Lining or worms…once more CAUSE?

[Tristeli]

Guys I need your help here. I posted another article last month for one of my newest birds (3mo cockerel). He and his sister had been battling mysterious frequent shedding of intestinal lining since they were 2mo and still living in a clean room in my house. After antibiotics and time they recovered only to relapse. The female now twice. Fecals negative. 2 rounds of coccidistats had been used without affect-the poops cleared after antibiotics each time.

I am currently halfway thru treatment for the pullet…watching every dropping. On the other side of the yard in the barn were 3 of my other older hens. The attached are THEIR droppings. Now I think I know the answer, but once more…lining or worms?

The only thing all these birds have in common is eating the Grubblies grower crumble. The chicks started pooping ALOT of red/orange lining a week after I started mixing it into their Meyers Hatchery starter crumble (whilst living in the house zero contact with other animals). No other flock members had these symptoms. After the above incidents/treatments the chicks moved outside. Recently several older birds have been molting-the three I mentioned earlier in the barn. The last week they have been chowing down on the chicks grower crumble. I had special feeders for them with smaller ports but they finally outgrew them so I started putting out a bowl. The older flock typically eats a different brand of layer feed. IS IT POSSIBLE THIS BAG OF GROWER FEED IS CAUSING THIS???

The pullet currently on treatment had an exam, fecal and X-rays-the vet said they found no parasites but images indicated inflammation of the bowels with no apparent internal cause (ie-mass, foreign body,blockage etc). The images are being email to me I’ll post when I get them. So enteritis…presumed bacterial. I keep treating it but if I’m feeding them something that is causing it..,it’s just going to keep coming back right.

Please gurus help me

 

[dawg53]

It's not worms, it's shed intestinal lining. What antibiotics are you using? What coccidiostats are you using?

It might be in your best interest to switch feeds to Nutrena or Purina products.

 

[Tristeli]

In the past 2mo I had tried corid and endox. The vet gave me a script for trimethaprim sulfa which worked twice. Of note-earlier this spring when I’d seen something like this before those hens were given the same drug with positive effect. I took the grower feed away at the same time as one was diagnosed with a lipomas (fat pad) and needed a diet. The issue never returned. The grower feed came back with the new chicks this fall.

My usual vet is on vacation for 2 weeks so I took one to another clinic and they gave her Baytril. That’s all the meds I’ve tried thus far.

Can it really be a food intolerance or bad feed batch? I’ve seen it with our cats-some brands just made him so sick. I have new brand of grower food coming tomorrow morning. I can only hope this is it.

 

[dawg53]

You've used the same meds as I wouldve used. I'm glad the SMZ-TMP worked but you cant give it to them all the time.
It could be something in the Grubblies layer feed. It wouldnt hurt to switch to another feed and give it a try.
Give it time with the new feed and let us know how it turns out. Also, look inside the sacks for mold or mildew on the sides of the bag or where you open it at the top. Additionally, if you see any size clumps of feed, dont give it to your chickens. It means it got wet somehow and then dried. Return it for a refund or another sack of feed....same with mold or mildew in feed sacks.

I forgot to mention that SMZ-TMP treats certain types of coccidiosis which are protozoa. SMZ-TMP has antibiotic action which treats two of the nine types of coccidia. That's just for your information.

 

[Tristeli]

Alright..,7 day update.

I took the Grubblies Grower feed away this time last week. The adults always had a different layer feed so I ordered that companies grower formula for the young ones. It’s been 5 days since I saw any “off” droppings from then. Neither Giles nor Genevieve have been rx medicated since (Gen had just finished the course of Baytril the er gave her). I did put out containers of probiotics and oregano water (free choice beside the plain) and I did sprinkle some of the Treats for Chickens Wellness Remedy blend of herbs on their morning food. I also did a weigh in and found both birds had gained-no loss in condition.

Of the older birds, 2 never touched the bowls of Grubbly grower feed, 2 pecked at it then decided no, 2 chowed down on it. Those 2 had abnormal droppings over the weekend. The faverolle appears ok, my 5yo polish not so much (I did confirm some of the “bad droppings” under her roost so I started her on the SMZ-TMP 2 days ago. She is the one who had a very bad case in the spring of whatever this was and required hospitalization. I don’t medicate lightly but with her im not taking chances.

The bags of feed looked fine, the company insists they have t had reports like this before but has agreed to send a sample to a lab. All fecals run by vets, labs, hospitals have been negative for parasites. X-rays show nothing but inflammation. Maybe it’s a breed sensitivity, maybe a bad batch, idk…only when I take it away the mystery illness goes away too.