5 week chicks recovering from coccidia

[Jlwarn92]

Hello! I am reaching out to see if there are any suggestions to my particular case. I went to pick up three black Orpington chicks who were supposed to be around 5 weeks. When I got there the lady gave them to me for free because “she was just trying to get rid of them.” At the initial look they looked a little underdeveloped for their age but otherwise healthy. As soon as I got home and got them into the brooder they were lethargic which I assumed was the stress from being moved. An hour later they were all pooping blood. I immediately started treating with Corid. I lost one chick, one is still lethargic with ruffled feathers but is eating and drinking on their own, and the last appears to have recovered .

I will take any advice I can get to try and save the second chick. I also have concerns about their development. They are supposed to be going with my five week RIRs when they are better but my RIR are nearly triple their size. Will they catch back up when they are feeling better, I don’t want them to get picked on by the reds if I can help it. I’ve included pictures of the orpingtons, Scarfy (the mostly black one) and Ms Frizzle the one that is struggling at the moment, and also two of RIRs Duck and Chicoleta

Thank you so much for all your help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

Do you have photos of the poop?

Even though one is better, I'd direct oral drench both with the Corid.

Undiluted liquid Corid at a rate of 0.10ml twice a day for 3 days. This would be in addition to them drinking the mixed Corid water at 2tsp per gallon of water for 5-7 days.
Don't add any extra supplements that contain B1(Thiamine) during the course of treatment.

Are they both eating well? If not, then try offering a bit of wet feed.
They may also benefit from a little extra heat. If you have a brooder plate, set that up for them, they can choose to use it or not. A heating pad cave or even a light that provides a bit of extra warmth in one spot. Sick birds have a hard time regulating temps, so make sure they have plenty of space to move away from the heat source.

I'm not a breed expert nor am I very good at sexing youngsters, but I do believe that your 2 RIR are cockerels. This may account for the size difference. The 2 little one you have are not quite feathered in enough for me to think 5wks, but that's me and my thoughts.
I'll tag in @Overo Mare and @nuthatched to see what they think. And No, there's no coffee or doughnuts left - so it's freebie here folks unless you want a hug or somethin'...

 

[nuthatched]

The orpingtons look about 2 ish weeks and the reds look closer to 5, at least one is a cockerel. What are your brooder temps?

 

[dawg53]

Do not put the chicks in with the RIR's. The chicks will get picked on, guaranteed, healthy or not.

 

[Jlwarn92]

Welcome To BYC

Do you have photos of the poop?

Even though one is better, I'd direct oral drench both with the Corid.

Undiluted liquid Corid at a rate of 0.10ml twice a day for 3 days. This would be in addition to them drinking the mixed Corid water at 2tsp per gallon of water for 5-7 days.
Don't add any extra supplements that contain B1(Thiamine) during the course of treatment.

Are they both eating well? If not, then try offering a bit of wet feed.
They may also benefit from a little extra heat. If you have a brooder plate, set that up for them, they can choose to use it or not. A heating pad cave or even a light that provides a bit of extra warmth in one spot. Sick birds have a hard time regulating temps, so make sure they have plenty of space to move away from the heat source.

I'm not a breed expert nor am I very good at sexing youngsters, but I do believe that your 2 RIR are cockerels. This may account for the size difference. The 2 little one you have are not quite feathered in enough for me to think 5wks, but that's me and my thoughts.
I'll tag in @Overo Mare and @nuthatched to see what they think. And No, there's no coffee or doughnuts left - so it's freebie here folks unless you want a hug or somethin'...

Thank you for the welcome! I hate that it’s not on a happier note. They are both eating and drinking well. I will start doing the oral drench for both immediately. The room they are in stays between 75-80 and they have a heat lamp set up at one end of the brooder, they move in and out of it and around the brooder. The one I am concerned about sticks directly to the side of the other one and will eat and drink when they do.

On the RIRs I have a feeling all five might be cockerels (insert nail biting here) however we’ll ride it out and see. My children are doing this for homeschool as well and are documenting changes in behavior and looks as we go. Fingers crossed we don’t have seven roosters all together lol!

 

[Jlwarn92]

The orpingtons look about 2 ish weeks and the reds look closer to 5, at least one is a cockerel. What are your brooder temps?

The room they are in stays between 75-80 degrees, we keep the window open as well for fresh air (we live in Florida and temperatures are currently in 80s). The small brooder that the little ones are in has a heat lamp at one side that keeps that area around 85, they move in and out of that space quite frequently.

 

[Jlwarn92]

Do not put the chicks in with the RIR's. The chicks will get picked on, guaranteed, healthy or not.

Thank you, I will keep them separate. I believe we have multiple (if not all) cockerel so I will wait under they are bigger and more able to hold their own

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for the photos, yes, I'd definitely finish the Corid.
Sounds like your temps are fine for the young ones especially if they are not huddling under the heat all the time - moving about the brooder is very good.

Let's hope that not all are cockerels.
I'm not much help with the RIR, but I think I see at least 1
Sounds like a good project for school. Depending on your point of view you may have more than one learning experience - perhaps having to rehome some extra cockerels (writing an "ad"/dealing with potential takers/customer service) or even keeping them and growing out birds to be processed for a meal.

Hopefully these 2 little ones will improve and thrive. They are all cute, but I love chickens.

 

[Jlwarn92]

Thank you for the photos, yes, I'd definitely finish the Corid.
Sounds like your temps are fine for the young ones especially if they are not huddling under the heat all the time - moving about the brooder is very good.

Let's hope that not all are cockerels.
I'm not much help with the RIR, but I think I see at least 1
Sounds like a good project for school. Depending on your point of view you may have more than one learning experience - perhaps having to rehome some extra cockerels (writing an "ad"/dealing with potential takers/customer service) or even keeping them and growing out birds to be processed for a meal.

Hopefully these 2 little ones will improve and thrive. They are all cute, but I love chickens.

I just wanted to provide an update that the two little ones are doing much better now and seem to be thriving! Thank you to everyone that gave advice and support!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad to hear they are doing well!
Thank you for the update