Just wanted to share my experience on this forum because i feel a bit stupid
but very grateful my chicks are alive and doing fantastic!
First off a few weeks ago we started making several sudden changes in the keeping of our 5 week old chicks...
1. they out grew their brooder so we constructed another bigger one and used new bedding(dusty pine shavings vrs pelleted pine)
2. we started putting them outside in the run during the warm days first real outings
3. we started giving them more treats ie lettuce kale fruits veggies( this seemed to cause more runny smelly poo but just thought it was treats)
4. we tried to put them outside in the new coop, for the first night (50 degrees not 70 like inside)and the next am two were acting weird and one had a very droopy lethargic "punky appearance" the two were sneezing(actually all of the chicks would occasionally sneeze but it seemed more noticeable in the punky girls) and one of the punky ones was a bit raspy.
I started to panic!
reading symptoms, calling vets, talking to feed store people, posting on this forum, I was convinced the stress of the cold night had triggered an acute bought of CRD ...
So...... started to make more changes.....
5. bought durmycin-10 started dosing whole flock, feed store gal said switch them to medicated feed(she was the first to mention that it sounded a bit like coccidia), but i was so set on CRD i didn't listen to her, and started giving them ACV , medicated feed, no probiotics yet(pointless while on antibiotics)
6. ran the dose of durmycin for 10 days started powdered probiotics mixed with yogurt and medicated chick crumbles, and ACV
On day 11-12(2 days post antibiotics) they started pooing bright red blood although their poo looked more normal than usual(more firm with white cap) they would have pure blood poos and mixed blood and poo, and some diarrhea poo blood mix. Now I'm really distressed blood??? is it reactive gut from antibiotic or is it coccida??? I posted on a forum with no replies and started reading corid doses symptoms searching antibiotic reactions ahhhh....meanwhile punky chicks are doing better moving more but still not top notch.....although sneezing has stopped I'm really distressed now! talked to the vet tech no vet would call me back, poultry vet outta town, but my gut is telling me blood is not right and poo is maybe not normal( by then i was not giving any treats only medicated feed, meds and ACV & probiotics..... found forum about chicken poo from pumpkin somebody(thanks by the way your coccida info was great!) and Dawg...his illness and medication knowledge although to the point(cull or not to cull) very helpful.
I guess as they grew their poo gradually changed from brown pasty with a white cap to more runny smelly but not horrible( so I thought) after antibiotics and ACV and probiotics things were better except BLOOD!!! many folks said Corid fast coccidia can kill so not able to contact the vet I decided to treat them starting this past Thursday night......
HOLY COW!!! In just 2.5 days my chicks have those absolutely normal looking poos with (am i really gonna say this) beautiful looking white caps and firm firm firm!!!! yay!!! Tonight i noticed their combs seemed to have turned bright red over night( the punky chick's was almost ghost white and pale pink) I had no comparison all my chicks were pale, I thought this was normal because the punky chick was almost colorless. All the chicks despite the cold temps and pouring rain today are hopping around playing pecking and even miss punky is challenging other chicks and running around flapping her wings
and all are eating up a storm and pooing the most beautiful poos i've ever seen!!!
So.......I think my chicks were in coccidia overload...the sneezing may have been from shavings or stress, not a CRD. Because the chicks never did have any nasal or eye discharge or any weird swelling, or smelly heads, only sneezing and the hunched puffed i don't feel good look. The barred rock punky was lethargic acting but always ate and drank, just the two seemed to not be as hungry or thrifty as the other 7.
What I didn't pick up on was the comb paleness, i did notice but only in punky where it was extreme extreme and worse than the others. The diarrhea was sporadic, mixed, and seemed to improve with ACV, probiotics and yogurt. when the blood finally appeared i started to doubt the CRD track and started to pick up on the fecal symptoms....
I really feel like an ***, I have most likely exposed my chicks to antibiotics unnecessarily, but did run the full 10 day dose as labeled. I didn't pick up on the more subtle symptoms of what "normal poo" should look like, or the severely anemic color of the chicks combs(no healthy comparison). The puffy i don't feel good look i did recognize from having seen it in other birds as a kid, but didn't associate it with coccidia. The sneezing flat out scared me, and my gut was telling me to act fast(i felt so guilty when those two chicks were almost comatose after their first night in the coop alone) I wasn't thinking worms they were too young......I was frustrated because they came to me as dayolds from the hatchery never around other birds, how could it be CRD?? but CRD's can be transferred through eggs, or contaminated shoes, heck I've been to the feed store 200 times since I bought these chicks I was thinking I could have exposed them by my shoes or clothes..... duhhh coccidia usually effects chicks between 5-12 weeks, i just missed the clues..... the puffy hunched "punky" appearance(although can be seen with most birds in distress) anemia pale combs, smelly runny bloody poo, all these are classic coccidia symptoms.
I am very grateful my chicks are healthy and happy appearing today. I forgot, or never knew what normal should look like, but mother's intuition was screaming help somethings wrong!!! I've spent $6.50 on durmycin, $6.49 on probiotics, $15 on a gallon of ACV with the coveted "Mother", and got the recipe to make it into a never ending supply for the cost of two cans of apple juice
. I have spent $19.99 on a bottle of Corid that will last for the next 1000 chickens if I ever need it again. I may decide to test my birds for CRD at some point the vet said $34 bucks for blood draw and test, but i am so so glad I didn't cull my little "Punky" Barred Rock pullet. I have learned a ton about chicken health, diseases, management, and bio-security(read Julie's sad tale of not taking this seriously and even if you do what can happen) and am very grateful for the support of a few kind folks on this web site that had the patients to listen and took the time to offer advice and encouragement. If you are new to chickens as I am, I hope this post can help you in some way as does the many I have read and learned from.
