Coccidosis, so now what? How to manage?

[csaylorchickens]

One of my girls got sick earlier in the last few weeks she had bumblefoot and loose poop I wasn't sure of the loose poop was doing the bumblefoot so I took her to the vet they did a stool sample I got antibiotics for her bumblefoot and her foot is looking a lot better. But today I get a call from the vet confirming which was my worst nightmare that I have coccidosis in my chicken there for most of my flock probably has it. I know that you're supposed to get corrid and treat the flock by putting it in the water or the food? My concern is what do I do with the poop that is surrounding the coop and in the run? I just put sand in the coop and the run there is mainly just the poop in that area sometimes they free range so there is random poop places in my backyard but I try to keep them clean you. My question to you is what do I do now? So what I treat the flock how do I prevent it from coming back? I know the coccidosis parasite lives in wet conditions and in chicken feces. So what do i do about the rainy weather and chicken poop?

 

[csaylorchickens]

 

[csaylorchickens]

A while back when I got chickens I knew that coccidosis was a possibility so I pre bought corrid to put in the water or the food if I needed to do it to treat the flock. I did not realize that it is bovine corrid so does that matter or do I just have to make sure I change the concentration of how much I put in the water or should I just go ahead and buy all new corrid just for chickens

 

[Pork Pie]

I'm not too sure but the treatment I bought was for treating anything from chickens to goats and cows, so maybe it's nothing to worry about. Just need to get advice on the dosage I guess - maybe the companies Internet site?

Ct

 

[junebuggena]

There is nothing that you can do to prevent coccidia. All chickens have some coccidia in their systems. It's normal. Coccidiosis is when there are more protozoa in a bird's system then they can cope with. It's usually only serious if the bird is young or is new to an environment. Birds gradually build resistance to the types of coccidia they are exposed to. Your girl is likely having a mild flare-up, due to a slightly weaker immune system. The bumble foot is the more pressing ailment. It's a type of staph infection. If the 'bumble' is not removed, the infection can spread into the bone, causing serious damage.

 

[csaylorchickens]

I know bumblefoot is taken care of I just need to treat the coccidosis
She is loosing weight and I can feel her keel bone so she needs to be treated but I'm going to treat the whole flock prophalatically just in case

I looked up on here and someone had the same powder and used two tsp per gallon of water

 

[csaylorchickens]

Does t hat sound right

 

[junebuggena]

For most chickens, you are supposed to be able to feel the keel bone. The only breed it shouldn't be easily felt in is the Cornish Cross meat birds, due to their enormous chest muscles. Compare the muscle tone in her to the muscle tone in your other birds. Feel the shoulders, the legs, the chest, and the hips. If she is noticeably more boney than the others, then go ahead and treat. If they all feel pretty much the same there probably isn't anything to really worry about.

 

[csaylorchickens]

Her crop is empty you can feel her bone there and she is loosing weight I can tell by picking her up she was the 2nd biggest bird now she is the lightest and pale comb

 

[mirandaleecon]

There is nothing that you can do to prevent coccidia. All chickens have some coccidia in their systems. It's normal. Coccidiosis is when there are more protozoa in a bird's system then they can cope with. It's usually only serious if the bird is young or is new to an environment. Birds gradually build resistance to the types of coccidia they are exposed to. Your girl is likely having a mild flare-up, due to a slightly weaker immune system. The bumble foot is the more pressing ailment. It's a type of staph infection. If the 'bumble' is not removed, the infection can spread into the bone, causing serious damage.

X2

The best thing you can do as a preventative for your flock is good husbandry. As long as they have a good diet and a clean living environment, their immune systems should be able to handle it.

A couple things you can do to boost their immune systems is adding apple cider vinegar to their water and providing fermented feed. The fermented feed has probiotics that will outcompete the coccidian.

Also, when she got antibiotics for the bumblefoot, it would have killed off a lot of the good bacteria in her gut and caused some loose droppings, and a perfect environment for the cocci to take over. Best thing would be to get her gut repopulated with good bacteria...