Chicken passing blood....what's going on?

I incubated and hatched out a bunch of chicks 5 weeks ago. All doing well, they are eating and drinking and are all spunky....2 weeks ago I saw a few tiny spots of red. Could not find anything... Then forgot about it...yesterday I saw loose poop that was liver color I suspect it had blood in it but no other signs. Tonight my last check on them, I see larger areas with bright red blood on the wood chips. And a normal shape poop but bloody looking. I find the chick who looks to be the one, reddish coloring in and around vent. I put a ring on leg so I can keep an eye...looks spunky eating and drinking.
Can lack of water cause this? I have a Gatorade dripper and this last week I started putting in a milk jug with water to try and keep up with the demand. They make such a mess with the dripper. I keep them in a 36x36 card board box....they have wide wood shavings. I noticed 2 weeks ago tiny black bugs I don't know what they were and I don't know where they came from I had never seen them before. But the chicks seem to enjoy the challenge and ate them and I don't see to many now. They are eating med. chick from purina. They get very little other stuff. I threw in some baby spinach leaves the other day but less then one leaf per chick. I have never had this problem...and the NPIP girls were out at another location last week and I am pretty sure the ship out tests were good too.
Any thoughts?

I don't know what a Gatorade dripper is, nor what 'ship out tests' are.
Are the NPIP girls the chicks in question or another flock?
Aside from that, it sounds like coccidiosis. Medicated feed usually takes care of that but the symptoms point to it.
Bedding should be kept bone dry to control coccidia. If by making a mess with the dripper means they are getting the shavings wet, that's likely the problem. Just a bit of the protozoa defecated into wet bedding will cause a population explosion.
Get them some Corid/amprolium right away. It sounds serious.

You can find the dosage for whether the corid is in powder or liquid form in the following and many other threads here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/548021/need-help-with-corid-dosage

Then use a water source that won't get the bedding wet.

How many chicks are in the box? That's big enough for the first week but 2-8 week chicks need about 2.5 sq. ft. per bird, unless they're bantams which need about 1.5 sq. ft. per bird.

ChickenCanoe said:

....................... Stuff deleted ......................


Get them some Corid/amprolium right away. It sounds serious.

You can find the dosage for whether the corid is in powder or liquid form in the following and many other threads here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/548021/need-help-with-corid-dosage

Then use a water source that won't get the bedding wet.

How many chicks are in the box? That's big enough for the first week but 2-8 week chicks need about 2.5 sq. ft. per bird, unless they're bantams which need about 1.5 sq. ft. per bird.

Click to expand...

No offense to anyone, but the 1/2 teaspoon Corid powder dose mentioned in that thread is *very wrong*. The *correct* dose is 1.5 teaspoons per gallon for 5 days, then 1/3 teaspoon for 7-14 days.

I think that thread is the source of the "1/2 teaspoon misinformation", and like many people, I used to think it was correct until I called the mfg, weighed the powder and did the math.

The 9.6% liquid dose is 2 teaspoons per gallon for 5 days, then 1/2 teaspoon for 7-14 days.

-Kathy

@casportpony Thank you for chiming in. I should have found your info instead of searching for corid threads here.

ChickenCanoe said:

@casportpony
 Thank you for chiming in. I should have found your info instead of searching for corid threads here.

Click to expand...

You're welcome!

-Kathy

Edited to add:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1059818/corid-ampromed-and-amprol-doses

A big thank you to you both... I ran to the feed store and got the liquid and did the math of what 9.5 cc was after trying to take a .05cc syringe and it getting all sorts of air bubbles and I would have surly lost count too..... so I did and internet conversion and found out 2 teaspoons to a gallon of water would be correct. I also did further investigating and found a great video on the Chicken Chick site. after watching that I calmed down a bit and my understanding of Coccidiosis is much better.
Here is a link http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken.html
So I am hoping I have caught it early as I don't see the other signs that they mention yet.
I will also make adjustments to expand my box and give them more room and additional drippers. Last batch I put outside by this size but they are now just about full size and I was afraid these guys were too small but looking at them.. . maybe not...... so I will get this outbreak under control and then put them together... hopefully they will get along. They have a nice 10x10 waiting for them. My chicken math is catching up on me. Need more coops.... Yikes........

jjaazzy said:

A big thank you to you both... I ran to the feed store and got the liquid and did the math of what 9.5 cc was after trying to take a .05cc syringe and it getting all sorts of air bubbles and I would have surly lost count too..... so I did and internet conversion and found out 2 teaspoons to a gallon of water would be correct. I also did further investigating and found a great video on the Chicken Chick site. after watching that I calmed down a bit and my understanding of Coccidiosis is much better.
Here is a link http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken.html
So I am hoping I have caught it early as I don't see the other signs that they mention yet.
I will also make adjustments to expand my box and give them more room and additional drippers. Last batch I put outside by this size but they are now just about full size and I was afraid these guys were too small but looking at them.. . maybe not...... so I will get this outbreak under control and then put them together... hopefully they will get along. They have a nice 10x10 waiting for them. My chicken math is catching up on me. Need more coops.... Yikes........

Click to expand...

With the liquid, 9.5 to 10 cc's (two teaspoons) per gallon is what most people use. That amount is correct.

DOSAGE LEVEL​

MIXING DIRECTIONS

0.024%​

Add 1 pint (16 fluid ounces) of AmproMed

P FOR POULTRY 9.6% Oral Solution in about 5 gallons of water in a 50 gallon medication barrel. Stir, then add water to the 50 gallon mark. Stir thoroughly.

0.012%​

Follow same directions as above but use 1/2 pint (8 fluid ounces) of AmproMed

P FOR POULTRY 9.6% Oral Solution.

0.006%​

Follow same directions as above but use 4 fluid ounces of AmproMed

P FOR POULTRY 9.6% Oral Solution.

0.024% - 16 ounces = 473.176 ml, so it's 473.176 ml ÷ 50 gallons = 9.46352 ml per gallon.
9.46352 x 96 mg per ml = 908.49792 mg per gallon.

The goal is to medicate the water to somewhere between 900 mg and 960 mg per gallon.

Guess all I'm trying to say is that you medicated the water just like I do.

-Kathy

Believe it. I now have 8 housing units.

I never use medicated feed and I've only had the need to use Corid once.
The trick is keeping bedding bone dry and feeders full.
If bedding gets wet, remove it upon discovery.

Here is what the FDA recommends for dosing:
Quote: I do the 0.024% for 5 days, then the 0.006% for 7 days.

-Kathy

Thanks again everyone, so what do you do if they quit drinking? It hasn't happened yet but I do see that they are not as spunky as before....but maybe I am too much the mother hen...And I keep the medicated water going for 3-5 days then stop....then again in 3 weeks? What determines the 3 or 5 days? If everything looks good, no blood and active, stop?
:/:/:/