2-3 week old chick pooing blood...

[blakeee]

Nope no grit in chick starter, in a pinch you can just set out sand or sandy soil. You should be able to get corrid in Australia, call around to make sure they have it in stock since it sounds like your time and outings are limited.

Hhmmmm.... I wonder where I can find sandy soil. What happens if they don't get grit? I vaguely remember seeing grit sold in the supermarket for birds... Will that do?

 

[Chickassan]

Yes, bird grit will do just fine. If they don't have grit they can't process complex foods since grit is basically a stand in for their teeth. So chick starter is like baby food anything past chick starter they have to "chew" hence the grit.

Hhmmmm.... I wonder where I can find sandy soil. What happens if they don't get grit? I vaguely remember seeing grit sold in the supermarket for birds... Will that do?

 

[blakeee]

Yes, bird grit will do just fine. If they don't have grit they can't process complex foods since grit is basically a stand in for their teeth. So chick starter is like baby food anything past chick starter they have to "chew" hence the grit.

Oh wow, thanks for that! I will purchase some tomorrow for sure.

 

[azygous]

In Australia, you will be looking for Amprolium 200. The directions for treatment are:

For treatment: Use 30g to 25 litres of drinking water (240mg Amprolium per litre) continuously for 5-7 days, reduce this to 15g to 25 litres for a further 5-7 days, then to 8g to 25 litres for another 5-7 days. This gradual reduction in the level of treatment assists birds to develop
immunity while maintaining some
level of protection.

 

[blakeee]

In Australia, you will be looking for Amprolium 200. The directions for treatment are:

For treatment: Use 30g to 25 litres of drinking water (240mg Amprolium per litre) continuously for 5-7 days, reduce this to 15g to 25 litres for a further 5-7 days, then to 8g to 25 litres for another 5-7 days. This gradual reduction in the level of treatment assists birds to develop
immunity while maintaining some
level of protection.

Great, thanks for that.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

UPDATE:
I just spoke to the vets and they stated that if it is bleeding every time it goes to the toilet then we should treat with antibiotics and cocci treatment. However, since this has only happened twice she suggested that it was going to do more harm then good pumping the little chick with meds. She told me to separate the chick from the others and watch. If it starts slowing down and becoming lethargic with an unwillingness to eat and drink then we will treat straight away. Thought this might be helpful advice for anyone else having the same issue. I will update if anything changes.

Antibiotics won't help coccidiosis because coccidia is a protozoa and not a bacteria.
Wait and see isn't good advice. Eating a single oocyst will kill thousands of cells in the intestine. Eating a large number will kill millions of cells causing bleeding into the intestine which is when you see blood in the feces. They won't get sufficient nutrients from feed and become anemic making them susceptible to other infections.
You may want to read this to become acquainted with the protozoa which in in soil worldwide.
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/coccidiosis/index.aspx

I have starter chick feed from my local livestock feed store.... Not sure if it's medicated though. I don't have any vinegar at home but I have cinnamon. Should I try that? What measurement was the cinnamon to water?

All feed bags that are medicated (with a coccidiostat) should have it printed right on the front of the bag and at the very least it should have the word 'medicated' printed prominently on the guaranteed analysis/ingredient tag.

Where would I find medicated chick starter? Is most chick starters medicated? As said above I bought a bag of chick starter from my local feed store but am unsure whether it's medicated as all it says is ''Chick Starter''.
Also, I got rid of the poo and he hasn't done any since.

Some feed stores only carry medicated feed, some only non-medicated, some both.
The oocysts will show up in the feces whether there is blood or not.

Another question,
if my chicks were with their mother, how does she stop anything like this happening with them? Why do human-raised chicks need medicated chick starter pellets?

Any age chicken can get a case of coccidiosis if they are suddenly exposed to excessive amounts of coccidia of a species they haven't previously been exposed to. Light exposure allows them to become resistant.
Chicks raised by a healthy broody hen will get probiotics from consuming some of her feces.

Thank you. I am a little bit stressed but I am getting some treatment tomorrow to be safe rather than sorry. I live far out of town and have many animals that need full time care as I am a wildlife carer so it is difficult for me to just hop in the car and get medication especially when I see that my chick doesn't look unwell at all. This means that I have a lot of trust in what my vet tells me. I really do appreciate the advice and definitely take it on board.

Most vets, even avian vets have little experience with poultry.
That said, vets should have experience with coccidiosis since it affects all animals with contact with soil - dogs, sheep, goats, cattle - even humans.

Does chick starter contain grit? Where do I get grit from? Will I be able to access Corrid in Australia?

No grit in starter because the ingredients are already well ground.
I always offer grit to chicks regardless of what they're eating because it helps to develop the gizzard.
I don't know if the product Corid is available there but they will have another product that contains amprolium (active ingredient in Corid).
They may just call it amprolium or there is this product.
http://www.iahp.com.au/australia/feed-additives/keystat-powder-keymix

Hhmmmm.... I wonder where I can find sandy soil. What happens if they don't get grit? I vaguely remember seeing grit sold in the supermarket for birds... Will that do?

