anybodys chickens died because they ate their poop

TNBarnQueen said:

Cocci can hit hard and quick as previously stated. Especially when you live in an area that is dealing with horrendous humidity for weeks. I always use Corid and PLEASE make sure to mix powered milk in their feed...50/50 because Corid is hard on their stomachs....really many meds are. So this will not complicate the problem during treatment.
I will tell you some advice given to me that has really helped in preventing cocci. The day your chicks are hatched starting taking grass and cut it up to let them eat it...do this every day. This exposes them to what will help build up their immunity system. I usually take a stick from outside when they are a week old to sit on and play with. If you think about the old broody hen with her chicks...she takes them out usually on the second day to scratch around in the dirt and grass!! Hope things get better!

Click to expand...

leadwolf1 said:

If you follow this advice, please make sure and provide grit for your chicks. Chicks cannot digest grass clippings without grit. I have not heard this particular advice. I have heard to start putting some soil from your chicken run into the brooder so that they will slowly be exposed to the Coccidia and build up immunity to it.

Click to expand...

speckledhen said:

Grass clippings, per se, will not prevent coccidiosis and it may impact their tiny crops. Grass has no real bearing on cocci and if you don't chop it up fine enough as they would nipping at it while it's still implanted in the ground, you could cause more harm than good. It's not the grass, it's the soil it comes from that you want.


Soil from your property is what you should put in the brooder. Dirt is where the oocysts that cause cocci are and them pecking in dirt from the first week of life helps them build immunity to cocci naturally. Put a dustbath in a shallow pan in the brooder.

Corid is not hard on them at all, TNBarnQueen. Corid is simply amprolium, just like in medicated feed, only at a higher concentration. The powdered milk alone is an old farmer's remedy for cocci, but if they are getting Corid, they don't need the powdered milk. Powdered milk is fine if you have no access to Corid right away, certainly, however, generally, it's best to give yogurt, which is not assimilated the same as actual milk, due to the good bacteria contained in yogurt.

In fact, Corid can even be given at a double concentration for mutated forms of cocci, which have been found in necropsies and are not one of the 9 normal types, it's so easy on their systems.

What is hard on their systems is Sulmet, a sulfa drug. That is one reason why Corid is the recommended med for coccidiosis. It does them no harm.

Click to expand...

TNBarnQueen said:

Thank speckled hen....glad to know about the powdered milk...it is expensive! Especially when mixing 50/50. Do you think having such high humidity makes them more prone to getting cocci? I have had 2 chickens who fluff up but I really don't think it is cocci. One would just sit with her eyes closed. I would get her out and she would walk around...her appetite was not the best. Really her only symptom was lethargy, So after 2 weeks she started eating better and I set the cage she was in next to her siblings. This evening she way trying to get to the feed before I could get it into her bowl. I would still like to know what it was because I have a 2 mo. old silkie doing the same thing. I think I worry more about these chickens than I did my own children when they where growing up!! Thanks again~

Click to expand...

leadwolf1 said:

When you see those symptoms, I would treat for Coccidia...some can pull through while many others will die. Treat your silkie with Corid.

Click to expand...