Did coccidiosis kill my cockerel or could this be something else?

[Eggcessive]

I am so sorry for your loss… I don’t think the cause was coccidiosis though. My friend lost his 4 Brahma pullets because of coccidiosis, their poop looked different, just a ’normal’ poop with lots of things that look like blood clots. Since he was vomiting and not even having diarrhea but just liqiuds, I suspect it would be something else.
I looked it up and vomiting brown liquid would indicate that he ate something bad, him having watery liquid-like discharge could be caused by parasites...
Again I am so sorry for your loss. I don’t think you could’ve done anything about it since it all happened so fast.

Actually, @jessejeanne , you may be right about it being a crop problem. Though I prefer to use chilled coconut oil, Colase, miconazole, or even acidified copper sulfate to treat crop problems, Epsom salts can be used, according to some poultry colleges, to flush a crop. Here is an example of that:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/common-crop-issues-backyard-chickens/
Next time you suggest a treatment, just post the whole article or link. We all are entitled to giving our advice here, so keep it up. We may disagree with you, but if you have a link to back it up, it is perfectly welcome.

 

[Hippiefrog]

Sorry for you loss!
@Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock @azygous

Thank you

 

[azygous]

I agree it's best not to post something you haven't researched yourself to determine if it's toxic to poultry. We have had tragic results here in the past from people passing on something they saw on a thread discussion somewhere. But Epsom salts is safe and effective treatment for crop disorders when the proper dosing is followed. I've used it myself with good results.

So many things could have caused the death of this young roo. Bleeding can be caused by worms, as @MysteryChicken mentioned. Or a screw or nail swallowed could cause it. Or it may have been intestinal shed and not blood. A necropsy is the only way to determine cause of death. Guessing rarely settles the matter.

A simple flock poop sample taken to your vet to run a fecal test for parasites is an inexpensive but conclusive way to find out if your flock needs to be treated for either worms or coccidiosis. Resorting to guessing is not necessary.

 

[Hippiefrog]

Sorry for your loss. In what state are you located? The best way to know what was wrong with him is to do a necropsy. The state vet labs do the best ones, complete with lab and tissue studies. I do home necropsies on hens I lose to look at the abdominal organs. If you can keep his body cold inside a cooler on ice (do not freeze) wrapped in garbage bags, you can take it or ship the body overnight via FedEx. Many labs will send you a shipping label. Many things are visible inside the belly, such as worms, coccidiosis, Mareks disease with spots and tumors on organs, crop and gizzard disorders, etc. If you do one take pictures. It may have been a crop disorder from the brown vomiting, a blocked gizzard, worms, or others. It is doubtful it was coccidiosis, but could have been if he had immunity problems. Here is a list of all state vets to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

Thank you. I'm located in central Virginia(Louisa County). From what the link shows, Harrisonburg and Warrenton are my options. I have him in a bag in the cooler on ice for now and I am considering attempting the necropsy myself. I haven't checked the video yet though but will this evening to see if it's something I'm up to doing. It sounds like based on yours and others comments, he possibly died from a crop disorder and/or worms. Maybe capillary worms? I will keep everyone posted and will most definitely take pics if I do it. How long can I reasonably keep him on ice and/or put in fridge before I do the necropsy? 1-2days maybe?

 

[Hippiefrog]

I agree it's best not to post something you haven't researched yourself to determine if it's toxic to poultry. We have had tragic results here in the past from people passing on something they saw on a thread discussion somewhere. But Epsom salts is safe and effective treatment for crop disorders when the proper dosing is followed. I've used it myself with good results.

So many things could have caused the death of this young roo. Bleeding can be caused by worms, as @MysteryChicken mentioned. Or a screw or nail swallowed could cause it. Or it may have been intestinal shed and not blood. A necropsy is the only way to determine cause of death. Guessing rarely settles the matter.

A simple flock poop sample taken to your vet to run a fecal test for parasites is an inexpensive but conclusive way to find out if your flock needs to be treated for either worms or coccidiosis. Resorting to guessing is not necessary.

Thank you...I'm considering doing a necropsy myself and have reached out to the vet to see if they'd be willing to do a fecal test even though they don't currently have a dr that sees chickens.

 

[Hippiefrog]

He could've had a worm overload.

Thank you, I hadn't considered worms but I probably should have.

 

[Hippiefrog]

I am so sorry for your loss… I don’t think the cause was coccidiosis though. My friend lost his 4 Brahma pullets because of coccidiosis, their poop looked different, just a ’normal’ poop with lots of things that look like blood clots. Since he was vomiting and not even having diarrhea but just liqiuds, I suspect it would be something else.
I looked it up and vomiting brown liquid would indicate that he ate something bad, him having watery liquid-like discharge could be caused by parasites...
Again I am so sorry for your loss. I don’t think you could’ve done anything about it since it all happened so fast.

Thank you for your kind words. It really was all very fast. I just hope he didn't suffer too much.

 

[Tonyroo]

My first thought was worm or protazoic infection.

I've seen one of my hen's vomit but she got into my compost which has a lot of mold and biological activity for decomposition.

It's important to deworm the flock yearly. As a safe measure to keep them healthy. And it's one less thing to scratch off when diagnosing a sick bird.

 

[Eggcessive]

The earlier you do the necropsy, the better, since autolysis (destruction of tissue by the body’s enzymes) or decay can occur. Many times the state vet can do more testing if the body is fresh. Do let us know of any findings.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

Thank you

You are welcome!