Do I need to treat for other parasites at the same time I treat for cocci?

[natyvidal]

Hi Everyone!

This fall, middle of October, when the weather is not as hot, I am planning to treat my complete flock for Cocci.

This is an annual thing I do in the fall. This year I have some questions first.

1. Should I also treat the flock for other parasites? Even though I do not see any other parasites in their feces? I am a feces watcher!

2. This year I have quails. They are so cute! But, someone mentioned they do not do well when treated for cocci? Is that true? Should their water have a different measurement of the medication if so? Their cages are on the ground, so I should treat them right?

3. I also have ducks and geese. They are separate in their own cage. I will have to remove their pool from their cage to treat them. And they are so messy with their water! How should I treat them if different from the other birds.

4. If I need to treat them for other parasites; what should I use to treat them? And do I treat them at the same time as for cocci? Or consecutive weeks?

Thank you for your help. Natalia

 

[coach723]

I don't see any reason to treat annually for coccidia, I would only treat for that if you are seeing symptoms. Most adult birds have built resistance to it and won't get ill unless exposed to a new strain, or if they are very weakened by another condition. It's much more common in chicks, and I still would only treat if you are seeing symptoms.
If you have a vet that will run a fecal test for you, I would do that, to check for the variety of internal parasites that could affect them. There are also mail in options you can use if you don't have a vet that will do it.
https://www.amazon.com/Reptiles-Rab...1&keywords=fecal&qid=1633104458&rdc=1&sr=8-14
You can take a mixed sample of birds kept together and get an overall look, if anything comes back positive, I would treat all the birds kept together, that is the usual recommendation for most common parasites except tapeworm. What medication to use would depend on what particular parasite you need to treat for. I don't have quail, so can't speak to those, Valbazen and Safeguard are commonly used for chickens and will treat most parasites, praziquantel is most commonly used for tape worm. For Coccidia it's usually Corid. The symptoms of a parasite load in a flock can vary, and be subtle. Some birds may show no symptoms. Runny droppings, increased intestinal shed, weight loss, can be signs, amongst others.

 

[natyvidal]

Thank you for the info. I’ve been keeping this flock for the last three years. I already lost a couple of layers to extreme cases of cocci because I was not familiar with it! Most of them had it then and I treated them with corid. That was out of season middle of summer, very hot, etc. It happened about a year and a half ago. I live in Florida and from the info locally it’s pretty rampant. Basically everywhere! To avoid future problems when in middle of winter or summer, I prefer to play it safe with them and treat them during molting season, since production of eggs will slow down.

Regarding other parasites; since I don’t see any visually I’ll wait on that until I have their feces tested. And thank you for the Amazon Link. The vet that takes care of my dogs, want me to bring the sick animal in. So I would pretty much have to bring a bird from each species/group for them to check the feces! Imagine how crazy is that? And expensive.

If someone knows what to do about the quails and getting them treated for cocci let me know.

 

[coach723]

I am in Florida also, it's a petri dish for parasites, the soil and climate make it prevalent here. I worm every three months for roundworm in my flock. Coccidia are a different type of parasite, and coccidia are everywhere. When the birds are exposed when young it gives them a chance to build natural immunity. It's when the numbers become too great that it becomes a problem. Years ago I started providing my chicks with a saucer of dirt from the yard every day, from day one, in the brooder to scratch and peck and dustbathe in, exposing them naturally to all the microbes there. Since doing that I have not had an outbreak of coccidiosis. Early on I did, so know how devastating it can be. I always have the meds on hand, just in case, but have not had to use them in a very long time. Older birds or birds with a compromised immune system can be more susceptible to becoming sick also. When there are warm, wet periods where the ground stays moist, it can make more coccidia available to be picked up and can cause what's sometimes called a coccidia bloom. So during weather periods like that I just am more vigilant in watching for any symptoms so as to catch it early. I've not had an outbreak in over 6 years now, many hatches and chicks (and rain) since then. I would assume the quail would be similar, but I've never raised them so have no personal experience. There is a quail thread, so you should be able to get info there on them.

 

[natyvidal]

Thank you for the info! I’ve noticed that too in hatchabilty of eggs and of some chicks dying as soon as they are born. I provide them with corid water for 5 days and and feed that is medicated for a couple of weeks to give them a chance to thrive. This summer the rains have been none stoping! The ground wet 95% of the times. I will feel better if I give them one to un d of the cocci treatment. Thank you.