Fecal Sample Storage

[Noreaster Egger]

Not sure where to post this so I'm posting it in here...

I've been struggling to get a stool sample from a sick chicken, but finally got a chance at one tonight (most are pure watery liquid). I'm planning on bringing it in to the avian vet tomorrow morning. At what temp do you recommend storing it overnight? Room temp or refrigerated? TIA

 

[Kiki]

I'd guess fridge, but that is just a guess.
I'm posting to see if you will update with what the vet says.

 

[Noreaster Egger]

I'd guess fridge, but that is just a guess.
I'm posting to see if you will update with what the vet says.

I've put it in the fridge for now unless I hear otherwise. I'll let you know what I hear...about storage and the diagnosis.

 

[Noreaster Egger]

I'd guess fridge, but that is just a guess.
I'm posting to see if you will update with what the vet says.

Well, they said either is fine. The most important thing is to get it to them ASAP. From what I've researched refrigeration is recommended, but they don't seem too concerned.

The results came back as cocci. I hadn't seen one spec of blood in any of her droppings so I never treated her for it despite having a big container of Corid sitting in the medicine cabinet. I guess the severity of it would explain her ceasing of egg production and feather loss. Hopefully it hasn't done irreversible damage. We just started her on 2tsp/gal this morning.

Anyone know the common strains that don't tend to cause bloody stools?

 

[Isaac 0]

It's really quiet actually but my girls said they heard a quack. I personally haven't heard much except the chatting between the ducks.

Most strains of cocci dont cause red poop.

 

[Noreaster Egger]

Most strains of cocci dont cause red poop.

I assume this is higher up in her intestinal tract then?

I'm kind of at a loss with what to do. She had been drinking some coconut water, but she has stopped eating everything else. She is weak and is sleeping all of the time. I mixed up the Corid and gave it to her, but she seems very dire right now. I know the recommendation is to not "feed" the cocci so you want to mix it in water or another liquid that has little to no thiamine. The problem is she has no energy. I could just keep her on the corid in water and she dies of starvation or I mix it with some coconut water and try to get her to eat some yogurt from a feeding syringe.

While treating an outbreak of cocci you don't hold the feed back too, correct? Doesn't most chicken feed contain thiamine? Even medicated chick starter has thiamine mononitrate added. Does the parasite feed off of thiamine from the host that is losing the absorption of the thiamine due to the corid or can the parasite feed off of the thiamine in the diet?

I'm freakin stressed tonight. She is dying and I have the other girls stuck in their coop because it has been pouring almost everyday and the run is underwater even though I'm on a hillside. Any help or knowledge from anyone would be awesome. Thanks.

 

[Kiki]

Cocci Facts

 

[Kiki]

I'm not if sure coconut water is a good thing or not.
I personally would not use it.
Read this:
#3
You can give her a dose of Corid mixed with a little water straight to her mouth.

She is weak and tired because she is not eating.
Cook her some eggs and see if she will eat that.

 

[Noreaster Egger]

I did a little research last night and learned that the amprolium sorta tricks the cocci into thinking it's thiamine. When the cocci latch onto it the amprolium kills them. So yeah, the less thiamine in the system the more rapidly you can probably kill off the parasite...but a bird has to eat. Like I said before, there seems to be as much B1 in the vitamin supplements (and coco water) as regular chicken feed. She seems to perk up a bit when drinking down the coconut water so I think I'm going to stick with it. She needs something in her system. I'm going to try to tube feed her some wet mash (soaked with the Corid solution) and some yogurt when I get home from work tonight. She ate 3 live mealies this morning and a little thistle seed, but that's it. She has no problem putting down 16oz of the raw coconut water in a day though so that's why I want to at least try mixing some of the Corid in that. She's probably getting less B1 than most birds going through a treatment dosage of Corid anyway.

 

[Noreaster Egger]

Well, we lost her this morning. She just kept getting worse and worse. Last night she started breathing heavier and this morning she passed on. This is a big loss for us. We had been giving her special treatment since January after a nesting box pecking episode. She was such a sweet girl. We will have heavy hearts for awhile.