Chicks Exposure to Coccidiosis

[Weston393]

We have 5 young chicks (6 weeks) that we free ranged in our garden with our neighbor’s young chicks. They went out of town, so I figured we’d let them all hang out together. Now, 2 days after my neighbor came back to tend to their birds, one of her chicks is pooping blood. Seems like she thinks it’s Coccidiosis. My chicks were definitely exposed to the other chick on a few occasions for a few hours. One of my chicks is struggling and recovering from Wry neck. She’s small and I’m giving her selenium and vitamin E. The chicks all eat organic scratch and peck starter feed, some occasional dried black soldier fly larvae too.

What can I do besides ACV in their water and feeding them hard boiled yoke to help them fight potential Coccidiosis?

Definitely use Corid!!! 9.6ml or CC per 1 Gal. Use it for about a week to two weeks. Then get some Rooster Booster or Poultry Nutri-Drench and use as directed for another week. The Rooster Booster and Nutri-Drench help to replenish the nutrients back into your birds.

 

[Kiki]

It won't hurt to treat the entire flock at the same time.

 

[Kiki]

Do not give vitamins while using Corid.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ol-ampromed-the-correct-amprolium-dose.73341/

 

[Tiffany295]

The chicks are way too young for these treats.
Feeding these treats daily can be part of the reason your one bird is suffering from wry neck.
Wry neck is caused by not getting a balanced diet.
You birds need a balanced diet to grow properly.
The balanced diet is the crumbled chick feed...by itself.


Save treats for once a week when the birds are full grown.



GET CORID today.
Birds can die from coccidiosis quick.
Having coccidiosis can ruin their intestines and cause life long issues with the absorption of nutrition.

Hey Kiki. I give them BSFL very occasionally. Our chick with the wry neck came to us that way in the mail. I have a video of her struggling to stay upright in the box we got her from on the mail. I didn’t do it. She’s WAYYYY better now. I named her Miracle because it seems like a Miracle that she would live because of how bad she was. I gave her the proper vitamins and hand fed her feed until she got to the point that she could stand and feed herself. It was brutal for me because I was sleeping 2-4 hours a night because it took so long to force feed her without hurting her so much. She’s gotten a balanced diet since I got her. The treats are just treats, and they don’t even get them everyday. Thanks for thinking of Miracle though! I appreciate it.

Tractor Supply closed early today. I’ll get some for them in the morning. Do you have recommendations on whether I should treat my “older” birds (aged 13 weeks to nearly 2 years old)?

 

[Tiffany295]

Do not give vitamins while using Corid.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ol-ampromed-the-correct-amprolium-dose.73341/

Don’t give the vitamin E and selenium? Because I feel like she starts having more head control issues if I am late feeding it to her.

 

[Kiki]

Don’t give the vitamin E and selenium? Because I feel like she starts having more head control issues if I am late feeding it to her.

This one chick, yes. Thanks for letting me know it came to you that way.

I'd not give chicks any treats at all until they are full grown.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Should I treat my “older” hens and roo too? I have 4 layers, 2 13-week-old hens and a 1: week old roo. We just started integrating the two “flocks” a couple days ago.

Yes treat the entire flock. Corid water should be the only water source for all of them. It will do no harm to the birds that don't have any issue, such as the layers.

 

[Tiffany295]

Should I try to avoid where they free ranged before and put them in a new space, so they have less exposure when I put them out in the evenings. (To clarify, I just give them a little outside time like 1-2 hours during the weekdays if it's not raining, and a little more time on the weekends.) I guess...do you know how long the Coccidiosis remains in the soil, enough to infect the birds, that is? Should I do anything different outside...because I had the little ones in my vegetable garden beds.

 

[Debbie292d]

Should I try to avoid where they free ranged before and put them in a new space, so they have less exposure when I put them out in the evenings. (To clarify, I just give them a little outside time like 1-2 hours during the weekdays if it's not raining, and a little more time on the weekends.) I guess...do you know how long the Coccidiosis remains in the soil, enough to infect the birds, that is? Should I do anything different outside...because I had the little ones in my vegetable garden beds.

In the right conditions of it being stronger than the usual amount of cocci in the grass, dirt, etc., if that other visiting chicken pooped, then the poop has warm and moist conditions, that's where I'd be worried. It can live for months. There isn't anything you can do that I know of to "sterilize" that space other than look around for any chicken poo, pick it up with a shovel and toss it in a bag and then the garbage or burn it. I'm just spitballing here for what I'd do if my farmer neighbor brought cocci over to my yard.

 

[coach723]

Honestly, coccidia is everywhere. (the correct term is coccidia, cocci is a different thing, though most of the time it's assumed people mean coccidia) You can't get rid of it, and it gets moved around on shoes, wheels, other equipment, clothing, etc. It survives for a very long time in the environment.
What I do, and since doing this have not had a single outbreak, is take a large plastic plant saucer and fill it with dirt from my yard and put it in the brooder starting in the first couple of days after hatch. They can scratch, and dig, and peck and dust bathe in it. It exposes them gradually to the microbes in the soil while their immune systems are maturing. It gives them a chance to build immunity without being overwhelmed and getting sick. The plastic saucer makes it easy to dump, clean and refill daily. You should still have the medication on hand in case you have a chick get sick. I used to have an outbreak everytime I moved chicks outside. Since starting this system I have not had that happen in many, many years. Warm, wet, conditions and lots of droppings build up can bring about what's called a coccidia bloom, where larger numbers than usual are available in the environment, and those conditions can also cause an outbreak. Warm and wet and droppings is why brooders are a prime place for outbreaks. Once birds are exposed and recover, they should have some resistance and not get sick again unless exposed to a new strain (there are about 8 strains that affect chickens) or unless their immune systems are weakened by something else.