Blood with solid droppings

[MIChickandGuinea]

OK - morning report. It looks like I have several sick birds - maybe more than half of them. Lots of roosting places with blood under them. But each place has very much less blood than what I saw yesterday morning. Is that positive that it's not SO bloody?

So managing this illness. Of course, I need to keep fresh-mixed medicine in their watering bottle, as their only available water source. I think I need to keep them penned full time until they're well, or else they will drink from the sprinklers and hoses and maybe not get enough medication. Do I need to clean out and sanitize their coop every day? What else can I do to help?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What is the reason for needing to mix fresh Corid every day? Does it lose potency quickly? I am treating my guinea fowl too, just so that all the birds are treated at the same time and hopefully won't share illness back and forth.
What's the answer on whether medicated feed is a positive or a negative? You said a maintenance dose of Corid in their water for a couple weeks was possibly helpful, but would medicated feed be a viable alternative? That's easier to manage than mixing medicine every day.

Mixing a fresh batch of medicated water everyday helps to ensure the potency of the water, it's always a good idea to keep the water as fresh as possible.

I don't understand your question on the medicated feed? Most medicated feeds have a very small amount of Amprol/Amprolium and should not be fed during the course of treatment of Corid. I suppose you could use it for your "maintenance" after you finish your Corid treatment.

It won't hurt to clean up droppings each day. Coccidiosis is naturally found in the droppings and soil. Most chickens/poultry build an immunity to what is found on your property. An overload is when you start to see illness - conditions that are wet, warm, etc. can cause a rapid growth of Coccidia which is a protozoa. If you have any wet places around feed/water stations or bedding is wet, then clean those up as well.
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/coccidiosis/overview-of-coccidiosis-in-poultry

Since you are seeing more sick today - getting several samples of poop and having them tested would be a good idea.

 

[MIChickandGuinea]

OK - I took samples to the vet and had them sent in for testing. I should hear back tomorrow. I will do a daily clean-out for now. Is it OK to spray things down with a bleach/water solution to help reduce the population of germs/virus/protozoa?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Cleaning up after them should be sufficient.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you can prevent them from drinking from other sources, letting them out on fresh grass can be good for them, but if not, I would keep them inside to drink only Corid water. Usually stirring the bedding or adding fresh pine shavings as needed to keep it clean and dry is good to keep them from ingesting more coccidia. They need some exposure to help build immunity, but not an overload. Here are some links about management during an outbreak:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken.html
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/coccidiosis/index.aspx

 

[MIChickandGuinea]

If you can prevent them from drinking from other sources, letting them out on fresh grass can be good for them, but if not, I would keep them inside to drink only Corid water. Usually stirring the bedding or adding fresh pine shavings as needed to keep it clean and dry is good to keep them from ingesting more coccidia. They need some exposure to help build immunity, but not an overload. Here are some links about management during an outbreak:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken.html
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/coccidiosis/index.aspx

I heard back about the fecal lab test. Strong positive for eimeria coccidia. Vet says to continue the treatment with amprolium and to clean the coop and enclosures.

HOW do I clean the enclosures? We live on a sand dune, so there's nothing to scoop out of the chicken pen - their droppings seem to magically incorporate with the sand and vanish. I guess I could get a tractor bucket full of fresh sand, and provide a deep, clean layer on top of their existing pen sand? And the yard where they free-range. It's HUGE! There's no way I can clean that. It's like 3 acres.

And the coop ... do I have to do a daily total clean-out to keep them from re-infecting? Or can I just keep it surface scooped and dry (it's always dry - the combo of pine shavings and diatomaceous earth, plus good ventilation keeps it very dry in there), and then do a good, deep, thorough wash-down and disinfect at the end of their treatment?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Putting in some fresh sand may work.
For the coop, scoop out the the fresh droppings if you can.

I forgot to ask - are the birds that became ill, are they new to your property or young?

 

[MIChickandGuinea]

Putting in some fresh sand may work.
For the coop, scoop out the the fresh droppings if you can.

I forgot to ask - are the birds that became ill, are they new to your property or young?

My dad said we can move the coop and pen, burn the ground with propane torches, till and roll , and add new sand. Then replace the coop/pen. Does that sound ok?

All the birds are this spring’s chicks.

 

[MIChickandGuinea]

OK - I need more guidance.

There's much LESS blood each day than when I first saw that I had sick birds. But it's not going away completely. I can't tell if we just have illness going through in a wave, with one more bird each day getting actively sick, or if it's being persistent in a bird that was sick from the get-go. I tried to take note of who was sleeping where last night, but they changed all around by morning, so that's no help.

So tomorrow, Thursday, will be Day 5 of Corid treatment. If I'm still seeing the bloody roosting spots, do I continue the high-dose aggressive treatment out to Day 7?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Is the Corid water the only source of water available to them? No puddles of water they are drinking from?

If the bloody poop is not clearing up, then you would want to continue to the 7days.