Coccidiosis? What else can I do???? help!

[SunChick]

Two days ago I was doing a routine check on the birds, my orps and welsummers were very actively staying out of my reach which is normal, except my welsummer pullet. She let me catch her, which she never does. She was a little light. I noticed in one spot a small bit of bloody stool and started to investigate in my books. Such a sight was not welcoming as I believe it to be coccidiosis. I went to the store and picked up sulfamet 12.5% and started it in the water yesterday. I lost my pullet, I pulled her out of the coop right away and isolated her. I checked all my other babies and they are light. They had just moved to the coop a week and 1/2 ago. I never had this problem with the first batch of chicks who are now 11-12 weeks old in the same area. I think that the bigger chicks are not letting the younger ones near the feed troughs and that is just part of the problem. I thought they were getting enough since they were always hiding out in the feed area, but I wonder if someone was terrorizing them on purpose, while the rest of the flock was outside enjoying their new run. Management of the area is usually fluffing the litter, putting pdz down to help dry out and removing wet areas. The chicks are also on medicated feed from Nutrena called Nature Wise. They have only been on this for the past 2-3 weeks. The only thing that gets wet was near the water container. I have since moved it and placed it even higher, since the tray it was on kept stagnant water in place for too long.

I am considering pulling the rest of my chicks and putting them up in the garage until they get through this. What else can I do? I don't know if putting ACV with the Sulfamet is a good idea and I want to try and plump them up and help them get their weight back. I am afraid I will probably lose more, my welsummer cockeral is not looking good right now, so I guess I am just trying to keep my losses to a minimal. Any advice or help????

 

[Arklady]

I am not sure how old your chicks are exactly but I would say to pull them and put them for a week on turkey starter or game cock starter ration. Its 28% protein and they will get a boost of calories. I have my younger chicks seperated from the older ones. ESPECIALLY if there is an age difference of more than 6 to 8 weeks because the older chicks tend to command the most food they will eat more and leave nothing for the others.

It is always my policy to keep medicated chick starter when I have an outbreak of coccidiosis because it can quickly get out of control. If you do feed them the game cock starter ration don't feed it more than a week then revert to the chick starter. This may not stop the out break but it should. And the Chicks should stay apart from the older ones till they are clucking as mature hens.

I have many pens and cages I move my chicks from one to another. Build a smaller grow pen for those chicks while they recover in the garage. Then you have something they can go into when they are doing better. I have never advocated mixing ages much once a chick is clucking they are tough for the others to pick on. When I introduce new pullets in with the general population I try to send in at least 4 or more, then the older hens have to figure out which one they want to pick on and they don't all gang up on just one.

Good luck and let us know how they are doing.

Arklady

 

[SunChick]

Pull them completely off medicated feed and feed the game cock starter alone? Or would it be better to mix it in. I guess with the sulfamet in the water it would be okay? The younger chicks are 5 weeks now.

 

[Arklady]

No, just pull them from the pen with the older chicks. I read my post lol sorry its confusing. I assumed you would continue with the medicated water. If you feed medicated water then just give them the game cock starter ration. After a week on that pull back to regular chick starter. IF you don't medicate the water then put medicated chick starter out there MIXED with game cock starter ration. Don't continue with the game cock starter ration for more than 8 days. But continue the medicated chick starter MIXED with unmedicated chick starter. If this isn't clear let me know.

Arklady

 

[SunChick]

Got it!

They seem to be breathing a sigh of relief since I moved them. Maybe I did some damage control.

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, that should fix them up. The reason they probably got it was because they were probably on clean litter for the first part of their lives. I had that same problem one year when I raised some chicks for 2 months away from the large birds without exposure to the ground they were gong to live on. Now I let them go play in the dirt near the big birds for a few hours each week while they are young, so they get introduced to the stuff earlier in life and their bodies don't get as overwhelmed as quick. Good luck with the rest of your birds!

 

[dlhunicorn]

Do not add aCV while medicating...it can influence the medication