Most of the drugs do seem to work pretty fast. Coccidia can be a nasty disease. The key to getting rid of it (besides medicating) is to keep everything clean so they don't reinfect themselves. I'm glad you caught it in time to save most of them. I had bought some Silkies from a breeder, and I knew the second they had the bloody poo what it was, I decided I was feeding medicated feed to chicks from now on. Probably what killed that last batch of Silkies I had last fall, out of 24 I only had 4 left (and a mink ate two of those!
) I also rushed them outside, whole nother story there!
I have wondered if they can contaminate themselves during hatch (Can the embryos themselves carry it?) by coming into contact with poo on an egg.
I lost almost half of my Ameraucanas one year, even in a new brooder with new stuff, so I think the contaminated at hatch theory might be accurate, I couldn't understand how on earth they could have gotten it! I now feed medicated feed to all chicks, they seem to be fine once they go outside (the stuff moved outside doesn't get medicated feed) I'm really not much for medicating stuff without cause, but this years batch of birds have been much better since I started doing it. I do think there is some merit to having chickens develop natural immunity and culling for strong immune systems.
I think there was a British site that had chicken poops on it, so you could see healthy poo, and unhealthy poo?
