Closed Eye Chick and the Mystery Red Poo

[shermanfarmyard]

Hi group! I got 3 chicks of different ages from a breeder. The first day I noticed someone had red poop but it disappeared by the next day so I figured it was just a stress thing or something she ate. A week later one of the chick's eyes was closed and when I picked her up I noticed crackly breathing. I don't have access to antibiotics. The feed stores near me said they are no longer allowed to carry them. I treated her with a saline eye wash, probiotics and a vitamin/electrolyte mix and her respiratory condition cleared up. However her eye is still shut. I can't tell if it was an injury but it really looks like something is still in there. Aside from that she acts like a happy healthy chick. But yesterday, I noticed red poop!!! I dot know whose poop it is... it doesn't look like cocci poo... any advice? What would you all do?

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. How old are the chicks? Do you know how they were being kept--in a booder, in the coop, near other older chicks? Many people who raise chickens can have had respiratory diseases such as MG in the flocks at one time. Unfortunately, those make carriers of the flock, and they can pass it along by air exposure or through hatching eggs. MG can cause redness, swelling, and bubbles in an eye. MG can show up around 2-3 weeks old. Hopefully though, it is not that bad. I would get some saline eye drops at your Walmart or pharmacy, and rinse the eye twice a day. Open it gently if stuck together. Farm stores sell Terramycin eye ointment (you usually have to ask a cleark) that is a tetracycline antibiotic which is good for eye infections. Apply that twice a day.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a link to read about mycoplasma (MG https://extension.umd.edu//sites/ex... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

The red poo could contain intestinal shed, and that looks more like bits of tomato and stringy. Poop pictures can always be helpful though. If chicksare 3 weeks old and having red in poos, I would think about starting some Corid, especially if the chick is acting sleepy or not eating.

 

[shermanfarmyard]

One of the chicks is 5 months and the other two are 2 and 3 months. I have had them all for a month now. The breeder keeps the brooders away from the older chickens and I have gotten several birds from her in the past without an issue (not that I wasn't just lucky).
I have been doing a saline eye wash, but I can look for the Terramycin eye drops. Any reason the other chicks aren't showing symptoms? These three are far away from my established flock, but will they need to be culled? Other than the eye, these chicks are active and have a good appetite.

The red poop does look like tomato and not really bloody. I will take a picture of both.

 

[shermanfarmyard]

I looked at the link you provided, thank you. The eye is not foamy and does not have any discharge. She just holds it closed.

 

[Eggcessive]

Well, that is good. Chicks are pretty bad to peck one another. They can also sound rattly sometimes if they have a full crop of liquidy food. Since the 2 and 3 month olds could still have problems while developing resistance to cocci in their poop and in dirt, you may want to give them all a treatment of Corid for 5-7 days. Most feed stores sell it in powder or liquid form. It won't hurt them to treat even if they don't have cocci.

 

[shermanfarmyard]

Do you know what the dosage is? I almost picked some up but since it is packaged for bovine, the feed store said they didn't know how much to give them. Can I use Tylan 50 instead?

Would you still use the terramycin, or should I use an eye ointment that doesn't have the antibiotic like Vetericyn?

 

[Eggcessive]

You could use Vetericyn as wll. I would use Corid instead of Tylan for coccidiosis. Dosage is 1 1/2 tsp of the powder, or 2 tsp of the liquid per gallon of water for 5-7 days. Tylan 50 injectable is what you would want to use if you need to treat for mycoplasma (MG) at a later time. Dosage for a young chicken is 1/2 ml for every 2 1/2 pounds of weight, given orally or as an injection twice a day for 5 days. You would need 10 syringes (3 ml with 20 gauge 1/2 inch needles) for withdrawing the Tylan, then take the needle off to give it orally a drop at a time.