Detecting Coccidiosis Early

[LaynaDon95]

Most people don't know that the earliest sign of cocci is not eating. Watch the feed dish and if it stops going down at the same rate as usual, act.

Lethargy, hunching, pallor, loose droppings all come late in the illness.

However all chickens do runny droppings (called cecal droppings) about one in four poops, so there's no need to panic if you see mustard-coloured droppings here and there.

Raising chicks without medication is totally possible. I do it all the time. But the key is to graduate their exposure. That is, never let the exposure levels suddenly shoot up. Since warm wet weather can cause massive increases in coccidia numbers, this can be hard to get right.

The easiest way to minimise cocci risk is to raise chicks with a hen, and don't do it in a sterile or ultra-clean brooding area. A tractor is perfect because you can always move it to fresh ground. The thing you're aiming for is graduated exposure.

To achieve graduated exposure, with artificial brooding the keys are in not hatching huge numbers, sprinkling the brooder with hen soil from the start, shifting them to a new brooding area at 3 weeks so the brooder isn't heavily 'seeded' (after this the numbers of coccidia shed by each chick goes up), feeding kefir or some other soured milk (soured milk is a definite preventive), and continuing to increase exposure gradually.

For instance here I start chicks in a small wire brooder (adding a handful of hen soil), then at 3 weeks shift them to a tractor (on ground that's been used in this way before, so I know it's got cocci), then at 8-10 weeks I might put them into my grower pen, or I might keep them in the tractor.

This works really well (along with kefir) and the only cases of cocci I've seen in several years have been 1. A bought-in pullet that had been raised on wire, and so she got cocci within a week of being here; 2. a single chick that may have had immune problems because all her hatchmates remained fine; and 3. One occasion when I raised a few too many cornish x birds in the tractor, and we had drenching summer rain -- cornish x poop like there's no tomorrow (and hence shed a lot more cocci oocysts per bird; also their immune systems aren't as good as layer type birds).

I'll say it again, graduated exposure is the way to raise chicks without medication. It works and also allows medication to remain effective (yes, coccidia can become immune to ionophores, which are the preventive medications). Best of all I'm not seeding my soil with drug-resistant coccidia.

Raising chicks without medications is totally worthwhile, though with the effort involved it's not for everyone. Still, I have about 20 chicks, 20 adult birds and an incubator full, and I get through all the chores in about half an hour a day. None of my birds eats processed food (except to the extent that I grind up sprouts and other ingredients for the babies).

Regards (and I know I've written an essay... sorry about that! It's just a huge issue.)

Erica

You.
are.
amazing.
=P

So, say you have 2 week olds (hatched) and day olds (bought) sharing a brooder. What do you do? By hen soil, do you mean the soil the hens are in the most, that has guaranteed cocci in it, or hen poo? Should I wait until the day olds are a little older and have gotten kefir into their system (I do feed mine kefir) before I introduce them to cocci? Would you move them to the tractor at the same time, or the oldest first, then the little ones when they are 3 weeks? I have a ton more questions... Do you mind helping me?

 

[bobchristenson]

Excellent info here...thanks! When you talk about 'graduated exposure' that makes a ton of sense. The big question I have is: graduated exposure to what, exactly? Outdoors or cocci?

I don't have any other chicks (and haven't had any) so I suspect that there's no cocci anywhere to get them 'exposed' to, right? So, do I just start adding a little earth and grass to the brooder slowly to get them used to whatever it is they'll encounter? At 3 weeks, in a totally clean brooder, what should I start adding?

Again, this seems like good advice, just want to think about how to apply it in my situation.

 

[Presidential]

Excellent post, Erica. Thanks!

After posting, I realized my chick's age is 4.5.weeks (not three) - time flies! Anyway, I will watch them very carefully. I do use ACV in their water and have offered yogurt (which they didn't like at all). I will try kefir.

One of the old farmers in town told me "Chickens don't belong in your house! Get them birds outside, so their bodies can grow strong and they grow a healthy immune system". He told me that he thinks the "city folk" way of raising birds in the house, in a sterile environment, filled with meds is the cause for all the problems they are trying to avoid. He left me with a deep sentiment... "Quit making rocket science out of a fart. Let nature do its thing". Hmmmm...

I do think the next round of chicks will be more challenging. No doubt, there will be a higher exposure for the young ones! Graduated. I will follow this good advice.

 

[LaynaDon95]

Excellent info here...thanks! When you talk about 'graduated exposure' that makes a ton of sense. The big question I have is: graduated exposure to what, exactly? Outdoors or cocci?

I don't have any other chicks (and haven't had any) so I suspect that there's no cocci anywhere to get them 'exposed' to, right? So, do I just start adding a little earth and grass to the brooder slowly to get them used to whatever it is they'll encounter? At 3 weeks, in a totally clean brooder, what should I start adding?

Again, this seems like good advice, just want to think about how to apply it in my situation.

I did that the other day, too. I said I had 1 week olds... I lied. =P They are 2 weeks old.

Excellent post, Erica. Thanks!
After posting, I realized my chick's age is 4.5.weeks (not three) - time flies! Anyway, I will watch them very carefully. I do use ACV in their water and have offered yogurt (which they didn't like at all). I will try kefir.
One of the old farmers in town told me "Chickens don't belong in your house! Get them birds outside, so their bodies can grow strong and they grow a healthy immune system". He told me that he thinks the "city folk" way of raising birds in the house, in a sterile environment, filled with meds is the cause for all the problems they are trying to avoid. He left me with a deep sentiment... "Quit making rocket science out of a fart. Let nature do its thing". Hmmmm...
I do think the next round of chicks will be more challenging. No doubt, there will be a higher exposure for the young ones! Graduated. I will follow this good advice.

 

[blondiebee181]

I have exact same questions LaynaDon95 does, I am leaning away from medicated food, also cuz I have a ducky with the chicks, but I want all of them to build a healthy natural immunity with the gradual exposure of outdoor material. again, I've never had chicks in the yard before, does that mean less bacteria? And, yes how old do they need to be before introducing outdoor material and do they need to be eating preventative foods first?

 

[LaynaDon95]

Come on, Erica! Don't keep us waiting like this! It's torture! =P

 

[Shayna]

Most useful thread I've come across in awhile.

Good timing for it too.

 

[crazyhen]

If you have broody hens you do not need med. feed. All the ones hatched by a broody have formed a natural immunity. The ones I have bought as chicks have had to have the med. feed to survivie the first 6 or 8 weeks. I beleive that the hen sitting on them exposes them gradually to all of the bacteria slowly. When you get broodies try it. I have seen several other people who have found out the same.
The problem for me is that I do not have enough broodies when i need them.

Then when I don't want them to be broody they are. Gloria Jean

 

[LaynaDon95]

Most useful thread I've come across in awhile.

Good timing for it too.

I know, right? Me too.
(Thank you, bobchristenson.)

 

[bobchristenson]

Glad other folks were having the same questions I was For anyone of interest, I just posted a related thread here