Cocci and the power of BYC

[Ellie]

I got some Golden Laced Cochin chicks from a breeder on Wednesday. Her place was spotless and the mom and dad looked good. The barn was to die for with glass doors into the chick brooder room. I got four of the chicks and they were various ages from 4 weeks to 6 weeks .

On the way home I had to stop (this is a 5 hour drive one way) to get gas and check on the chicks. I noticed bloody poop in the cage. Uh oh! When I got home, I emailed Speckled Hen (Cynthia) about the bloody poop. She emailed back and said it was probably Cocci which was common and to get some Corid.

Thursday I got the Corid but by the time I got back, one chick was failing fast. Now this is where BYC comes in. There was no time to look anything up because she was literally dying. I knew from reading here to get her warm and isolated which I did. Sadly, she died in my arms about a half hour later.

Realizing that this was a life and death situation I ran out an got a quick picture of the other chicks and sent it to Cynthia. She told me that it was an advanced case of Cocci and told me the correct dosage of the Corid.

You see, the good folks on this forum who freely give their experiences and knowledge may have saved my other three chicks... even my whole flock because I knew to quarantine them from the start.

 

[crtrlovr]

sorry you lost your baby -- if the Corid doesn't seem to be working within a very short time (1-2 days at most) try the Sulmet. You should also let the seller know so she can treat any remaining babies right away.

 

[Ellie]

Thanks, yes I got some Sulmet just in case. Today there is no blood in their poop so far. That is awesome since there has been since I got them.

You know, I was tempted to quarrantine them for only a week or so since everything at her place looked so nice. I informed her so she is keeping an eye on them but isn't treating them. It's as she thinks that I got the only few who have it. She had maybe a dozen or more chicks of different ages in that brooder area.

 

[Ellie]

I really hope that this thread helps others who think that because the chicken or breeder looks ok...you must quarantine them no matter what. I have 19 beautiful girls out there that could have been affected by this.

 

[ChooksChick]

An old farmer's trick will buy you some time when you can't get your hands on Corid fast: mix their feed 50% to powdered milk. This will get you just a bit of time, when you most need it.

Good job, Ellie & Speckled Hen!

 

[Ellie]

Good to know. These lives are so precious and it is awful to see them failing so fast. Cocci can be so agressive and so quick to take your chickens. I just wish the breeder would understand and medicate her chicks that are in that same brooder.

 

[speckledhen]

I told Ellie about the powdered milk; also mentioned that she could get yogurt and/or raw milk or buttermilk and mix with their feed. It does help. Once during a mild cocci outbreak here, I happened to have some raw goat's milk that my friend Kate gave me and used that. Most cocci is very treatable if caught early on. Ellie's new chicks were very bad off when she got home with them. I think what happened is the breeder mixed ages and kept adding younger birds in with older chicks and not cleaning the brooder out completely in between batches. And bleach won't kill it, but household ammonia will-that's something many people don't know.

Happily, I think she got them medicated just in time. Another day, and I'm betting one or all would have been dead.

 

[ChooksChick]

Cynthia, you are the reservoir of all chicken knowledge! I didn't know about the ammonia!

That's fabulous!

Quote:

 

[speckledhen]

I can't even remember where the reference was, but it is why, between groups of chicks in the Firetower, I clean it out and spray it down with ammonia. I do try to lime the pen heavily on occasion, but can't really sanitize the entire ground that well. At least the inside is pretty clean. I'm just can't believe that the breeder didn't notice that really bloody poop--it was really bad in the pics Ellie sent me. I hope she pays more attention when mixing different age chicks and does a completely clean out on occasion.

 

[Ellie]

Yeah, I thought bleach would do it. I have now cleaned out the cage I brought them home with ammonia. I agree, they would have all died if not for the good advice I got before and right when it happened.

I cannot believe that I got the only chicks with Cocci and all the others in that pen don't have it.. I just pray that they are ok. This forum is invaluable. I would post the pics if I thought it would help anyone identify the disease. It appears that you must act quickly.


I did have raw milk and gave it to them. They drank it and I have discontinued as of today because they don't have blood in their poop. I am trying to get them to eat scrambled eggs and yogurt to no avail. They are skin and bones and their breast bone is so prominent. They just don't want any part of it. I will keep trying.