7 day old RIR pooped a worm, maybe

[MTchick]

This poor chick- she is still looking and acting great, but now she has even more new and worrisome symptoms. (beware- the explanation is kinda graphic)

She is sneezing about once every ten minutes, and I saw her cough out some clear fluid (slightly more viscous than water) this morning. Her poo seemed normal for the last 24 hours- until as I was cleaning the brooder and watched her as she pooped out some normal feces with bloody material in it as well as several clumps of stringy orange/yellow mucous. I am so horrified that a chick could have these things in it! She must be so uncomfortable!

I'm having the fecal float test done tomorrow, although I have to say I'm getting to a point now where if she comes up with any other severe symptoms (or if these get worse) I will just put her down. I know that is harsh, but I don't have the money or attachment to heal a very sick chick.

-MTchick

 

[dlhunicorn]

do you have your birds on medicated starter because this sounds like cocci which is very common if you do not. Go to feed store immediately and get the meds for cocci and treat all the birds.

 

[MTchick]

They have been on medicated feed the whole time. I actually did not have a choice- stores around here do not carry anything else.

This morning the chick is still looking and acting fine. She puzzles me, but at least she's a fighter!

I've decided to start a separate brooder for the new chicks I'm getting tomorrow so that I can wait until she gets better to potentially expose the newer ones, and the older ones, to new germs. That way I can keep watching and waiting for her to get better without being concerned she'll take down my whole flock.

-MTchick

 

[MTchick]

It is official- despite being on medicated feed since I got her last week (and having the cleanest and driest brooder on earth, I suspect), my little sick chick has a rampant case of coccidiosis. The fecal float test was really fun... seriously- my friend who is a veterinarian technician and I (I'm a wildlife biologist) tested both the sick chick and her brooder-mate today and it was absolutely fascinating to see the difference in cocci eggs in the sick chick poo vs the other chick's poo. Basically the slide was utterly covered with in them in the sick chick (1000s of them) and the healthy chick had about two in the entire slide.

I've been feeding both of them finely diced garlic, yogurt, and diluted apple cider vinegar. The sick chick remains sneezy but her activity level and general attitude is still great. Tomorrow I'm getting some "real" meds from the feed store to give to them because I'm sure this level of infection is beyond what my herbal aids and her immune system can handle.

I have high hopes for her now that we have a definite cause to her suffering! As a scientist, the thing I dislike the most is not having a *cause* for something!

Thanks for everyone's advice and support. Someday soon she'll be a nice big red hen, I think.

-MTchick

 

[Wes in Tx]

MT you need to get Corid or liquid Amprol to treat for cocci. Also so you better understand the medicated feed, the amount of Amprolium in it is only to help them build immunity so somehow the poor baby just got overloaded with the cocci.

 

[MTchick]

Anyone remember this thread? My RIR chick was very sick from a very young age- I thought about putting her down a couple of times. Medication and patience (both were crucial) pulled her through.

Well, she has grown up to be a positively enormous pullet. She always seems a little bony to me- less plump than the Wyandottes and BR's for sure, but she is really tall and vigorous. She is a very greedy eater and probably the second-in-command in terms of the pecking order (of 7). I wonder if her problems as a chick led to a chronic poor nutrient uptake. I'll never know, I guess.

I'm expecting all the hens to start laying soon. I can't believe it was only March when I bought those teeny fluff balls.

-MTchick

 

[Weewanona]

 

[dlhunicorn]

cocci is notorious for damaging the intestines...and nutrient uptake is therefore often affected... get a good poultry supplement and add regularly to their feed...this will help.

 

[justusnak]

Mtchick....I am so glad to hear the little one pulled through. Got pics!?? What a little fighter. Thats great!

 

[mudhen]

Love to hear updates like this!
I often wonder what happened when there aren't any and fear the worst.
So glad she is doing well!
Yeah, I'd like to see pics too!