coccidiosis and caring for new chicks

[moonflowers]

I am a paranoid new mom and have adorable little week old chicks. But I have been unable to locate feed that contains coccidiosis meds. My chicks seem fine but everything I've read makes me paranoid that maybe they are going to get very sick and die if I don't give them some cocci meds. I went to TSC to get some but they didn't have any. When I asked them the lady told me to buy some antibiotics to put in their water, Duramycin-10. I bought the bag thinking she knew what she was talking about but when I got home I read it over and it is for many different kinds of animals and says for chickens it controls chronic respiratory disease. This does not sound like what I wanted at all. My chicks are all healthy, so this would be merely preventative.
Anyway, do I need to venture further out to get some medicated feed or supplements or is it not all that necessary to give them protection from coccidiosis?

 

[LynneP]

Well the good news is that you have some antibiotics on hand, and sometimes it's difficult to find them. I'd keep them for future use and continue to look for medicated starter. That said, you're doing well and the chicks seem fine. I used medicated starter as a precaution and it's probably wise to get some. The moment things go wrong is the moment you can't locate what you need! That's chick-raising rule #1.

 

[chookchick]

Many chicks are raised on non-medicated feed. Mine were last year. And even medicated food does not guarantee you will not get coccidiosis. The most important thing is that their brooder is clean and dry and their water is cleaned regularly. It is almost impossible to keep poo out of the water, but keep raising it as they grow, and do the best you can. If you are really worried, you could get some Sulmet to keep on hand, but I think you are worrying too much. Giving them antibiotics for no good reason is NOT a good idea, and can make them susceptible to other problems.

 

[moonflowers]

Thank you so much. I don't want to overmedicate my chicks at all so I think I might do as you say. I have been changing the water twice a day, rinsing off the rocks and washing the waterer with soap, is that sufficient?

 

[chookchick]

I change the water about 6 times a day, but then again I am very careful after treating cocci. I always change and wash if I see poo in the water. It really depends on how much "junk" your chicks get in the water.

 

[LynneP]

I sure agree about the antibiotics! No sense developing disease resistant organisms.

I find as the chicks age week after week getting the waterer high enough is important, and yes, keeping the water clean is vital.

Glad to hear things are well.

 

[FlashPointFarm]

I usually don't treat for cocci unless the chicks have pasty butts, if they have a bad case of it, they will have blood in thier stools. You want them to build a resistance to Coccidia naturally, and they will.

The only time I had an issue with Coccidiosis in my chicks was when I purchased from a nearby exotic farm. The chicks were filthy and almost all had pasty butts, some naked butts from the breeder pulling the pasty feathers off their butts. I treated with Di Methox, medicated feed and gave them yogurt. I lost 6 of them, a few had prolapsed vents already.

I only feed medicated feed if I've purchased chicks that are already infected with cocci. I put Di-methox in their water also. Otherwise they don't get treated for it and don't need it.

The antibiotics will do nothing for Cocci.

There are several different strains of Cocci, that's why feeding a medicated feed isn't a cure all for Coccidiosis.

It sounds like you are doing everything right be keeping them clean. Usually a Cocci infection is from unsanitary conditions. Just keep their bedding and food clean, and change their water 2 x day. I also use raw, unfiltered apple cidar vinegar in their water. There are lots of posts on BYC about it's benefits.

 

[BarkerChickens]

We currently have 49 chicks in the brooder. They are on unmedicated feed and are currently treating for Coccidiosis. They are in the house and we aren't sure where they got it from, however, they had pasty butt/diarrhea since we got them (though I haven't heard of chicks getting cocci from the hatchery...but who knows. We also gave them a few pine cones that were cleaned off that may not have been cleaned well enough

Live and learn, I guess...next time we'll boil 'em first). Anyway...we started seeing symptoms at day 7 and IMMEDIATELY cleaned out the brooder completely and put all chicks on Sulmet. Sulmet is cheap and readily available in our area (we bought it from Vet Supply). If they need treating...use Sulmet...if not, don't worry about it. However, I will add...coccidiosis can kill quickly and we are honestly shocked that the one who showed the most symptoms survived. She was on death's door step the evening we started treating...couldn't even sit up..she just flopped on her back and side. By next morning she was much better and the day after 48 hrs, she could walk/run around again.

 

[speckledhen]

Best treatment is Corid (concentrated Amprolium) rather than Sulmet, if you can find it. Sulmet continues intestinal bleeding longer than if they were on Corid, since Sulmet is more an antibiotic than a coccidiostat. Even with medicated feed, they can get cocci if the oocycsts are rampant in the soil. I always feed medicated and in the last two years, have always had bouts with cocci the minute chicks hit the ground. Limed the pen and it didn't help. Was beginning to think that feed labels are lying about the Amprolium in them or that whoever is supplying it to all these manufacturers is producing bad batches. Could be that Amprolium in feeds is not as effective as it used to be.