bloody diarrhea

[Matt A NC]

Quote:
They will be fine as adults. They will just take a few extra weeks to get to full size, final feather, and laying age. Basically they stop growing till they are healthy again.

I have had a few get Cocci over the years. Only my little "Dolly" ended up runty when she got Cocci as a baby. She is 4 years old now and as healthy as you can get. She lays well and has raised a brood of 9 babies.

A week is about the right time from exposure to symptoms. Full strength is 2 tablespoons per Gallon of water(1.5 teaspoons per quart or water). Make a new mixture each day. You do 2 days at the full strength mixture and 4 more at half dosage. They should be better within 48 hours, but do the full treatment. The worst of them may take an extra day or 2. DO NOT go longer then the recomended dosage time. They can OverDose on Sulmet.

Matt

 

[Matt A NC]

Oh, and even on medicated feed, I had small group of brooder raised chicks get Cocci when they started going out. They are about 4 weeks behind where they should be in development. 1 of those was about dead when I started treatment, but "Ruffles" recovered just fine.

The chicks that were raised outside by Broody hens never had a problem.

Matt

 

[Megs]

is sulmet short for something or is the product just called sulmet?

 

[nuts4chickens]

HELP!!!! So i lost a chick this morning and I have 5 or 6 more that are really droopy. I started the Sulmet last night. WHAT ELSE CAN I DO? Im afraid I am going to lose them all! Can I do the Sulmet AND medicated feed? The bloody diarrhea is a little worse this morning. What other things can I do to help them out? The one that died was fine last night... no signs at all that she wasnt feeling well... the 2 droopy ones last night are still hanging in there but Im afraid they are going to stop eating and drinking. Should I try to feed them with a dropper out of the medicated water or is there somthing else Ishould do for them? I am going to try to sort out who has bloody diarrhea and separate them but medicate them all?

 

[nuts4chickens]

Honestly, I spend hours with them everyday watching them and last night was the first sign things werent well. Up until last night they were all very healthy and vigorous. Does Cocci spread this fast? I thought I caught it pretty fast.... I am beside myself!

 

[PunkinPeep]

nuts4chickens,
I'm so sorry you've already lost a chick.

If i were you, i would keep them all warm and well-ventilated (moisture helps the thrive); keep their bedding as clean as you can. I would not separate them (personally) because they have all been exposed at the same age, and are probably all at similar levels of infestation.

I have read that some give powdered milk to them in their feed to help comfort their intestines. But if they aren't eating, that doesn't help too much. Yes, you can give them their medicated feed, but the level of medication in the feed is for prevention, not so much treatment at outbreak level.

If you have any that are not drinking, yes, i would help them drink the medicated water with a dropper.

Keep in mind that the sulmet is very hard on their systems, and you should consider getting a vitamin supplement (nothing with iron) to give them after the medication.

Threehorses recommends giving them plain yogurt. If they're not sure about it, you can mix a little with some of their crumbles. This will also help to protect their intestines and encourage good bacteria in the gut.

Also, if you want to separate, separate the ones who are not active, simply to keep them away from the ones who are active, and allow them to rest.

Cocci can seem to come on suddenly, but keep in mind that it's something that has been building up. It's not a disease exactly; it's a microbe that has overwhelmed their resistance because it is multiplying inside them.

Look for any place that they might be getting their poop mixed in their water or food. At this point, any poop most certainly has the cocci microbes in it and will complicate the situation if another bird eats it.

Mostly breathe. We're rooting for you!

 

[nuts4chickens]

UPDATE: (because I'm new to this, and maybe I can help someone learn from my mistakes)

The Sulmet seems to be helping some. It seems to be coming in waves. The droopy ones are slowly getting better, but now I'm noticing slightly bloody poo from the ones that arent droopy. I havent lost anymore since this morning... lost 3 out of 23. I have one silver penciled cochin rooster, and a red frizzle cochin that's looking pretty bad

so I may lose 2 more but at least they are still eating and drinking, and protest to being bothered.

At first it seemed like pure bloody mucous, but now its mostly normal colored firm poo with a lot less blood. I guess that means its starting to work? Hopefully the Sulmet will kick in well before they get any worse.

I have them separated into two groups, The sick, and the less sick. Mostly because I want the droopy ones to not be trampled and rest, and to prevent them from smothering each other in a larger group. They are still huddling somewhat (but much less than last night)even with heat. I am cleaning out droppings pretty much every hour, and changing the water a few times a day when it gets soiled. I am sprinkling probiotic powder on their feed, and also cleaning away any droppings that get into it. I will be using full strength Sulmet for 2 days, and half strength for an additional 4 according to the instructions. I will change medication to Corid if I dont see a larger improvement in the next few days.

THINGS I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:

I would have started them on a medicated feed from day 1, and if I would have had Corid on hand, I would have started them with that first. I really have been meticulous with brooder cleanliness. I think this all stemmed from moving them out to the big coop during the daytime in rainy weather. Even though the coop is covered, it still got a little damp in the corners from the wind and rain. Its been hot, humid, and rainy for the last few weeks. I have a coop of adult birds next to this one, and I think this contributed as well. The babies' coop is new, and has never housed any other birds, but the adult bird coop is tied into the side with a wire and lattice divider into the new one. The big birds can easily fling soil into the other pen through the wire and lattice. Live and learn, I guess. Just hope I dont have to start all over again and hope I dont make anymore dumb mistakes.