COCCIDIOSIS vs injury from bedding?

[karensklucks]

I have 7 week old chicks that I purchased from Tractor Supply Company (They are 4 white leghorns and 3 bantams). They were fed Medicated Chicken feed for the first 4 weeks and get DE sprinkled on their bedding, once they are over 3-4 weeks of age. They are in the my growing pen/brooder, out in a portable storage unit (it was used for storage and an office). . They are all still eating and seem to be drinking. None of them are acting sickly. I noticed the bloody liquid on the shavings and checked all of them yesterday and couldn't pinpoint the one that is bleeding. Today I went out to their brooder/pen and found more blood, on the shavings, and some bloody looking stool. I found one leghorn and one bantam that had blood on their tail feathers. I put them in a separate "travel" pen. Tractor Supply changed up their bedding (it was supposed to be flaked pine shavings), and it is now very rough and has a ton of sharp, bark like pieces. Does this really look like coccidiosis or could they have intestinal bleeding from the sharp bedding? I really pride myself on "babying" my chicks and this has me really worried. My young stock includes seven 9 week olds, out in the big chicken coop, and five 1 week olds, in the house brooder. So worried about my entire flock. My chickens mostly free range. I have 2 large pens and they get they get the run of the yard, during the day. HELP.......thank you.

p.s. I just went out and checked the main pen/brooder and see no more signs of blood from the chicks that I left together.



p.s: 4 hours later, I checked them and they are drinking ACV and restarted on Medicated Chick Starter food. No further bleeding noted and the 2 that I separated have not bled anymore and are still eating and drinking. I haven't seen any change in their activity level.

 

[1muttsfan]

Very likely to be coccidia. If any act ill, it would be wise to treat with Corid in addition to the medicated feed.

 

[karensklucks]

Thank you, 1muttsfan. I started treatment with all of my chickens, this evening. I have 5 Americauna/Easter Egger chicks that are 10 days old. Can I give them Corid? They are inside my home, in the brooder. I am concerned about their health and well being. They are still on Medicated Chick Starter. THANK YOU.

 

[1muttsfan]

If they have not been out where your other birds are and have been on medicated feed you should not need to treat them unless they get runny stools. The feed, while it does not kill coccidia , will restrict its ability to multiply, and so lessen the chance of illness, while still allowing the chicks to build up Resistance to the parasite with time.

Hope they all stay well

 

[karensklucks]

Thank you, 1muttsfan. This morning there was still a couple of bloody stools in my 7 week old chicks, but they are all still active, eating, and drinking. Just wondering if you know how long the powder form of CORID lasts? I placed the closed bag in a closed jar, to try and keep air out, so hope it lasts. I set it in the water for all my birds, just to be on the safe side, except the 10 day old babies. I will replace their CORID every evening. I put so much into my chicks and this has me heartbroken, as I don't understand what happened.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[1muttsfan]

Just bad luck, likely they came with it. Remember that medicated feed does not kill coccidia, it only controls their ability to replicate. The coccidia parasites infest the cells that line the gut, multiply inside them, then rupture the cell open to release the infective egg stage. This is what caused the damage, and leaves the gut less able to absorb food. The more parasites present the worse the clinical signs. When you take them back off the medicated feed in a few weeks do it gradually, by mixing in with regular food for a few weeks in gradually diminishing amounts - that lets the young bird's immune systems to learn to control the parasite without medication needed. You could easily leave all your birds on medicated feed until your young ones are ready to come off it when they are older. I usually feed medicated up to around 7-8 weeks, then gradually wean them off it.