'Dying chicks... dangitallll!!

[KsTornado11]

Thought it was cocci,and that the cheap medicated chick feed wasn't doing it's job,so switched to the more expensive stuff. Lost another couple last few days. Had bloody poo last week,none now,but some droopy looking chicks. None of the older (3 months or so) look bad,nor the adult chickens. just the tiny guys ,under 3 weeks.

Anything else this could be? Other symptoms are listlessness,loud cheeping,droopy wings. Have added ACV to water as well. All are warm enough,but something is killing the tiny ones. HELP!!!

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

I would say cocci..

I am in a battle with this as well... I finished treatment 3 or 4 days ago, and tonight I saw the droopy wings and puffed out feathers again...

 

[sammi]

medicated feed doesn't always keep them from having cocci..
best to get some liquid Sulmet 12.5% and treat quick.

what bedding are you using?

 

[KsTornado11]

Pine shavings,as usual. May have to make a trip to Smith's Poultry,it's nearby,they should have it.

 

[kcfuerst]

Cocci is nasty. My girls got it once and I had to take the sickest one to the Vet. I was provided enough medication for all my chickens and had to administer it by mouth for 10 days. They would have died otherwise. Happily they all recovered. Once they get it, they won't get that strain of cocci again.

 

[threehorses]

First, not all medicated feeds are the same. Make sure yours has amprolium. Others are antibiotics (and cocci aren't bacteria).

Second, medicated feeds are coccidiostats - that means they're designed to help keep blooms of cocci away - not treat the illness. Coccidiocides are designed to kill large amounts of cocci and thus treat an illness. Sulmet and Corid are cocciocides, and that's what you need. Note - Corid has amprolium, too - but it's in a higher concentration designed to treat, not just hold back a bit.

You'll want to use that in their water for all these birds as labeled.

Also you'll need to help the good gut bacteria reestablish themselves. Use probiotics for that. They're not a medicine - they're living bacteria that, when fed to the chicken, establish colonies in the gut to help the bird digest food, secrete enzymes and vitamins, change the environment in the gut to ward off bad bacteria and also pathogens like cocci.

You can use actual probiotics from the feedstore (Probios, Fastrack, for horses and cattle), from the healthfood store (acidophilus, also found at grocers and the pharmacy), or just plain yogurt (make sure it says live cultures on the side). If you get to choose, pick a probiotic that also contains "B. bifidum" in it. If you go to the health food store, check out probiotics designed for women for yeast infections. That usually contains a good mix of bacteria. Which ever you choose, do during treatment* and for two weeks thereafter every other day. *If you ever treat with any ---mycin or ---cycline drugs, never use the yogurt during the treatment - it inactivates the antibiotics.

Fourth - do NOT use antibiotics unless you end up finding out that this bird for sure has a bacterial infection. I don't believe she does. That will often cause more gut problems than it ever solves unless there's a serious bacterial issue, like E. coli. So they're not yet necessary in this case.

Incidentally to break an old misconception, the droppings don't necessarily have to have blood in them to be coccidiosis. And droppings with blood in them aren't always coccidiosis - sometimes regular bacterial infections irritate the lining of the intestines and cloaca enough to cause bloodshed. The way I tell if it's cocci is to look for either a rusty color, a more mucous texture, a pudding like consistency throughout the droppings - not just one here and there, etc. Then if you see blood, you know there's an established problem.

Hope this helps to start.

 

[dlhunicorn]

KS... sorry to hear of your problems.
Another possibility is cappillaria worms (will also often cause blood in the poo)... I know of several instances where cappillaria was found in young chicks

 

[threehorses]

Oh, didn't think of those worms. Good thought.

 

[dlhunicorn]

if they are mixed in with the other older birds then treat the entire flock.

 

[Peeper7]

Quote:
Great advice I second that!

. Treat heavy at this point whole flock. Clean and disinfect everything daily. Wash your own hands constantly. Maybe offer some vitamin/electrolyte solution for support. You could also add some DE to your feed and in your bedding. Good luck!