Bloody poop and dying birds

[MissLavender]

I have been treating for coccidiosis off and on for MONTHS now and am at a loss. At first it was just chicks…we have had a very hot summer (110-115 from June to September) with the only break being super heavy monsoons which caused most of my property to flood. Right after the floods started in July, chicks started looking lethargic and dropping dead, despite everyone (including adult birds) being treated with the usual 2 tsp liquid Corid per gallon of water. It all seemed to clear up about a month ago, and then the weather started to cool down. Well now the chicks seem fine but I’ve lost two point of lay pullets in the past week and I have three more who looks like they’re on their way out. All have the same symptoms: RAPID decline/weight loss, lethargy, messy feathers around the vent and a constant stream of diarrhea. One 2 year old hen started pooping blood last night as well. And not just intestinal lining, I’m talking about just BLOOD.
I am at a loss, because I go through the full treatment, clean the coops and runs, everyone gets better, then a month later they just start dropping dead again! And the frustrating part is that it’s ALWAYS the hens and pullets and *only* the hens and pullets that die. I am sooo frustrated!!!

 

[MysteryChicken]

How long were they being treated with corid? I go 7-10 days depending on severity. If it's really bad, I do an undiluted drench right in their beaks.

 

[MissLavender]

Usually 7 days of 2 tsp per gallon, then 14 days at 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. For birds showing active symptoms I do put some directly in the beak.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Usually 7 days of 2 tsp per gallon, then 14 days at 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. For birds showing active symptoms I do put some directly in the beak.

Doesn't hurt to increase the dose, it won't hurt them.

Are you using the liquid?

This maybe a situation where you may have to treat with a Sulfa Drug.

 

[MissLavender]

Doesn't hurt to increase the dose, it won't hurt them.

Are you using the liquid?

This maybe a situation where you may have to treat with a Sulfa Drug.

I am using the Corid liquid. I started them on 4 tsp per gallon this morning since the “severe outbreak dose” doesn’t seem to be cutting it.
I have Copper Sulfate, will that work?

 

[MissLavender]

Will Copper Sulfate work?

 

[MissLavender]

I have the acidified copper sulfate for birds

 

[Shezadandy]

I don't know about the Copper Sulfate - but what caught my eye was your property flooding issue. Floods can deliver all sorts of horrible things to your soil. After a particularly bad year (in Arizona) a horse farm I worked at had foals experiencing seizures and all sorts of other problems never seen there prior to the floods.

It might be time to get your soil tested- or at the very least send off one of the birds that have died for a necropsy to see if they can identify the pathogen that is causing your birds so many problems. Any vet should be able to look at a slide of chicken poop and tell you if your problem is coccidiosis or not, and if switching to a sulfa-drug might be of benefit. Or you can get a microscope and have a look for yourself - a great tool to have around. I got one that I can hook into my computer monitor and it amplifies everything well beyond the microscope's stated magnification.

 

[Briosafarm]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I second the suggestion to have a vet look at the poop to be sure it's coccidia and take one for necropsy. Meanwhile, Corid is a coccidiostat which means it handicaps it while the bird's own immune system copes and overcomes it...usually, but I wonder about the ability of a debilitated bird to fight it off. Toltrazuril is a coccidiocide which means it actually kills it, and fast. Endocox powder from Jedd's Bird Supply is toltrazuril; it's pretty amazing stuff. If you've got something other than coccidia, Tylan is sometimes very useful with cases of non-specific diarrhea. As sick as your birds are and with that much bloody poop I think a vet should be able to find something in the poop though.

 

[MissLavender]

Update:
Copper Sulfate cleared it up within 48 hours!
I am keeping them on a low dose of Corid for the next two weeks, then I’ll wean them off and start probiotics, oregano oil and vitamins.
Now the question is this: how do I treat the soil when I have 50+ birds that I am unable to move anywhere else on the property for the time being? I might be able to move them in a month or two when I get my chicken tractors built but for now I’m stuck with what I’ve got. I thought about going out first thing in the morning to clean out the coops and give them an Oxine drench, and then in the evening when they’ve gone up to roost saturating the ground, feeders and waterers with Oxine after they’ve gone up to roost for the night. Do you think that will be enough to at least take down the pathogen load enough to tide them over for the next 2 months as long as I clean frequently?