coccidiosis

DuckDuckMoo

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I am new to chickens and have learned the hard way about Coccidiosis. I have lost three chicks all ready and need help to prevent losing any more. They have the bloody looking diarrhea so I suspect Coccidiosis. Will regular medicated chick feed work or do I need a stronger antibiotic and if so which one. And how to I prevent this from getting to my older chickens. Can it spread to my dogs and horses? I read that by the time the disease kills the chicks have all ready been infected for 6 days. I have touched my other chickens that are about 4 months old, my horses, my dogs, my ducks. So what do I need to do to prevent more losses? Bleach everything? Medicate everyone? I thought that my newest ducklings may have contacted it to the chicks, but I just got them two days ago. So if they didnt give it to them, what did? Your help would be greatly appreciated.
 
I use Corid in their water, you can get it at TSC in the livestock isle for cattle. It is safer than Sulmet for the chicks, and is the same thing they use in medicated feed only a lot stronger. Your horses etc.. should be fine, it is mostly spread by ingesting the poo..... Clean out the brooder and you should be fine.
 
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Coccidiosis is not your traditional kind of infection. You should never use any kind of antibiotic to treat it. All your chickens are exposed to the protozoa that cause this infestation, but as they grow older, they develop resistance to the overwhelming infestation that your babies are experiencing. No, the medicated feed is not enough. It has a tiny amount of medication in it, which is meant to help them develop resistance more easily - but so far, i haven't seen that prove true. You need Corid - or some other brand of Amprolium (the stuff that is in your feed). You should be able to get a small bottle at your feed store for 15-20 dollars.

Your four month-olds should have already developed resistance to the protozoa in your soil. They will not "catch" coccidiosis from your chicks. It just doesn't work that way. These protozoa are animal specific, so don't worry about your dogs. There are chicken cocci that affect chickens and dog cocci that affect dogs - and so forth. I can't say for sure about ducks. I don't have any knowledge on them or whether they are affected by cocci.

You can put the medication (one to two teaspoons of liquid amprolium 9.6%) in whatever water the affected chickens are drinking. If others age chickens are drinking that water, it's fine. But you want the affected age group to drink only the medicated water for 5 solid days. Change it out and add fresh medication each day.

The things to look out for are really wet areas in their run - because cocci thrives in warm wet areas. However, it's in your soil pretty much everywhere, so don't obsess over cleaning every little tiny thing. Just keep their waterers and feeders clear of droppings - specifically while they're getting through this infestation and developing their resistance.....and keep their bedding clean - and most especially, dry.

You can also help them get through this by giving them some milk products - you would normally never do this, but milk products help coat their intestines, easing the damage caused by cocci infestation.
 
Once the chick starts 'drooping' and bleeding, you've got only a little time left. Fortunately, Sulmet works pretty quickly. I never knew Corid was safer, but in my experience Sulmet really works and will turn a chick around in a hurry if it's coccidia...Never used Corid.
 
I agree with everything Punkinpeep said, except the milk products. Milk products curdle in intestine and wouldn't coat them. They don't digest them well and it could worsen the diarrhea.

But yep, Coccidia are species specific, so you and your dogs are safe. And all your chickens have it already, you just need to medicate the babies.

The medications slow the replication of the coccidia, giving the chicks a chance to develop normal immunity. You will definitely want something stronger for any that are sick.
 
In Gail Damerow's book "The Chicken Health Handbook", she says not to use Sulfur products (aka Sulmet) for hens because it can damage their laying ability. I use Corid and have never had problems, even when I use medicated chick crumbles. It works so fast. Keeping the brooder extremely clean though is also the best way to prevent it altogether.

How are your babies doing today?
 
I lost another three yesterday. For a total of 5. I have four left that are doing very well and so far look great. No diarrhea or bloody poop. I used the Corid and cleaned the poop out of the pen about every two hours. Hopefully we are on our way to recovery. None of my other animals are sick. Not even the ducklings that were housed next to them. So I am pleased. Thanks everyone for your help; you saved my babies.
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Laura
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Well more bad news. My chickens that were no where near my brooder where the sick chickens are now sick. All of them. So this is very contagious and can be transmitted by not washing your hands when touching one chicken to the next I am assuming. Thats the only way mine caught this. None could get to the others feces. We will see if its not too late for the 4 month olds. Thanks
 
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DuckDuckMoo, what you're describing simply isn't how cocci works. Are your 4 month olds new to your land? Have they been away from your soil for a prolonged period of time? I assume you are now treating them with Corid. If they came to your land as older chicks, and they have just recently been exposed to your outdoors/soil, then that is where they made contact with the protozoa. With Spring coming and warmer temperatures, the organisms will become more active in the soil.

If your 4-month-olds have been on your soil for their whole lives and are just now showing bloody poop, then I am wondering if you are dealing with coccidiosis or something different.
 
Yes, my 4 months old have been here since hatching and have been in their coop for 2-3 months and before that in the brooder. This is hitting them very quick. Yesterday everyone was fine in the am and one was dead by the evening(talking about the older guys). But everyone else looked really good and healthy. This morning everyone has blood for poop, pale and lethargic. So if its not Coccidiosis, I dont know what it is. Have any ideas? I gave my 3 week old chicks Corid and they are healthy with normal poop now. Thanks for the help, Laura
 

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