Blood in my Coop

[Becknlina]

I'm really hoping that you guys can help me out with this one. Yesterday when I got home from work and checked on my chickens, I noticed blood on the nesting pad in one of the boxes. My chickens are 21 weeks old. Have not started laying yet but they're right on the verge. After seeing that blood I noticed blood on the roost and underneath the roost. I started checking the chickens over saw a little bit of blood on the feathers of one of my ameracanas but no super obvious wound. Then I noticed a poop that looked like it had blood in it so I started checking their vents. I noticed one of my orpingtons had a really messy vent. Once I got her cleaned up her vent looked fine and it looked like it was just a messy poop. I was hoping that maybe this was a packing issue or an isolated one off, but I switched all their electrolyte water over to plain water with Amprolium in it instead, just in case. This morning when I let them out of the coop, I checked under the roost and found a row of poops with what looks like blood in them. I'm thinking it's coccidiosis, am I on the right track? But obviously I'm extremely concerned.

Please lend me your expertise.

 

[azygous]

Please state your location. It offers so many clues in itself, especially when coccidiosis is suspected. Make it permanent information in your profile. State and country are all that's necessary.

Yes, you are right in suspecting coccidiosis is behind the blood. Good call. And the blood indicates bleeding in the intestines from the coccidia munching on them. In addition to the Corid, a sulfa antibiotic is especially helpful as this inflammation can easily turn into serious bacterial infection.

If you live in a city, call around to pet stores or pigeon supply shops and ask for pigeon sulfa or order it here. https://jedds.com/products/trimethoprin-sulfa-medpet?_pos=1&_sid=83dcb7a2a&_ss=r

 

[Becknlina]

Please state your location. It offers so many clues in itself, especially when coccidiosis is suspected. Make it permanent information in your profile. State and country are all that's necessary.

Yes, you are right in suspecting coccidiosis is behind the blood. Good call. And the blood indicates bleeding in the intestines from the coccidia munching on them. In addition to the Corid, a sulfa antibiotic is especially helpful as this inflammation can easily turn into serious bacterial infection.

If you live in a city, call around to pet stores or pigeon supply shops and ask for pigeon sulfa or order it here. https://jedds.com/products/trimethoprin-sulfa-medpet?_pos=1&_sid=83dcb7a2a&_ss=r

I am in Kentucky
I can add the sulfa in with the amperolium?

Thank you so much! I've read somewhere that you need to put lye down in the run, is that also something I should do?

 

[azygous]

No, lye is caustic and will harm chicken feet, not to mention hurting them internally if they consume it. Coccidia naturally occur everywhere there is soil. All over the world. Chickens have nine species of coccidia dedicated especially to their species. They are always present, and even inhabit the intestines of chickens in small numbers without causing harm. It's when they grow into large numbers that they cause illness.

Keeping your run and coop clean and dry goes a long way toward controlling coccdia without resorting to harsh chemicals.

You can safely and effectively add the sulfa to the Corid water.

 

[Becknlina]

No, lye is caustic and will harm chicken feet, not to mention hurting them internally if they consume it. Coccidia naturally occur everywhere there is soil. All over the world. Chickens have nine species of coccidia dedicated especially to their species. They are always present, and even inhabit the intestines of chickens in small numbers without causing harm. It's when they grow into large numbers that they cause illness.

Keeping your run and coop clean and dry goes a long way toward controlling coccdia without resorting to harsh chemicals.

You can safely and effectively add the sulfa to the Corid water.

Thank you so much!!

 

[Jenni Hen]

Please state your location. It offers so many clues in itself, especially when coccidiosis is suspected. Make it permanent information in your profile. State and country are all that's necessary.

Yes, you are right in suspecting coccidiosis is behind the blood. Good call. And the blood indicates bleeding in the intestines from the coccidia munching on them. In addition to the Corid, a sulfa antibiotic is especially helpful as this inflammation can easily turn into serious bacterial infection.

If you live in a city, call around to pet stores or pigeon supply shops and ask for pigeon sulfa or order it here. https://jedds.com/products/trimethoprin-sulfa-medpet?_pos=1&_sid=83dcb7a2a&_ss=r

I've had similar this morning and was thinking I should dose them all with Flubenvet (what we can get in the UK). I normally give Vermex once a month.
I've eight birds, all looking healthy with bright red combs and wattles; except that Meghan has sort of petit mal episodes (she's always been like that.) Meghan has a messy butt due to watery poo that might have been from the extra greens they've been eating recently. This morning there was a smear of fresh blood on the Eglu roosting bars, as if from one chicken only, but I couldn't see any injuries. Meghan's butt was worse, looking a bit yellow, so I thought of coccidiosis. I 'm only guessing that the blood came from her.
Yesterday Meghan had a worse-than-usual vacant episode. In these episodes, she puffs her throat in and out instead of breathing properly and yesterday it went on for longer than usual, until her comb was changing colour (towards purple). It went red again once she'd come round. I don't know if that's relevant to coccidiosis.

 

[azygous]

Coccidiosis usually affects more than one chicken. Not all strains produce bloody stools, and that's were any blood would be. There was likely a minor injury on a toe or a comb that's responsible for the blood. This is normal for chickens.

Your hen sounds like she has a cardio pulmonary defect.

 

[Jenni Hen]

Coccidiosis usually affects more than one chicken. Not all strains produce bloody stools, and that's were any blood would be. There was likely a minor injury on a toe or a comb that's responsible for the blood. This is normal for chickens.

Your hen sounds like she has a cardio pulmonary defect.

Thank you for that advice. I'll keep a close eye on the others. Today the Eglu got its weekly scrub out and there weren't any bloody stools. I appreciate what you're saying but still wonder how they'd manage to get a fresh injury overnight- but stranger things have happened!
I describe Meghan's episodes as being like petit mal because when in that state, she wouldn't normally respond to touch or the little pecks the others sometimes give her. The episodes differ in severity and duration and normally aren't so bad. Meghan's easily confused and a bit slower than the others (last to cotton on to anything) and if I pick her up she instantly goes floppy and as if fast asleep for a while. She's always been like that and seems happy the rest of the time, so I guess she has some neural mechanisms that aren't perfect.

 

[azygous]

Pecking injuries happen when a chicken gets irritable with another and gives a swift peck to the comb which bleeds and can seem worse than it is, then later, there may be no obvious injury once the bleeding stops.

 

[Jenni Hen]

Pecking injuries happen when a chicken gets irritable with another and gives a swift peck to the comb which bleeds and can seem worse than it is, then later, there may be no obvious injury once the bleeding stops.

One of the Shetland pullets has been quite aggressive to the smallest bantam over the last few days and the bantam responds by putting her head very low. She did have a scab on her comb. The amount of blood could fit with the scab coming off due to a quick peck, then bleeding, and that would fit with my not seeing any new injury.

The Shetland pullet has recently started laying and has suddenly transformed from the meekest scaredy drama queen into a boorish little madam! I'm trying to teach her not to pick on Buffy. The other day I was really cross with her for being so mean and picked her up; and she trustingly snuggled onto my arm as she used to... I'll be happy if 'cuddles' are effective in displacing the aggro!

Thank you very much for your prompt advice. I didn't want to start medicating if it wasn't necessary.