Thanks, Julie
First off a few weeks ago we started making several sudden changes in the keeping of our 5 week old chicks...
1. they out grew their brooder so we constructed another bigger one and used new bedding(dusty pine shavings vrs pelleted pine)
2. we started putting them outside in the run during the warm days first real outings
3. we started giving them more treats ie lettuce kale fruits veggies( this seemed to cause more runny smelly poo but just thought it was treats)
4. we tried to put them outside in the new coop, for the first night (50 degrees not 70 like inside)and the next am two were acting weird and one had a very droopy lethargic "punky appearance" the two were sneezing(actually all of the chicks would occasionally sneeze but it seemed more noticeable in the punky girls) and one of the punky ones was a bit raspy.
I started to panic!
So...... started to make more changes.....
5. bought durmycin-10 started dosing whole flock, feed store gal said switch them to medicated feed(she was the first to mention that it sounded a bit like coccidia), but i was so set on CRD i didn't listen to her, and started giving them ACV , medicated feed, no probiotics yet(pointless while on antibiotics)
6. ran the dose of durmycin for 10 days started powdered probiotics mixed with yogurt and medicated chick crumbles, and ACV
On day 11-12(2 days post antibiotics) they started pooing bright red blood although their poo looked more normal than usual(more firm with white cap) they would have pure blood poos and mixed blood and poo, and some diarrhea poo blood mix. Now I'm really distressed blood??? is it reactive gut from antibiotic or is it coccida??? I posted on a forum with no replies and started reading corid doses symptoms searching antibiotic reactions ahhhh....meanwhile punky chicks are doing better moving more but still not top notch.....although sneezing has stopped I'm really distressed now! talked to the vet tech no vet would call me back, poultry vet outta town, but my gut is telling me blood is not right and poo is maybe not normal( by then i was not giving any treats only medicated feed, meds and ACV & probiotics..... found forum about chicken poo from pumpkin somebody(thanks by the way your coccida info was great!) and Dawg...his illness and medication knowledge although to the point(cull or not to cull) very helpful.
I guess as they grew their poo gradually changed from brown pasty with a white cap to more runny smelly but not horrible( so I thought) after antibiotics and ACV and probiotics things were better except BLOOD!!! many folks said Corid fast coccidia can kill so not able to contact the vet I decided to treat them starting this past Thursday night......
HOLY COW!!! In just 2.5 days my chicks have those absolutely normal looking poos with (am i really gonna say this) beautiful looking white caps and firm firm firm!!!! yay!!! Tonight i noticed their combs seemed to have turned bright red over night( the punky chick's was almost ghost white and pale pink) I had no comparison all my chicks were pale, I thought this was normal because the punky chick was almost colorless. All the chicks despite the cold temps and pouring rain today are hopping around playing pecking and even miss punky is challenging other chicks and running around flapping her wings
and all are eating up a storm and pooing the most beautiful poos i've ever seen!!!
So.......I think my chicks were in coccidia overload...the sneezing may have been from shavings or stress, not a CRD. Because the chicks never did have any nasal or eye discharge or any weird swelling, or smelly heads, only sneezing and the hunched puffed i don't feel good look. The barred rock punky was lethargic acting but always ate and drank, just the two seemed to not be as hungry or thrifty as the other 7.
What I didn't pick up on was the comb paleness, i did notice but only in punky where it was extreme extreme and worse than the others. The diarrhea was sporadic, mixed, and seemed to improve with ACV, probiotics and yogurt. when the blood finally appeared i started to doubt the CRD track and started to pick up on the fecal symptoms....
I really feel like an ***, I have most likely exposed my chicks to antibiotics unnecessarily, but did run the full 10 day dose as labeled. I didn't pick up on the more subtle symptoms of what "normal poo" should look like, or the severely anemic color of the chicks combs(no healthy comparison). The puffy i don't feel good look i did recognize from having seen it in other birds as a kid, but didn't associate it with coccidia. The sneezing flat out scared me, and my gut was telling me to act fast(i felt so guilty when those two chicks were almost comatose after their first night in the coop alone) I wasn't thinking worms they were too young......I was frustrated because they came to me as dayolds from the hatchery never around other birds, how could it be CRD?? but CRD's can be transferred through eggs, or contaminated shoes, heck I've been to the feed store 200 times since I bought these chicks I was thinking I could have exposed them by my shoes or clothes..... duhhh coccidia usually effects chicks between 5-12 weeks, i just missed the clues..... the puffy hunched "punky" appearance(although can be seen with most birds in distress) anemia pale combs, smelly runny bloody poo, all these are classic coccidia symptoms.
I am very grateful my chicks are healthy and happy appearing today. I forgot, or never knew what normal should look like, but mother's intuition was screaming help somethings wrong!!! I've spent $6.50 on durmycin, $6.49 on probiotics, $15 on a gallon of ACV with the coveted "Mother", and got the recipe to make it into a never ending supply for the cost of two cans of apple juice
Thanks, Julie
