would be immune to future cocci infections.

I think it only got to the babies because I put diatomaceous earth in the other chickens' rice meal, which should clean out all parasites, but the babies don't eat much of it. BUT, the 'medicated' chick starter should have protected them from it. Oh, well. Sad and expensive lesson. Don't know even if I would have caught it sooner if I knew what to look for. They were just a little sluggish and had a "lurchy" look. All seems to be okay now though, fingers crossed.