Coccidiosis? or something else need advice... ***photos***

[KelsT]

Once Upon a Time:
I got an Ameraucana and an Isbar from a local small breeder...She cared for them the 1st week until they were strong and healthy then gave them to me. My husband really wanted a polish chick, I searched hi and low to find one the same age as these 2 so they could be in the same brooder. I found some, a 45 min drive away, and went to pick them up.
(I had a bad feeling about the landy i got them from, but thought I was saving the chicks from a bad place. She had at least 30 in a watermelon box, inside her coop, where 2 roosters where who she told me she recently took back from a lady she sold them to who thought they where pullets.)
I left with 2 polish, one escaped in the car and sat on my lap the full ride home. I noticed she was sneezing from time to time and was worried, but she had big old polish nostrils and it could have been something in them or stress, or just because.
I got home and put them in with my ameraucana and Isbar and they worked it out right away and all 4 where happy. I noticed when i got home the smallest polish had a runny butt but I chalked it up to the heat (its been HOT), stress from the ride and just being a young chick.
Her runny but did not get better it persisted, I did all the stuff suggested. She also seemed to have stunted growth, and bare belly from the runs. I then though I found some sawdusts with pinkish to it and decided to treat for Cocci. The same day i got the medicine when i got home the polish that did not really seem sick was dead in the brooder... . I cleaned it all up and started the treatment.
I got Corid liquid. and began treatment, 2 teas. into a gallon of water. I did not mix fresh each day I used the gallon until it was almost gone about a week. They seemed to be improving...I moved forward with getting a larger brooder ready, as I had acquired another 3 polish (not exactly planned) they where in a separate brooder they are younger and i did not want them exposed to the chicks that where getting treatments. The morning of the day I planned to move them I found signs of bloody poop again (I seriously thought I had beat it, the runt was growing they seemed better NO MORE RUNNY BUTT!)
I started asking questions and was told that I need to mix the corid in new water each day! .... is this true? Using the liquid corid.
I then started over with the corid only mix fresh each day today (7/21/15) was day 2 of the new treatment of FRESH mixed corid. they have now been taking meds for 2 plus week at this point. The photos in this post are from today as well. the polish shick actually pooped the worst poop i have seen this full time. Dark liquidy red. I was shocked! They do occasionally sneezy .... not seeing discharge or labored breathing or wheezing and eye look good. they eat and drink. the polish might eat and drink a little less, not sure.

I am not sure what to do now...
1. Continue with second round of corid?
2. Try sulmet?
3. Do I cull and send the polish in for necroscopy? (and just hope it can save my Isbar and Ameraucana...) I do worry about the fact the polish has been sick for as long as I had it possibly if not probably and might have permanent damage. Will it be healthy as an adult, able to lay eggs? As you can see in the photos it seems to be stunted...but maybe that's how polish develope...

I already have 5 chickens that will start laying any day....I don't want to introduce them or the baby polish to a disease or sickness that will hurt them. And I will be very disappointed if i loose the Isbar and Ameraucana. I am KICKING myself for not quarantining the polish right away.


An old poop I found..not sure whos


Above is a poop from the polish

this is from the isbar


this is the polish ... supposedly 5 weeks old wings seem larger and tail feather larger then body should have?


Second poop from polish VERY red! this is the worst i have actually seen

another shot of same poop


Poop from the ameraucana... stinky one! LOL

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm so sorry to hear that.

Yes, I would continue the corid. Feed them vitamin rich foods (but don't mix vitamins into the water). I hear that corid is gentler on chicks then sulmet.

As for your Polish, if the treatment doesn't seem to be working, culling might be the best option. When the digestive tract gets sore it can stay that way for a while. If she beats this sickness she should, however, heal up and be able to lay as an adult. She does look stunted, so provide lots of vitamin and calcium rich foods.


I really hope they start getting better soon!

 

[KelsT]

I'm so sorry to hear that.

Yes, I would continue the corid. Feed them vitamin rich foods (but don't mix vitamins into the water). I hear that corid is gentler on chicks then sulmet.

As for your Polish, if the treatment doesn't seem to be working, culling might be the best option. When the digestive tract gets sore it can stay that way for a while. If she beats this sickness she should, however, heal up and be able to lay as an adult. She does look stunted, so provide lots of vitamin and calcium rich foods.


I really hope they start getting better soon!

Thank you for your kind thoughts, this has been very informative and stressful as someone pretty new to chickens.

At what point should I decide if she is improving or not? *sigh*

 

[farm-a-zootical]

As suggested to me, which I welcomed, it may not be drinking enough of the corid to be helpful. I would jump start with two drops orally. For us, it helped. It can't hurt at this point. Perhaps someone more experienced than myself will see this and chime in.

 

[GitaBooks]

Thank you for your kind thoughts, this has been very informative and stressful as someone pretty new to chickens.

At what point should I decide if she is improving or not? *sigh*

I'm not sure, maybe a week or two? So far (thankfully) I've never had to treat my chickens for coccidia.

 

[KelsT]

I hope you never do... its very stressful.

 

[CKC Coop]

Sorry to hear. I am in a similar boat right now...I suspect my flock has cocci. My vet, though he did not do a fecal float test, suspects the same from the symptoms I described and told me to start Corid and give it a few days. I lost one hen so quickly though and I'm beginning to wonder...what if it's something else and I'm wasting time not treating it correctly. I thought Corid was suppose to clear up the bloody poop after 24 hours. My flock has been on it for 48 hours and I still found a couple bloody poops this morning. I can offer you no help or advice, just wanted you to know someone else is thinKing about you and going through the same type of stress. Good Luck!

 

[KelsT]

Sorry to hear. I am in a similar boat right now...I suspect my flock has cocci. My vet, though he did not do a fecal float test, suspects the same from the symptoms I described and told me to start Corid and give it a few days. I lost one hen so quickly though and I'm beginning to wonder...what if it's something else and I'm wasting time not treating it correctly. I thought Corid was suppose to clear up the bloody poop after 24 hours. My flock has been on it for 48 hours and I still found a couple bloody poops this morning. I can offer you no help or advice, just wanted you to know someone else is thinKing about you and going through the same type of stress. Good Luck!

thank you. And i hope yours turn around quickly. Let me know if you find somthing out.

 

[casportpony]

In addition to the medicated water you can give it undiluted orally at 0.02ml per 100 grams. Doing this two days in a row is usually enough to get them back on track. Best to get a kitchen scale and do a little math. Let me know if you need help doing that.

-Kathy

 

[enola]

Another thing about how soon you will see improvement after starting Corid.......

A very sick bird will take more time to improve.