bloody droppings or intestinal lining? help!!

[ckw1205]

I recently (four days ago) purchased seven baby chicks from a breeder that I know well...she takes very good care of her stock...three of the chicks had colds and she gave them to us, telling us how to care for them (if we wanted to try to nurse them back to health)...I have kept those three separate from the others. Two of the others are a pair of barred frizzles and then the last two are a pair of cochins...those four are in my garage under lights. The four in the garage (both pr in sep containers) have been acting fine, with no s/s any illness. This morning I went out to check on them and one of the frizzles was pooing what looks to be blood...I have pine shaving in the container, and on those, it looked a bit pink...I think it is b/c it was leaching off onto the wood and making the color appear less bright...SOOO, this leads me to my question...how do I know if it's Cocci or intestinal lining? I've seen the pics on here, mine looks similar to the lining ones, but a bit darker...all formed though as best I could tell. By that, I mean that there were no "pools" of blood...I cleaned the container our and put new shaving last night, so Im sure it just started this am. They have been on medicated chick starter and water with duramycin (at breeders rec d/t the ones being sick and them being transported here together) I have been mixing the duramycin at 1tsp/gal. I know the antibiotic wont treat the cocci. I have read a few posts on there about vinegar and yogurt...if anyone has any info about this tx, pls help me be more informed...other question...corid or sulmet? I found corid at a feed store close...dont know how to mix it though as they said it is generally used for cows. Am I supposed to by it specifically for chickens or use the cow one? HELP!! Also, do I treat my entire flock? I have 19 total...the seven chicks, eight grown birds, and four young silkies. All the chicks have been separated from the other birds the entire time. Thanks for any help...these are our pets and I am so hoping we can save them all...any tips for the ones with colds would be appreciated too...one has "sick" eyes (breeder treated before we left, but they are still matted and weeping)...they are all getting better though.

 

[WhoopiePie]

bump, wish i could tell what's wrong

 

[ruth]

Baby chicks don't get "colds" - they get various diseases so not sure what you're dealing with there.

They also get Cocci (a protozoa found everywhere) which it sounds like they have - symptoms are hunched up, feathers ruffled, head drawn in looking like they are shivering and finally, pooping blood. I use Sulmet. I add one capful to a gallon waterer. If chicks are really sick I make a small batch of water with a lot of Sulmet and pour it over crumbles and mix it all up and feed them the wet crumbles. That way it gets more of the Sulmet into their intestines sooner. I know others use a different cocci med but Sulmet is what my feed store sells and I've always had great luck with it. It is made for chickens as well as other livestock and there are directions on the bottle. You need to give it for the required number of days.

 

[jim&julie]

Changing up the meds or sulfa drugs for cocci is also recomended. And my question is ... are the flesh colored slightly redish stringy things in the poo an indication of Cocicidia or a normal sluffing of intestinal matter? I can get a pic tommorow if anyone has a clue.

 

[Kittymomma]

jim&julie :

Changing up the meds or sulfa drugs for cocci is also recomended. And my question is ... are the flesh colored slightly redish stringy things in the poo an indication of Cocicidia or a normal sluffing of intestinal matter? I can get a pic tommorow if anyone has a clue.

The redish stringy things sound like normal intestinal lining shed, I put the link to the ever famous "poo page" below so you can compare. I like corid for treating cocci--it's not as hard on their systems, but sulmet can be easier to find and many people use it with good results so I think treating them is way more important then worrying over which meds to use.

http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0​

 

[ckw1205]

Well, the two that were in a separate container in the garage were the ones with the red poo, and it hasnt happened again...the three in my laundry room are the ones that are the sickest...the breeder gave them to us and said the had colds and we could have them if we wanted to nurse them. She is a show bird breeder with a very nice place and seems very knowledgeable...she said the silkie had a cold and the frizzle was getting lethargic and the Milli Fleur was beginning to act sick...she had them isolated together in a pin in her indoor area. She has hundreds and they are all show quality and she has a med room and all that nice stuff, so that's where the cold statement came from. I would assume that they were ill with some type of viral or respiratory distress as they have had different sx over the last few days...we began with the silkie having matted, runny eyes and the frizzle sneezing with clear discharge. Then, they all had matted eyes...been giving duramycin in their water and boiled eggs with their chick starter (medicated)...the silkie and the frizzle seem much better, but the milli fleur is very ill this morning...laboring for breath and completely lethargic/weak. Please give any suggestions on what I can do for her...I didnt ask the breeder their ages, but she is very small (they are a small breed anyways)...she is about the size of small potato or a bit larger than an extra large egg. She has been eating and drinking well, but when I got up earlier to check on them, she wouldnt move much and wont eat or drink now...