Coccidia is killing my flock one by one- tried everything

[Jarsheart]

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I have two coops. Both have wooden hen houses that are raised off of the ground, with runs that are 8 ft long, 3 ft wide, and 3 ft tall on the ground. The runs have dirt in them, a combo of dirt that was on the ground mixed with playground sand and topsoil. The coops are only a few feet away from each other, but so far my older coop is the one with all of the deaths. I have allowed the chickens from both coops out into the same area, but not at the same time. I have never let the chickens from one coop into the other. I wanted the runs to be on the ground because it seemed better for the chickens, so they could scratch around and dust bathe. I also did not want their feet to have pressure sores from wire...I was told it was better, and as a kid that is how we kept our chickens with NO problems. Now my little flock of 12 is down to 8, the first one died in September. Some show symptoms, some don't. This one died within 3 hrs of showing symptoms of distress. I have a hen who has been sick for weeks, but is still hanging in there for now. She is now a house chicken, and is being taken care of by my mother 24/7.

 

[Jarsheart]

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What do I use to disinfect, and where do I get it ? If they all die, I am DONE DONE DONE with this. Having them gives me so much joy, but losing them is crushing me. My head feels like it is in a nut cracker, and the number of tears I have cried is a number too great to count.

 

[Jarsheart]

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I am using Layena, with occasional treats such as scratch, bread, carrot peelings, oat groats, sunflower seed...I can't think...I put "vitamin electrolyte plus" in the water yesterday, I had discovered some bloody poop and was not sure which chicken it came from. All of the chickens were eating and acting normally yesterday. My poor little boy...

 

[Qi Chicken]

I had to up the dose of Corid. I'm so sorry I can't remember now but I think it was approximately almost double the recommended dose on the bottle of liquid Corid. On the recommended dose I had several that were not recovering. Good luck to you. I'm sorry about your chickens. You have probably already answered but are you sure there is not something else going on?

 

[pips&peeps]

Have you actually sent a bird to a State Lab for Necropsy? Alot of birds can get mareks and cocci or e-coli as secondary infections. Most vets are not capable of diagnosing mareks.....

 

[Pine Grove]

Quote:
I am using Layena, with occasional treats such as scratch, bread, carrot peelings, oat groats, sunflower seed...I can't think...I put "vitamin electrolyte plus" in the water yesterday, I had discovered some bloody poop and was not sure which chicken it came from. All of the chickens were eating and acting normally yesterday. My poor little boy...

If they are eating and acting fine, they're not dying from cocci thats for sure

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Have you seen the "poo page?"
http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

I believe you when you say your birds are dying - but what you think is blood in the poo might be shed intestinal lining.

 

[speckledhen]

I doubt they're dying from cocci. Birds develop immunity as they get older and unless your pen is a filthy mess and they have poop galore in their waterers and feeders, I don't think this is coccidiosis. You need a necropsy of one of the dead birds, IMO. Vets are not always good with avian species. I just can't see this being cocci. Though adult birds can get it, usually, by the time they're over 12 weeks old or so, they have developed immunity to the oocycsts that are in their soil. I guess anything is possible, but you need a necropsy done. Your state vet may do it for free or a nominal fee (not your regular vet, who will probably charge big bucks for it)

 

[Jarsheart]

pips&peeps :

Have you actually sent a bird to a State Lab for Necropsy? Alot of birds can get mareks and cocci or e-coli as secondary infections. Most vets are not capable of diagnosing mareks.....

My vet did the necropsy on the first chicken that died, my rooster. She sent tissues to the state lab. Results-they found nothing. I sent my two hens that died to the state in October, the vet said they were poultry experts, and that it would be the better way to go. THOSE REPORTS ARE STILL PENDING !! They are short staffed, and their work is backed up. So far they have found coccidia and crypto. The exotic stuff is what is pending (Newcastle, etc). A stool sample from yesterday's bird, that was his last defecation showed overwhelming coccidia present. My mother took my sick hen to a different vet a week ago, who found the same thing, he said it was "overflowing" with coccidia. The hen also *does* have e coli, the culture came back yesterday before I found my baby in distress. It is like their immune system has gone to hell. I just don't understand this.​

 

[Jarsheart]

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I agree, I feel like something else is going on, but so far nothing else has been found. One of the hens that died showed no symptoms, just dropped dead. The rooster had symptoms 3 days before I took him to the vet. Another hen was sick off and on for 3 months before she got very bad and died 5 days later. Yesterdays baby was in distress for less than 3 hours when he died.