cocci ?'s i can't find answers to...

[Fluffy-Butt-Farms]

the ones that are dying i hatched or my friend hatched. the ones that i got from the swapmeet were young, and from reputable people, so i didnt' even think about what they could possibly have. honestly, i'm new to chickens and didn't think little couple day old chicks could carry anything so devistating. my mistake.

the young chicks from the swapmeet are all doing well...and the older ones are in a totally different brooder.

of course, now i know, if i ever buy anything again, it's not going anywhere near my other chickens... but from now on, i think i'm hatching everything i wanna raise.

 

[PunkinPeep]

It sounds like the ones you got from the swap meet might have had some infestation but also some resistance. It seems like that would explain why they're the healthy ones. I don't see how else your hatchlings could've gotten exposed so quickly and heavily.

I am also very wary of swap meats and chicken fairs and the like, most specifically because a healthy bird being sold at something like that can easily pick up something from an unhealthy bird and bring it home to your flock. There are way too many variables.

That said, once i had my first experience with coccidiosis, i learned to keep an eye on young chicks and have the Corid ready. If anyone of them starts looking lethargic and fluffy, during say the first 10-12 weeks, i'll dose the whole flock with Corid. That's just me.

 

[Fluffy-Butt-Farms]

well this is definately a sad learning experience. i just went in there and one more dead, and lots of blood in the one brooder... which is weird, cause in that brooder went none of the swap meet chicks, but it's possible that some of the bedding from the top brooder went into the bottom brooder. the top brooder that has my week olds and swap meet chicks has only lost 1 chick, and one that is ify, but i just made him drink some more water with sulmet in it.

after this, it's definately a "i'm only hatching my own stuff" situation.

i'm going to clean a movable brooder i have (made out of a truck tool box) with bleach, let it dry, then ammonia it for my new hatch. that way if anything was in it, hopefully it will die. i can't order the other disinfectant til tomorrow..but my hatch is due any day.

thank you for all the answers.

hopefully someone learns from my huge mistake

 

[HEChicken]

You asked about ACV. It is Apple Cider Vinegar but its important to get the organic stuff. The bottle should say something about having "the mother" in it. I couldn't find it at my grocery store (they had plenty of ACV but not the organic with the mother) and had to go to a health food store to get it. Use 2-4 tablespoons per gallon of water.

 

[silkiechicken]

Sulmet will work very fast, and the sooner you give it the better.

Each chick depending on it's early exposure will have different levels of immunity by 3 weeks old. If the chicks are exposed lightly on day 1 when they hit the ground, they likely have a better immunity than chicks who have their first exposure at 2 weeks old. Most birds will always have a slight cocci load in them, but being chilled or stressed in any way can set it off and make them sick.

The key part of the brooder is to keep it dry. Cocci are less active in dry environments, so make sure water can't splash out of their dish onto the litter and that it says clean. All it takes is one dropping containing high levels of cocci to be picked up in one chick, who's droppings will have some cocci, that can be picked up by the rest of the chicks, and multiply in their guts, until enough time has occurred that the levels get high enough in the brooder that they get sick.

The only thing medicated feed does is help them gain resistance to cocci by preventing it from reproducing. That said, if the chicks are not exposed early on, the medicated feed does nothing and they can get sick. I always put in a bit of dirt from the ground for the babies to play in so they get early exposure to the things they will be living on later in life.

As for ACV, or powdered milk etc... some swear by it, but as far as I am concerned with my own birds, maybe as a preventative, but not as a treatment. Either way, it isn't going to change intestine pH enough to make a hostile environment else the good bacteria in the gut would also not survive and the birds would suffer else wise. (If it weren't for bacteria in guts, we would never be able to digest our food completely, and cows could not live on grass as they would not be able to break it down.)

Good luck with the chicks!

 

[Sooner]

Just my 2 cents but I did a full round of sulmet only to have it come back within a week. I used the Corid & it never returned.

 

[PunkinPeep]

I always put in a bit of dirt from the ground for the babies to play in so they get early exposure to the things they will be living on later in life.

Now THAT's SMART!

And i think it's probably the best prevention of full on outbreaks. How can they build immunity without exposure? They can't.

Just my 2 cents but I did a full round of sulmet only to have it come back within a week. I used the Corid & it never returned.

I get the feeling (though i am loyal to my Corid also) that the effectiveness depends on which of the strains you're dealing with, which you can't know even with a fecal. I read that you can't determine the specific cocci strain until a necropsy is done on a bird that has died from it. Great! right?

I use Corid because it worked very well for me and because it's supposed to kill all 9 strains, and because it's easier on the belly. But there are those who swear by Sulmet. And who am i to say they're wrong?​

 

[AHappychick]

didnt read all the posts but here is what I would do. feed a mash of 1 part starter crumbles to 1 part butter milk and 1 part powdered milk and 1/2 yougurt (the organic kind) Do this immediatly as it will help stop the bleeding and cover the sores in their intestines

Order liquid Amprol from First state vet supply and use when it arrives. If you got something at the feed store and are using it thats ok too but I would still do what I wrote and switch meds once the amprol arrives.

I have not had a death from cocci since doing this and the mash is a great natural way to slow down the issues immediatly. The amprol is not as harsh on their system either as some of the other meds like Sumlett are.

also for the next week add powdered milk to their dry feed after mash is eaten

 

[Fluffy-Butt-Farms]

ok, well,

i called my vet and he's going to call me back. if he doesn't need to see the chicks (not paying a 40 office visit) then i should be able to get some amprol from him. if not, then i'll continue on the sulmet for now.

i am going to go to the store and get some buttermilk and powdered milk, and make a mash like suggested. that definately can't hurt. just waiting for doc to call first, so i dont make 2 trips to the same exact location.

 

[silkiechicken]

As with all drugs, do complete the entire dosage before trying again. Doing half a treatment and switching is juts asking for the occysts to become resistant to the drug. Yes, they can become resistant just like other organisms. You should see improvements within 3 days. Make sure they have no other source of water than the one you are treating from.