If it is cocci would it be poop & blood mixed together or just a great big mass of pure blood?
I have a flock of 6 chickens. They bunk down at night in a stall in the barn. 5 of the chickens sleep in the feeding trough filled with pine shavings and one, a leghorn hen, sleeps up high on a tree branch I have fitted in there as a roost. Two days ago, directly below where Leghorn sleeps (high on roost) was a 6" long by 3" wide oval/circle of pure red, wet blood. No poop, just blood. Very wet, bright red - I couldn't believe it. Immediately I checked Leghorns booty - clean/white. I checked the rest of the flock - all appear fine.
Leghorn is suffering from a bout of Avian Pox, but you would only know by her comb's condition. I live in FL and the mosquitoes have been terrible.
She eats & has energy and has produced an egg every day.
All the chickens are about 5-6 months old - brought home together at the same time. They were raised on medicated feed, until this most recent week. They were bought from a good feed store and aside from the early days, have always had access to the dirt & grass. They are free range by day and have access to feed & scratch and all the bugs a chicken could desire!
Is it possible she has cocci? Is it possible all that blood came from her*? (*See oppossum clause - below) I wish I had taken a picture.
I was so taken aback by the blood I moved it around with a twig - it was poop free, just blood.
*Oppossum Clause:
That same morning I found a dead oppossum in the barn. This is something new. No dead oppossums before chickens!
Here's what I think could have happened: Oppossum was sniffing around in the stall in the night. The very protective rooster attacked him and maybe poked some holes in his side. Oppossum slipped through the slight opening I keep in the stall door (where the blood was pooled) and crawled through to the other side and died. Would a rooster attack an oppossum ?
Last but not least:
Would you advise me to treat their water with a round of coccid meds?
Is it OK to eat the eggs she has laid w/out meds?
If I give coccid meds, is it then OK to eat those eggs?
Say she doesn't have cocci - do I really need to empty the shavings from the sleeping trough (which they also use as nesting box) every morning?
I have a flock of 6 chickens. They bunk down at night in a stall in the barn. 5 of the chickens sleep in the feeding trough filled with pine shavings and one, a leghorn hen, sleeps up high on a tree branch I have fitted in there as a roost. Two days ago, directly below where Leghorn sleeps (high on roost) was a 6" long by 3" wide oval/circle of pure red, wet blood. No poop, just blood. Very wet, bright red - I couldn't believe it. Immediately I checked Leghorns booty - clean/white. I checked the rest of the flock - all appear fine.
Leghorn is suffering from a bout of Avian Pox, but you would only know by her comb's condition. I live in FL and the mosquitoes have been terrible.
She eats & has energy and has produced an egg every day.
All the chickens are about 5-6 months old - brought home together at the same time. They were raised on medicated feed, until this most recent week. They were bought from a good feed store and aside from the early days, have always had access to the dirt & grass. They are free range by day and have access to feed & scratch and all the bugs a chicken could desire!
Is it possible she has cocci? Is it possible all that blood came from her*? (*See oppossum clause - below) I wish I had taken a picture.
I was so taken aback by the blood I moved it around with a twig - it was poop free, just blood.
*Oppossum Clause:
That same morning I found a dead oppossum in the barn. This is something new. No dead oppossums before chickens!
Here's what I think could have happened: Oppossum was sniffing around in the stall in the night. The very protective rooster attacked him and maybe poked some holes in his side. Oppossum slipped through the slight opening I keep in the stall door (where the blood was pooled) and crawled through to the other side and died. Would a rooster attack an oppossum ?
Last but not least:
Would you advise me to treat their water with a round of coccid meds?
Is it OK to eat the eggs she has laid w/out meds?
If I give coccid meds, is it then OK to eat those eggs?
Say she doesn't have cocci - do I really need to empty the shavings from the sleeping trough (which they also use as nesting box) every morning?
