Blood in poop. Bright red blood splat!

[Cottage843]

This morning I found more bloody poops . Too many!!!! Before just one or two per day now this! The really red blob in the straw I actually found last evening probably from the pullet that had it first? Does it look like corid is the solution to this or is there something else wrong I should be treating? Anything else that would cause this? They still look perky eating, etc.... I bought corid and s

tarted the corid last evening and I put only the corid in their Drinking water again this morning. Please any advice?

 

[Cottage843]

Oh goodness, yes I’ve been reading about the symptoms of coccidiosis, and now I do see that some do puff up and ruffle their feathers sometimes. I guess I thought that was normal before?

 

[coach723]

Sitting puffed up, being lethargic, not eating and drinking well, all are also symptoms. Starting
Corid was the right thing to do.
If any are having any of those symptoms, or you know which are having bloody droppings, you can give those an oral dose in addition to the medicated water for up to three days. It helps get the meds in them so they can start to work. Dosing for that is here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/corid-oral-drench-instructions.1211991/
An inexpensive digital kitchen scale (walmart) is good for weighing them. Corid is very safe, so a bit too much is not going to hurt them, the important thing is to get it in them. If any are not drinking well on their own, you can also give the regular medicated water mixture directly, orally several times a day.

 

[Cottage843]

Update! I am happy to report that after adding corid to their water for 2 full days, on this 3 rd day there is great improvement, nothing is worse and now very little blood showing up in the poop, so I know it is working and coccidiosis surely was the problem. And I will continue the treatment. Should it be for 7 days? Or 5 days? Thank you for the help and suggestions. Now I have another question so I will know better next time. If I had requested having the newly hatched chicks vaccinated OR if I had bought MEDICATED starter feed would they still have gotten coccidiosis? I deliberately avoided the vaccine and the medicated feed. But if it could have prevented this? Or is the vaccine and medicated food to prevent something else? Thanks again!

 

[coach723]

I'm very glad they are doing better!
The vaccine or medicated feed can help reduce the risk of outbreaks in chicks, but neither is 100% effective. The vaccine is usually applied by droplets sprayed on chicks, which they then ingest by pecking the droplets on each other, so it's possible that a chick can get missed. With both medicated feed or vaccination, they only work if the chicks are exposed to the coccidia.
If you get vaccinated chicks, then do not feed medicated feed as it will negate the vaccine. Either way, vaccinated or medicated feed, if you have an outbreak you still have to treat with full strength medication at that point. The medicated feed contains a very low dose of amprolium, the same medication in Corid, intended to keep the numbers low enough to allow them to build resistance. If the numbers of coccidia become too great, the birds get sick and you have to treat with the full strength medication.
For chicks in a brooder, I start on day one providing them with soil from my yard in a plastic plant saucer every day. This exposes them naturally to all the microbes in the soil while their immune systems are developing and gives them a chance to build resistance naturally , just like if they were being raised by a broody hen outside. The saucer makes it easy to dump and clean and give new soil every day. They love it and scratch and peck and dirt bathe in it, dirt party! Since doing it this way I have not had a major outbreak, 5 or 6 years now. I always have Corid on hand just in case, so I can treat quickly if necessary.
For length of treatment, if they seem a little slow to recover, then go the full 7 days. If at the end of 7 days if you still have any doubts, if any one of them seems to be slower to recover you can do another 5 - 7 days at 1/3 tsp of the powder per gallon of water, or 1/2 tsp of the liquid per gallon. If I have to treat, then once treatment is complete then I generally will give vitamins and probiotics for a few days following the end of treatment, to help get their guts back in shape. Just don't give vitamins during treatment. Giving thiamine during treatment can reduce the effectiveness of the medication.

 

[prettylittlehens]

So glad to hear your birds are showing signs of recovery! I had a scare about 4 months ago within my flock. I found one of my bantam’s dead with no obvious culprit so I of course started checking everything in their coop and that’s when I found a bloody poo. The rest seemed to be acting normal at the time but I decided to go ahead and treat with corid anyway and I’m glad I did. By the time I got the medicine the next day all of my birds were showing signs of infection (puffed up feathers, huddling together on the floor instead of roosting, not eating well) but thankfully I caught in time and didn’t lose anyone else. I gave mine full dosage for 5 days, a half dose for seven days, and then one follow up full dose two weeks later - all in their water. Not sure if this has been mentioned yet but if you are giving the meds in their water it’s important that you don’t give them any other source of fresh water- for example if you have two water dispensers in your coop/run then both need to contain the corid. Hope you keep seeing progress!

 

[Cottage843]

All great information; thank you so much.

 

[Sue Gremlin]

I would not start chicks without medicated feed. Coccidia are inevitable.
Corid label says treat for 5 days, but you can treat for 7 without hurting anything if you wish.