Defeating Cocci with NATURAL herbs - I did it!

I don't know how many people read the articles on BYC but I wanted to share here in the "Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures" forum that I may have found a possible sure-fire way of defeating cocci in an already sick chick using natural treatment. That is to say no Corrid/Sulmet or other synthetic medications.

This is not to pump my ego here, just to share. I'm giving this info freely. Also, I'm not posting this in the Natural Chicken Keeping thread because there's been so much drama there in the past that I've decided to stay clear of it. But you're welcome to reference this post (and the article) if you want.

Here is the article I wrote. (It's in two parts; story above, treatment method below)
Please, please spread this info as far & wide as possible. The more we can find & build upon natural cures for cocci, the better.

Quailsong - fascinating!! Heartbreaking you lost 2, but magnificent that 3 survived - kudos to your efforts. I hope I never have to deal with cocci, but I will cetainly keep your article in mind if I know of anyone who needs help.
I do hope the people who sold you sick, ailing birds enjoy the reward that fate will have in store for them..........I find it repugnant that animals can be treated so poorly.
Thank you for sharing,

Yes,i am familiar with the treatment you have listed,sometimes it works and sometimes it does not,you have been lucky.

ten chicks said:

Yes,i am familiar with the treatment you have listed,sometimes it works and sometimes it does not,you have been lucky.

Click to expand...

I'm not saying I found a sure-fire cure, I'm saying I found one way to treat my birds, out of many possible ways to treat - esp when I had no other options at the time. I want to know WHY I was 'lucky' so I posted my story with everyone. With 'luck' maybe others will find a repeat ingredient or method used & say "That seems to do the trick!"

Unfortunately, meds like Corrid don't always work, so having alternate options IS beneficial for us as chicken keepers. Remember, it's about all of us working together to find the best method possible.

Since you state you're familiar with natural treatment of Corrid, why not add your findings with us? I would be very interested in hearing what you have to add, since you seem more knowledgeable on the subject.^^

Hi QuailSong,

Thank you for your post. My chickens just got the pox. I read elsewhere to put iodine on the scabs, and I read also to put neosporin without pain killer on the eye that closed up on one chicken. Then I used some of your fighter recipe because one chicken had very little of the pox but was with the other two so I wanted to keep her from getting a bad case and help the others with their pox.

The results so far are very good. The day I discovered the pox and put iodine on their pox and neosporin on the eye of one chicken whose eye shut (not oozy or watery but just closed). That one is named Millie. The next morning Millie's eye was fully open again. And her pox had greatly decreased. The one that had less iodine on her pox got more (Gertie). I had applied it with a cotton Q tip at first (with Gertie) but had poured iodine on Millie's pox since her's were so bad. Now Millie's are not so bad-ovenight results. Today I caught Gertie (not easy even in the coop) and poured iodine on her pox also since Millie had great results.

I mixed some of the fighter recipe to help fight off the disease more. They are all active, and love the fighter food more than the usual food without it. Milllie is not fighting for the food much though. (She was the one with the previously closed eye). She is in the last pecking order and lets the others eat first and so often gets less "treats" though I try to get some to her she leaves it for the others. I hope this is normal and not a sign of weakness or sickness. Millie is also not laying eggs yet though the other two (Gertie and Beatrice) have. Millie was born April 6, 14 (the same day as the others)and today is Oct 19th, 14. Is this not normal? Millie's comb is a little shorter also. Gertie and Beatrice (Bea) both started laying on Oct 6, 2014 on their 6 month birthday. So I do hope Millie does not have more going on here.

Altogether though they all seem better though. If it is not good to give this potent of a recipe for pox send me a message okay. The difference in their energy etc is notable. The other two Gertie, and Beatrice are still laying eggs. Do you know if the eggs okay to eat? I have been using them (I do not sell I use my eggs just for personal use).

All comments are welcome. I have never raised chickens before I got these 3 this last April. They are such a treat.

I hope others reading this can also benefit and use these recipes and see what they can do when needed. And let us know!

Thanks again

lovegertie, I've yet to have birds with pox *knock on wood* so I can't give you personal advice on it. My listed feed mixes deal with cocci, which is far different from wet or dry pox. Though I'd assume an increase in nutrients might help a bird regardless.

From my understanding, eggs are usually safe to eat unless the bird has been medicated/vaccinated recently or there is some obvious defect in the egg. It might be good to research this further and possibly vaccinate your future birds (ie, chicks or pre-pox pullets/cockerels) if you're in a high-pox prone area.

This link might help put you in the right direction: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/avian-pox-how-to-treat-your-chickens-for-avian-pox

Concerning egg laying, some pullets just take longer than others to lay their first, even if they're siblings. And adding an illness may slow that further. Make sure your Millie is eating as much as the other girls. That she's at the bottom of the pecking order means she's more likely to be stressed and/or unable to consume enough feed as the other girls (esp if you ration food.)

Also, welcome to BYC!