Cocci? Please HELP!!! **UPDATED**

[loralei]

A couple days ago I posted questions regarding blood in poo. From what I learned cocci is one of the only things that causes this.

I have 22 hens and 1 roo. They are about 24 weeks old. I thought we were beyond cocci as a threat! They were just moved into there new coop on Sunday' Monday is the first time I noticed the blood. Yesterday the coop looked like a crime scene.... blood everywhere! At first I thought someone had to be playing a Halloween prank! I just could no comprehend what I was seeing. I started them on corid immediately yesterday morning. There was less blood in the afternoon so I was encouraged. Also my girls seemed ok, not completely normal, just a little "off" perhaps but they were eating, drinking, pecking about.

Today they seem less energetic but seemed anxious to go outside. 80% chance of rain today so they will be confined to coop but that they wanted to go out I found encouraging. Again there was quite a bit of blood in there poo but there eyes are bright and they are all up moving about somewhat. The photos are rather icky, so I'm sorry but I need to help my girls.

I am very near a panic so there is likely much I am leaving out. Please post any questions and I will respond asap. I will be checking in often.

Thank you for reading and any help you can offer!
Laura

 

[bargain]

I would recommend Corid is preferred but if you cannot find it sulmet is okay. Follow the directions carefully. Although there can be other reasons than Cocci for the blood in the feces, it's likely Cocci.....With all the rains, it appears to be quite active this year.

You didn't mention it, but are your chicks still on medicated feed? Were they ever on medicated feedd.

Hope this was helpful and thanks.

 

[mypicklebird]

If they just got moved into a new coop, with the blood present- it is probably coccidia. The soil probably had the organism in it. Not definitively, but likely. Corid (amprolium) is good. It is the same medication that is in 'medicated' chick start, but you are giving it at a higher concentration. They need to DRINK the water to get the med- so I could confine them so they have no other source of water (they will drink the puddles instead of the medicated water if given the option). If any are lethargic, you can syringe them the water, as well as make a mash with their food and medicated water. Adding powdered dry milk to their food is also helpful. ANY chicken can get sick from coccidia if they haven't encountered the type before (there are many types). Adults are usually immune as they have seen and survived the organisms before- but if you move them to a new space that contains a new organism- they can and will get ill! A fecal to the vet's will confirm that it is coccidia, as there are other causes of bloody poop, but coccidia is the likely culprit.

 

[loralei]

Thank you! I started them on the Corid yesterday morning and made sure everyone had a drink. I let them out into the run yesterday afternoon but there were no puddles. They were more energetic yesterday but I still wouldn't say they are lathargic. I will mix a a big ol batch of that mash for em this afternoon. Leavin work early to tend to my gals!

Please correct me if I am wrong:

Corid dosage: 1T / 5 gallons of water

When should I see some improvement? There was less blood yesterday afternoon but this morning was just as bad as yesterday morning.

We brought sand up from the creek to build up the area around the coop so they did get exposed to new soil. For some reason I didn't think the adults could get it. I am so grateful to have the benefit of the experience of all you folks here! BYC has been a terrific resource!

Also, I received a new batch of day old chicks yesterday (it was a very full day for me!). They are on medicated crumbles but they are so young. What precautions do I need to take with them?

Thank you so much for your advice/support! It means the world when you feel helpless!

Laura

 

[silkiechicken]

I used sulmet for the one batch of cocci I ran into, and they improved in 24 hours.The treatment was a 10 day course if I remember right, and they all made it. Do finish treatment as per the bottle even if they "look" better.

My problem with the chicks that got cocci was that I did not expose them to the soil early enough so they never built up their immunities. It was the only batch I raised in a brooder for a full 6 weeks without putting them on soil, and the only batch to ever get cocci. I normally brood in dirt floor tractors/coops. You can feed chicks medicated feed as long as you want, but if they are never exposed, it does no good. The medicated feed only prevents cocci from reproducing in the gut; it is a protozoa. For this new batch of chicks, give them a dish of dry sand from the yard for them to play in along with their medicated feed and they should be fine. Of course, do keep the litter dry, and don't put them out with birds who are excreting tons of the oocysts at the moment, but that's pretty obivous. The minor exposure in the soil should jump start the immune system and they should be fine as adults.

 

[Los Pollitos]

Wishing you the best Loralei! Our flock had cocci at about the same age as yours, maybe a few weeks earlier. We caught it right away, and immediately began treatment with Sulmet. It worked great and we didn't lose any birds. Like silkiechicken says, be sure to finish the treatment---ours looked fine again within about 2 days, but we followed the directions closely and have not any problems since.

We exposed our chicks to soil pretty early, like around 2 1/2 to 3 weeks old, but they still ended up becoming infected later. It seems like everyone I know locally has had an outbreak at some point, no matter what they do. Again, good luck with your chicks.

 

[Festa X11]

I would like to add that you must give your coop a thorough clean and disinfect, paying close attention to cracks and crevices, as the spores can survive for a long time especially if it is warm and damp. I use a wide spectrum product that we use for the broiler houses at work, called Kilcox made by a company called Kilco. Antec (Dupont) also do very good products too, OO-Cide is a product aimed at cocci but it is very dangerous to use if you are not trained and do not have the correct safety equipment, but you could try Vircon s

 

[silkiechicken]

The cocci protozoa is in all soils, but the oocysts(eggs) thrive in damp moist soils the longest. The dryer the ground, the better, especially around water stations and feeders.

 

[loralei]

Thanks for all the great information, folks! All in all things seem to be going pretty well. No one is lathargic. In fact they seem to have a little more energy this afternoon than they did this morning and they are a lot more chatty than they were earlier... very vocal about wanting outside! lol

I mixed up a fresh batch of medicated water and I made a mash using medicated crumbles, yogurt, buttermilk and honey. They all ate and drank, even the one I was most concerned about. I'm encouraged!

Thanks again for your kind words and advice! It's funny that those feathered freaks have come to mean so much to me!
Laura

 

[loralei]

Today I have happy news! The Corid has kicked in and there was far less blood although still a little. My girls are eating and drinking and moving about. It's gonna be hard to keep em inside today! lol

I seem to have caught the cocci early and thanks to the advice and support from you kind folks have treated it successfully!

BYC you are truly a blessing!
Laura