Help! 9 Week Old chook possible coccidiosis?

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zivaC

zivaC

Chirping
5 Years
Feb 15, 2014
75
9
76
Hello

Could someone please help me, my 9-week old chook Lucky has been showing signs of lethargy, she's lost her appetite and is generally unwell. She still comes out of the coop but I can tell she's a bit weaker in the legs, if I touch her a little bit she loses her balance. She's not eating like she used to and it only started yesterday. I noticed her poop didn't look normal, it seems a bit reddish sometimes. Please see uploaded pics.

I started her on Sulfa-3 antibiotics in case it is coccidiosis....not sure if that's the right thing to do.
I'm scared is it possibly coccidiosis? :/ I really love my chook she is named Lucky because she almost died as a baby chick when her mother didn't accept her... I really want to do the best I can for her now to help treat whatever illness she may have!
 
400

This is her poop just now, but sometimes there's no red in it when she poops.
 
It could possibly be coccidiosis. You said you have already started her on Sulfa drug. You may see Lucky pass more bloody poop while she is being treated as it works it's way out of her system.

Make sure you follow the dosing directions for the sulfa precisely otherwise it's possible to over dose them and cause further complications. As long as your following the directions you'll be fine.

For future reference another effective coccidiostat is Amprolium otherwise known as Corid. Corid is much safer and less worry about over doses.

If lucky shows other symptoms (such as not eating or drinking) please let us know so we can help.
 
@Free Spirit Thank you so much for your information. I live in Australia so I'm not sure if Corid is available here, Sulfa3 is the only available antibiotic to me at this point.
I've followed the dosing schedule as per the bottle, although it doesn't specify age or weight it's a general dosing per individual bird. Do you know any resources that have specific dosages for chickens?

She still is showing lethargy and lack of appetite. I'm keeping a close eye on her. I will take her to the vet if no improvement occurs in the next couple of days. How long until the antibiotics should work though? When should I start seeing the difference?
 
I really don't know anything about the sulfa drugs so I can't help with dosages. If you can contact a vet they should give you the proper dosing info and duration.

Doing some research and this is all I found. It says Dosage: 6ml per litre of water. Repeat each day for 5-7 days.
http://www.planetpoultry.com.au/medications/160-sulfa-solution-broad-spectrum-150ml.html

Lethargy and lack of appetite are symptoms of cocci. If you have access to a vet then definitely take her if things get worse especially if Lucky stops drinking or eating altogether.
 
Another source I found about Sulfa 3 is to use 12 drops per 100 ml, and to treat for a full 7 days for coccidiosis. Make sure that she is drinking normally, or you will need to encourage her or five some with a dropper, to get enough of the medication.
 
Got this from Thundrdacr over on the pea forum
"I don't know how many of you are into homeopathic remedies but one I have found that is excellent is oregano oil mixed in olive oil.
Its a very harsh and caustic oil so it HAS to be diluted but it will worm them and it appears to kill cocci almost instantly as well.
Been great for treating my pea babies because sometimes they don't look sick one minute and the next are at deaths door. About tablespoon of oil (olive) and 4 drops of oregano oil mixed in a cup and then droppered into the edge of their beaks so it doesn't go down wrong pipe. That much should treat 4 or 5 birds."
He's talking about pea babies, so dose accordingly. Also, if you are familiar with individually worming chickens, I would do it the same way, rather than just putting it on their beak.
 
Last edited:
Back in April I lost a 6 week old chick to coccidiosis. I put my small flock on a round of 20% amprolium which worked a charm. Amprolium is meant for the treatment and prevention of bovine coccidiosis but if dosed properly in the water can be made appropriate for poultry consumption. Doses would depend on your flock numbers. In general birds 3-5 weeks old are most susceptible. It would be wise to put your chicks on a medicated feed to prevent this from occurring until they are 4 months of age and make sure you clean your pen out VERY thoroughly( use an animal friendly watered down disinfectant.) Also something to take into account is the fact that sometimes birds become ridden with coccidioisis because of other diseases/ parasites that are traveling around in the birds. In future fecal samples to a vet may be helpful to discovering anything else that may be making camp in your chicken's body. I hope your choos gets better!
 

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