DLM and coccidiosis

Sabz

Songster
6 Years
Mar 27, 2013
487
35
111
Quebec, Canada
Good morning from sunny Quebec :)

Yesterday I received the chicken emergency kit I tried to put together. I ordered some amprolium for coccidiosis. I read the instructions on the bag and I was wondering what happens if you have a coccidiosis outbreak in a deep liter method coop?

I mean.. ok, the birds will be treated and they will be better, but then, the old poop with the eggs in it? Won't the eggs mature and hatch and then re-infect the flock?

I do understand that in time, the hens will become sort of immune, or resistant to coccidiosis, but if new chicks are introduced in the coop?

Is it because the treatment is 3-5 days and the eggs hatch in 1-2 days that the treatment works correctly even with DLM? So the newly hatched protozoa are eaten by the hens on day 2 of the treatment for example, then the amprol will kill the protozoa once ingested so at the end of the 5 day treatment, all cocci is gone from the coop?

Just wondering.. I like to understand correctly hehe.

Thanks for educating me ;) It's been a while since I learned all about coccidiosis in school hehe.
 
This is my experience.

Coccidiosis is spread about and there are 8 different strains. Some are morphing, it would seem, and are more virulent than others. The most dangerous time for the chicks is when they come out of a clean, sterile, brooder box. When they are put on the ground they are suddenly exposed to the pest and have not yet built up a resistance. I also find medicated feed to contain an amount of amprollium too small to do much except provide a false sense of security. So, i no longer mess with medicated feed.

I start the chicks off with 1/4 teaspoon per gallon in their water at 4 weeks in preparation for the trip out the real world. At 5 weeks they are outside. In the water, the dose is upped to 1 teaspoon per gallon. After a week, I reduce that amount back down to the 1/4 teaspoon per gallon rate. When they are 9 weeks old, I'm confident their immunity is now strong enough to prevent them from being overwhelmed. Coccidiosis is everywhere and the chicks do indeed develop their immunity. Just don't want them overwhelmed before that happens.

But, if I see an outbreak, they would all get water at 1 1/2 teaspoon per gallon to treat.

So far, using the smaller dose as a prevention, knock on wood, all has been well. These are hard lessons to learn for me, costly too, having lost some valuable chicks to a severe, virulent outbreak a few yeas back.

Normally, chicks brooded naturally pick up their resistance from their mother.
 
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Has anyone ever had coccidiosis with broody-raised chicks on the ground from day one? I have both raised chicks in a brooder and on the ground, but I put a fresh clump of sod with grass in the brooder for them to peck at. Some have recommended that when I first starting raising chicks, and so far, I've never experienced an outbreak of coccidiosis with either broody-raised or brooder chicks. Since they need to gradually build up immunity, I wonder if that day one exposure when they has some maternal immunity helps?
 

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