Chicken is bleeding out in stool very badly and is lethargic.

[hadesvi]

I found one of my birds, a 4 month old australorp hen yesterday dead in the pen and upon examination found she had been bleeding from the stool and blood drops under her perch. I have another one 4 month old barred rock hen exhibiting the same symptons- lethargic and bleeding, pale comb. I've isolated her from the 5 other hens i have but will probably treat them all since they've all been exposed from the dead one.

1) 1 australorp and barred rock, 4 months old.
2) mildly lethargic and bleeding out profusely from stool which is a little loose but not discolored except from blood.
3) symptons have only appeared within the last 3 days.
4) bird is not eating and drinking as much as the rest.
5) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
6) I have not treated as of yet but look to administer Valbazen depending on the responses i get from this post.
7) Should I treat cocci as well?

Thanks Scott

 

[Ridgerunner]

Sounds like cocci is a real possibility. This may help you determine if it really is the problem.

Cocci Symptoms
http://www.cornerstone-farm.com/dealing_with_coccidiosis.htm

Good luck!

 

[hadesvi]

Thank you Ridgerunner, that link was very helpful. I'm going to treat them for Cocci and deworm as well. Do you guys recommend Valbazen for worms and Sulmet for Cocci.

http://www.cornerstone-farm.com/coccidiosis.htm

 

[hadesvi]

One other question.. Are there any ways to start promoting the good bacteria to help fight the cocci? i.e. dried goat milk in mash?

 

[Ridgerunner]

The best way to prevent cocci is to keep their area dry. The cocci protazoa breed in wet manure, they eat it, and the cocci protazoa get too concentratred in their system. Some strains of cocci are extremely strong and you do need to medicate to treat it no matter what, but keeping brooders, coops, and runs dry usually helps a lot with most strains. It is not a case of bacteria to fight cocci. It is a case of keeping the number of cocci protazoa in their intestines at a controlled level where it does not harm them and they can build up an immunity.

To be clear, if they are showing the symptoms you are talking about, you do need to treat.

 

[hadesvi]

Thanks, they do have a sunny arid coop and pen area, the only change in their environment was a switch in pine chip bedding to straw (BAD MOVE!!). I'll be going back to the pine chips since i guess it did a better job absorbing the droppings. Thanks again.

 

[nuts4chickens]

I would treat first with Sulmet or Corid for cocci. I had some chicks get Cocci last year, and I treated with Sulmet and gave them some probiotics sprinkled on some scrambled eggs. The Sulmet works fast, and they improved dramatically within 24 hours. Sulmet is harder on them than Corid, and I have heard Corid is a better product. BUT, Sulmet covers a broader spectrum and treats more strains of cocci than Corid. You can also give them PolyVisol without iron or NutriDrench individually with a dropper. I, personally, like NutriDrench. Once you're done treating them with the Sulmet, or Corid, you can add some vitamins to the water. I wouldn't treat for worms right now. Cocci and Sulmet take a pretty big toll on their systems.

 

[suzannaski]

Thanks for this info. I just checked with my grain guy, and I thought I had the medicated feed, but I dont. Going to het some now. Thank you byc & my phone with internet!

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
It has been my understanding that the opposite is true. Also, i have seen Corid work very fast.

To educate myself, do you have a source for that? On which strains each covers? I would like to read up on it.

 

[nuts4chickens]

Punkinpeep-

According to the labels on both products- Corid only covers 2 strains of coccidiosis. Eimeria Bovis, and E. Zurnii. (Corid.com)
Sulmet covers Eimeria Tenella (specific strain associated with bloody diarrhea), Eimeria Necatrix, Eimeria Meleagrimitis, Eimeria Adenoeides, as well as infectious coryza, Fowl Cholera, and Pullorum (americanlivestock.com)

From what I have read about Coccidiosis, and the use of these 2 products is that Sulmet (sulfa based drug) is very hard on their systems, and can be toxic if the dose is not carefully calculated and administered for the proper time frame. Corid (amprollium based) is much more gentle on their systems.

The label for Corid is specifically geared towards use for Bovine species, so it may very well treat a broader spectrum of coccidiosis that isnt Bovine based. It must, because many people use it to treat coccidiosis in poultry quite successfully. I believe the Corid works in a different manner than the Sulmet.

When I experienced Coccidioisis with my chicks, they had the E. Tenella strain, from what I could gather from a massive "google" search. They had quite severe bloody diarrhea. I very much wanted to initially treat them with Corid, based on all of the great things I had heard about it, however, I was unable to find Corid quickly, under the emergency circumstances, and instead had to resort to Sulmet. The Sulmet, initially, made the diarrhea worse, but they quickly bounced back, and after 24 hours the diarrhea had completely resolved, and they were almost completely back to their "unpuffy" selves.

If I had another breakout of Coccidiosis, I would probably use the Sulmet again, only because I had good success with it. I understand that Sulmet is very hard on their little bodies...but that's just what worked for me. The breakout I had was pretty severe, my chicks were dropping like flies, and once I got the Sulmet started, I didnt lose anymore.

Again, Corid may very well cover a broader base of coccidiosis strains. I think it is just marketed more towards the cattle industry, so they have included the strains that are specific to Bovine. Or... I could be reading the wrong label entirely... and be a great big idiot