4 day old chick w/ slight tinge of blood in stool

[newhope]

I have 4, 4 day old chicks I got on Thursday. Friday I noticed that 1 little BR had a spot or so of blood in its stool. It was very energetic and active and still is. And eats and drinks and poops just fine except that ther still appears to be a pinkish tinge to part of its stool. Friday called the feed store where I got the chicks and the guy said to make sure they were on medicated feed. They have been since I got them home. He said they had not been on medicated feed in the store but they had only been there a few hours before I picked them up. The guy at the feed store said that if the chick started to act sick they sold an antibiotic? I could put in their water. In back posts I've seen people recommend yogurt or milk.
Please help as these are my first chickens and I'm very unsure about what route to take.
Also will the problem take several days to clear up on medicated feed?
Thanks for any help and advice!

 

[chickletranch]

Hi and welcome to the wonderful world of chickens!
Generally, medicated feed is a preventative and not meant to actually treat coccidiosis once it occurs. If your chick has coccidiosis, no need to use an antibiotic. There are several sulfa-based anti-coccidial medications that are meant to be mixed with water (such as Sulmet) and administered over the course of a week or so. If there is blood in the stool, I would start treatment immediately. Good luck, Lynn

 

[newhope]

Thank you, Lynn!

 

[Judy]

Whoa, slow down!

First of all, it may not even be blood. Look at the poo chart here; perhaps it is a cecal poo:

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

If they do have cocci, I would not start with Sulmet; it could be too rough on them. You can give amprolium instead. This is the same as the ingredient in medicated feed, but a higher dose. It is much safer. It is not an antibiotic but a thiamine blocker, and woks by controlling the growth of cocci. It helps control numbers while they build a natural resistance to cocci.

It is possible but a little odd for 4 day old chicks to be infested with cocci, since they come from the soil.

Yes, some plain live culture yogurt is an excellent idea for new chicks. It helps build the normal gut flora. You can also use probiotics from the feed store or acidophilous culture from the health food store. Or acidophilous milk. Mix a little with a little feed to get them to accept it.

I have read that if they are really infested with cocci, you will see a mucousy stool with what looks like raw hamburger in it.

 

[newhope]

Thanks DDawn,
I've checked that chart and the poop in question doesn't look like the example shown for coccidiosis nor does it look like raw hamburger. It looks more like regular poop but with a segment tinged pinkish red.

 

[Judy]

Frankly, I wouldn't treat it. I am no chicken expert, and certainly not a vet, but I spend way too much time on BYC.... Unless you see some real indication they are sick, you could do more harm than good, especially with Sulmet.

I raised over 50 this spring and 20 last year. I saw a streak or spot of blood, or what looked like blood, in a poop every now and then. I did have them on medicated feed but never treated for cocci. I just kept an eye out for more blood or other problems. They seemed healthy so I left them alone. Several of the 50 arrived dead (slow shipping and cold weather) and more died in the first 2 or 3 days, and I bought some replacements; after that, I never lost one.

If your gut tells you to treat, at least go with Corid, which is the brand name of amprolium.

It is true that some on here with plenty of experience have found themselves treating for cocci this year, even on medicated feed. Cocci is not just one organism, there are several, and evidently this is a bad year for them. The worst of it is, even if you went the vet route, the test for cocci isn't very good, so you're still guessing.

 

[chickletranch]

I agree that amprollium is preferable to meds like Sulmet. Unfortunately none of the feed stores near us stock it - hopefully your does. You might also put some vitamins (like VitaFlight) in their water for a couple of days, to help strengthen their immune systems. Good luck, Lynn

 

[newhope]

Thanks again ddawn and Lynn for your thoughts and opinions.
I did go to the feedstore here and they didn't have amprolium, they only had an antibiotic (packet said it was for respiratory problems) or Sulmet so instead I got some yogurt w/ acidophilus. I've mixed some feed in w/ it and am now offering it to the chicks. They don't seem to like it much.
Think that's what I'll try for now since they're all acting okay.
Best.

 

[Judy]

They should accept the yogurt better in time. Mine wouldn't touch it the first time. You could try a little in with some cooked egg or chopped tomato -- or anything you know they like.

Good luck!

 

[newhope]

Thanks I'll try mixing some thing appealing to the chicks in the yogurt.