Chick are rotten food and is now paralyzed

[tlmancuso]

I'm in Southern Oregon.

Great news! I was able to find a chicken vet and he confirmed coccidiosis. She's been treated with a dewormer and antibiotic and doing much better She's still recovering so I've kept her isolated, but I'm so happy she's feeling better.

I now need to treat the whole flock. I'll be starting that tomorrow. Once the flock has been treated what will keep them from reinfecting right away? They free range and there is no way to clean up every poo and I'm sure it's still in the ground.

 

[coach723]

Generally birds that are infected with coccidia and recover have built resistance to it and won't become ill again unless their immune system becomes compromised (like being sick or weakened by something else) or there is just a huge bloom of the coccidia in the environment. There are several strains of coccidia, some strains are more virulent than others, so they build resistance to those they have been exposed to. If they were exposed to one not previously encountered then that new strain could make them sick. So any new birds brought in need to be watched as they may not be resistant to whatever strain(s) you have, and the new birds could bring in a new strain to your birds. Chicks are most at risk from infection and can become very sick and die quickly, so learning to recognize the symptoms and treat quickly is important. When you know you have it in your environment it is a good idea to just keep Corid on hand in your 1st aid supplies, so you can treat quickly if necessary. It's really impossible to completely eradicate it from the environment, the oocysts can survive for a very long time, but keeping things clean can help reduce your risk of outbreak. Keeping droppings cleaned up as much as possible can help prevent a 'bloom' which often happens after a rainy period where the ground stays wet for a period of time, they seem to thrive in warm, wet conditions, which is why brooders can be an issue. Here is a link that explains the whole cycle pretty well and may be helpful: http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/coccidiosis/index.aspx