I thought sand was pretty much everywhere. Bird grit will work for chicks up to about 5 weeks, then they need something larger.
Feed stores should carry larger grit.
As birds eat, the tongue pushes it into the esophagus and is temporarily stored in the crop. It then passes into the proventriculus (first stomach) where it gets digestive juices to help break it down. Then in goes into the gizzard (mechanical stomach) where strong muscles compress the tough inner membrane against the feedstuff to grind it. Grit of the appropriate size gets lodged in the gizzard to aid in grinding the food. If the grit is too small, it will pass right through the gizzard and won't help. Not having appropriate grit, some things will pass right through without complete digestion and they can lose benefit from some of the nutrients in the food.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You have recieved excellent advice and input, especially from @ChickenCanoe and @azygous

I agree with @azygous since you are in Australia look for Amprolium 200 or if you can't find that look for Coxoid.

Your vet mentioned antibiotics, so most likely they were referring sulfa drugs which are sometimes used to treat Coccidiosis.

Another option, is if you are hesitant about medicating your birds, would be to take a fresh poop sample to your vet for testing of Coccidiosis overload - you mentioned you deal with this in rehabbing Kangaroos, so I'm sure the vet can easily look at a slide to determine if there is an overload.

 

[getaclue]

The grit sold in the grocery stores for parakeets is fine for new chicks.

Medicated feed may not have enough Corid to treat one already showing signs of cocci, or coccidiosis, but is good to feed the rest of the group, and to feed the one affected, after you treat it with Corid. After you treat the one affected, you might want to use a bit of a vitamin supplement in their water, like rooster booster, or poly visol without iron (which is for human children, and can be found at the pharmacy).

 

[blakeee]

Antibiotics won't help coccidiosis because coccidia is a protozoa and not a bacteria.
Wait and see isn't good advice. Eating a single oocyst will kill thousands of cells in the intestine. Eating a large number will kill millions of cells causing bleeding into the intestine which is when you see blood in the feces. They won't get sufficient nutrients from feed and become anemic making them susceptible to other infections.
You may want to read this to become acquainted with the protozoa which in in soil worldwide.
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/coccidiosis/index.aspx


All feed bags that are medicated (with a coccidiostat) should have it printed right on the front of the bag and at the very least it should have the word 'medicated' printed prominently on the guaranteed analysis/ingredient tag.



Some feed stores only carry medicated feed, some only non-medicated, some both.
The oocysts will show up in the feces whether there is blood or not.


Any age chicken can get a case of coccidiosis if they are suddenly exposed to excessive amounts of coccidia of a species they haven't previously been exposed to. Light exposure allows them to become resistant.
Chicks raised by a healthy broody hen will get probiotics from consuming some of her feces.



Most vets, even avian vets have little experience with poultry.
That said, vets should have experience with coccidiosis since it affects all animals with contact with soil - dogs, sheep, goats, cattle - even humans.

No grit in starter because the ingredients are already well ground.
I always offer grit to chicks regardless of what they're eating because it helps to develop the gizzard.
I don't know if the product Corid is available there but they will have another product that contains amprolium (active ingredient in Corid).
They may just call it amprolium or there is this product.
http://www.iahp.com.au/australia/feed-additives/keystat-powder-keymix


I thought sand was pretty much everywhere. Bird grit will work for chicks up to about 5 weeks, then they need something larger.
Feed stores should carry larger grit.
As birds eat, the tongue pushes it into the esophagus and is temporarily stored in the crop. It then passes into the proventriculus (first stomach) where it gets digestive juices to help break it down. Then in goes into the gizzard (mechanical stomach) where strong muscles compress the tough inner membrane against the feedstuff to grind it. Grit of the appropriate size gets lodged in the gizzard to aid in grinding the food. If the grit is too small, it will pass right through the gizzard and won't help. Not having appropriate grit, some things will pass right through without complete digestion and they can lose benefit from some of the nutrients in the food.

So will I be able to see the occysts? Or is that an under the microscope sort of thing? This morning they all look fine, eating and drinking with no more bloody poo. I am going into town later today to get some grit and cocci treatment. I found some 'coccivet' but it's out of date so I'll see if they have anything specifically for chickens.

 

[blakeee]

You have recieved excellent advice and input, especially from @ChickenCanoe and @azygous

I agree with @azygous since you are in Australia look for Amprolium 200 or if you can't find that look for Coxoid.

Your vet mentioned antibiotics, so most likely they were referring sulfa drugs which are sometimes used to treat Coccidiosis.

Another option, is if you are hesitant about medicating your birds, would be to take a fresh poop sample to your vet for testing of Coccidiosis overload - you mentioned you deal with this in rehabbing Kangaroos, so I'm sure the vet can easily look at a slide to determine if there is an overload.

I am just going to get some treatment from the vets. I think I'm just going to use whatever they recommend or have instead of searching everywhere because I have limited time in town due to having to feed animals waiting at home and there is only two vets in the small town closet to me.