Chick has bloody stool but still acting normal

[Gryphon]

One of my Light Brahma chicks (about 5 weeks old) had liquid red stool this morning, but it acting completely normal. Eating, drinking, peeping, flapping her wings and looking around with interest. I've been feeding medicated fermented feed, and giving water that has apple cider vinegar (with mother) in it and they're on pine pellets that absorb moisture immediately.

I've had them for six days, and from what I read about coccidiosis it runs its course in one week, it too late to get medication for it, if that's what it actually is? I thought that lethargy and drooping feathers were symptoms, but there isn't any of that at all. I'd hate to medicate for the wrong thing.

I also have three pullets, two aged 9 weeks and one 7 weeks (kept separate so they don't pick on the chicks) and one of them had reddish stool, but from what I've looked at that was intestinal shedding, or they were shaking off the coccidiosis?

I don't know what they were fed or what kind of conditions they were in before I got them. Could it just be stress that's brought it about?

 

[cafarmgirl]

Hard to say. I've never had a chick with bloody stool due to stress. The issue with cocci is that you really walk a fine line in dealing with it, you just don't have a lot of time. If it were me and I had any chicks at all showing blood in the stool I would treat with Corid immediately just because cocci moves really fast and it can overwhelm chicks in no time at all. They can look ok in the morning and be nearly dead by afternoon because the cocci can overgrow quickly and because chicks hide their illness until they just can't do it anymore.

So, to be honest, I personally would rather err on the side of being safe and just treat them then risk loosing any. Corid is not like using antibiotic's where you need to use the right one based on the illness. It's a pretty simple medication that simply blocks the cocci from getting enough Thiamin, which it needs to grow. It doesn't kill it all off, it just suppresses it, that's how the chicks are able to gain immunity to it.

 

[Gryphon]

Ok that's good to know that it's not like antibiotics. There's no risk of an overdose if they're already eating medicated feed? Just to be safe I'll give the pullets the medicine too. I'm really glad I live 5 min. away from a store that has this stuff!

 

[Gryphon]

Update: I got the medicine soon after and put it in everyone's water. I don't know if that's what fixed it or if they were already on the mend, but today the one chick's stool is much firmer, and had only a tiny bit of red on it. I'll of course keep them on the medicated water for 5 days even if they're looking fine.