Been fighting cocci for 6 days! Please help my chicks and I!

[ErinG]

Hope the Sulmet does the trick. Just wanted to add, I had a pullet with cocci last year and treated everyone. I was freaking out because I kept finding blood in their poop even after treatment. Everyone seemed fine, I couldn't figure out why the bloody poop. It turns out it was just intestinal lining from the medicine being so hard on them. It was firm poop with bloody strings in it. I just wanted to pass that along in case it happened to you. Keep us posted on their progress. Sounds like you are doing a good job, it's amazing how they can pull through with the right care.

 

[Shikens!]

Thank you so much for the replies and information!

centrarchid- Thank you for all your insight! As far as winter and cold weather in general I live in Florida and we don't even have a real winter here. It get's below 40 here maybe 3-5 days a year. It is so HOT I have AC in my coop just to keep the temp close to 85! LOL!

I have not seen any blood at all. But I am certain it is cocci. I watch them all the time and I spot the chicks with symptoms really quickly and make them drink the meds. I watch their poop like a hawk! LOL!

I have found the liquid sulmet!!! It's 12.5%. Let's pray this does the job!

I am freaking out about all the recommendations to keep their brooder super clean and dry so they don't reinfect themselves... Um... if they can just reinfect themselves while on medication then what's to keep this from recurring every single time I take them outside? I was under the impression that once they had it, that was it and they would be immune.

 

[mljohnson05]

It is less likely that they will get it the older they are...but they can still get it when exposed to it either in the chicken poop or the ground outside....Some people that know their area is more prone to having the infection in the surroundings will give preventative doses a few times a year.....(there are dosing on the back of the medication for this too).

 

[mljohnson05]

Quote:
Even without being on medicine...it is NORMAL for chickens to shed intestinal lining.....her is the link to the famous poop page showing shedding of the intestinal lining (about 1/4 page down): http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

 

[centrarchid]

Dissenfection of brooder good in that it reduces likelihood chicks will be hit all at once with a full blown cocci infection, espcially when chicks held at high densities in situation where intake of feces is frequent. Stopping re-infection should not be all that important. Goal is to have chicks survive long enough for immunie system to control, not neccessarily eradicate the parasite. At some point, especially if birds come into contact with ground, they will be exposed to the parasite on a regular basis and if their immune system is prepared no outbreak will occur or impact will be minimal.

 

[centrarchid]

Three days ago I transferred a cohort of 36 ~ 4-week old chicks from brooder to chicken tractor. Since hatch they have been fed medicated feed. With three previous cohorts, medicated feed alone was not adequate to control cocci infection with increasing deathloss as delay of starting Corid laced water increased. This go around Corid laced water started immediately upon transfer of birds to chicken tractor. Laced water will be used for 6 days then stopped but medicated feed will continue for another 3 weeks. At two weeks following stocking into chicken tractor, chicks will be allowed to free range but still use tractor as roost site. Following two weeks of free range the medicated feed will be replaced by feed that is not medicated. I am trying to reduce the number of changes / stressors occuring at one time and ease the chicks exposure to the cocci so their immune systems have time to adapt.