MixedFlock23
Songster
Need advice. I’m not sure what else to do. It's been a month and I feel so defeated. My chicks and hens are still thin and struggling with something.
13 Thin chicks, bloody stools, four of thirteen sneezing.
8 Thin hens, diarrhea in some, sour crops in some
I bought 9 hatchery chicks that arrived as 3 day olds on August 12th. One died the next day (from a torn air sac, I believe). I bought 7 more from a local breeder the next day (ranging in ages from 3 days to 10 days old). I put them together not thinking about quarantining chicks.
Two days later one sneezed, the next day another sneezed. On August 19th, several were sneezing and I began to weigh them. The next day I saw several were losing weight. I took a stool sample in & they identified cocci. The chicks were already on medicated food. I began Corid (2t/gallon for five days) August 25th. I saw bloody stool once that day. They seemed to improve. I then gave Bactrim to fight the respiratory/sneezing and continue to fight the cocci (it is an antibiotic/antiprotozoan). After the five day run, the six sneezers were still sneezing, so I put Denagard in their water (5 days, 1T/gal). This brought us to September 8th. Through with meds, I gave probiotics/electrolytes/vitamins (Rooster Booster) in their water. Their weights stalled again and one lost weight. Since it had been 2 weeks since I began the first Corid run, & I saw many sites recommend a second run after two weeks, I began Corid again Sept 10 (5 days @full dose, then three days at 1/4 dose; the preventative dose). That brings me to this morning. Weight gains have slowed again. And I saw bloody poops from two different chicks! Some chicks are so thin that I see their keel and hip bones and pelvic bones. I clean their brooder once a day and wash & disinfect waterers/feeders daily as well. The 5 older chicks that are nearly fully feathered go outside in the chicken tractor (4’x12’). They sleep in the 70° shed since it’s 50° at night and they aren’t fully feathered.
At this same time, I’ve noticed my hens have lost weight. Two were suddenly sneezing, so I gave them Denagard when I treated the chicks with it. I separated three that had what I believed to be yeast overgrowth in their mouth. (One has it since last year & the vet did a swab & said it was yeast, but antifungal didn’t cure it.) I dosed those three with antifungal & antiprotozoan meds (for canker, just in case). Nothing worked. We sadly put them to sleep after the meds made it worse and they had trouble breathing.
I have 8 remaining hens. Only two weigh up to breed standards. The rest need to gain 0.5-1lb. I can feel their keels. Several have diarrhea, but no sneezes (the two that sneezed have passed.) One hen hasn’t eaten in two days but it still up and running around with the flock (but flat crop nightly & by day). I give them pellets free choice, and mix up a higher protein crumble with water & give them acidified copper sulfate (since I think this is fungal) in their water.
I separated one who’s crop didn’t empty two nights ago and withheld food all day yesterday and massages her crop after oil/water administration. This morning she still had a doughy crop, so I vomited her. It was super sour smelling! She is still on only water, but I’m not sure where to go from here.
Please help. I bought dewormer but can’t give it until after they are feathered (hens are molting & chicks are under six weeks). No worms/egg were seen by the vet in the stool sample and I've done a float and smear and checked with my microscope and saw no evidence of worms either. I think I’ll try miconazole (for lady yeast infections) along with the copper sulfate water. I’m not sure what I should be doing. The vets here don’t treat chickens & don’t have nystatin, but did run stool samples & throat swabs when I asked. My husband said I can’t keep the chicks on meds, but I can try the antifungal route. I’ve tried two runs of Corid and still have bloody stools. If I have a strain resistant to Corid the other med is $200 which isn’t an option. I’m praying if it’s still cocci then my chicks will overcome it on their own now that the meds are finished. Fungal infections can cause sneezing as well as digestive issues (sour crops/weight loss/diarrhea), but I can't find anything about fungal infections and diarrhea, but I really hope the miconazole cures everything. I've run out of ideas beyond that. I've lost so much sleep over this. Please advise.
I’ve had chickens for 4.5 years and this is the first time I’ve had weight loss, bloody stools, & diarrhea.
Attached are photos of the thinnest chicks and poo with blood. Also some poo in both the hens and chicks seems to have undigested pieces in it.
13 Thin chicks, bloody stools, four of thirteen sneezing.
8 Thin hens, diarrhea in some, sour crops in some
I bought 9 hatchery chicks that arrived as 3 day olds on August 12th. One died the next day (from a torn air sac, I believe). I bought 7 more from a local breeder the next day (ranging in ages from 3 days to 10 days old). I put them together not thinking about quarantining chicks.
Two days later one sneezed, the next day another sneezed. On August 19th, several were sneezing and I began to weigh them. The next day I saw several were losing weight. I took a stool sample in & they identified cocci. The chicks were already on medicated food. I began Corid (2t/gallon for five days) August 25th. I saw bloody stool once that day. They seemed to improve. I then gave Bactrim to fight the respiratory/sneezing and continue to fight the cocci (it is an antibiotic/antiprotozoan). After the five day run, the six sneezers were still sneezing, so I put Denagard in their water (5 days, 1T/gal). This brought us to September 8th. Through with meds, I gave probiotics/electrolytes/vitamins (Rooster Booster) in their water. Their weights stalled again and one lost weight. Since it had been 2 weeks since I began the first Corid run, & I saw many sites recommend a second run after two weeks, I began Corid again Sept 10 (5 days @full dose, then three days at 1/4 dose; the preventative dose). That brings me to this morning. Weight gains have slowed again. And I saw bloody poops from two different chicks! Some chicks are so thin that I see their keel and hip bones and pelvic bones. I clean their brooder once a day and wash & disinfect waterers/feeders daily as well. The 5 older chicks that are nearly fully feathered go outside in the chicken tractor (4’x12’). They sleep in the 70° shed since it’s 50° at night and they aren’t fully feathered.
At this same time, I’ve noticed my hens have lost weight. Two were suddenly sneezing, so I gave them Denagard when I treated the chicks with it. I separated three that had what I believed to be yeast overgrowth in their mouth. (One has it since last year & the vet did a swab & said it was yeast, but antifungal didn’t cure it.) I dosed those three with antifungal & antiprotozoan meds (for canker, just in case). Nothing worked. We sadly put them to sleep after the meds made it worse and they had trouble breathing.
I have 8 remaining hens. Only two weigh up to breed standards. The rest need to gain 0.5-1lb. I can feel their keels. Several have diarrhea, but no sneezes (the two that sneezed have passed.) One hen hasn’t eaten in two days but it still up and running around with the flock (but flat crop nightly & by day). I give them pellets free choice, and mix up a higher protein crumble with water & give them acidified copper sulfate (since I think this is fungal) in their water.
I separated one who’s crop didn’t empty two nights ago and withheld food all day yesterday and massages her crop after oil/water administration. This morning she still had a doughy crop, so I vomited her. It was super sour smelling! She is still on only water, but I’m not sure where to go from here.
Please help. I bought dewormer but can’t give it until after they are feathered (hens are molting & chicks are under six weeks). No worms/egg were seen by the vet in the stool sample and I've done a float and smear and checked with my microscope and saw no evidence of worms either. I think I’ll try miconazole (for lady yeast infections) along with the copper sulfate water. I’m not sure what I should be doing. The vets here don’t treat chickens & don’t have nystatin, but did run stool samples & throat swabs when I asked. My husband said I can’t keep the chicks on meds, but I can try the antifungal route. I’ve tried two runs of Corid and still have bloody stools. If I have a strain resistant to Corid the other med is $200 which isn’t an option. I’m praying if it’s still cocci then my chicks will overcome it on their own now that the meds are finished. Fungal infections can cause sneezing as well as digestive issues (sour crops/weight loss/diarrhea), but I can't find anything about fungal infections and diarrhea, but I really hope the miconazole cures everything. I've run out of ideas beyond that. I've lost so much sleep over this. Please advise.
I’ve had chickens for 4.5 years and this is the first time I’ve had weight loss, bloody stools, & diarrhea.
