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This seems to be less true lately. There tend to be a lot more chicks coming down with coccidiosis even though they're on medicated food (with amprolium). I still recommend it, but I think it's important that people understand exactly what its purpose and design is.
Amprolium, in feed, is intended to be a coccidiostat. That means normal chicks being raised in a clean environment, usually a brooder, will have enough amprolium in their food to reduce the chance of blooms of the protazoa in their gut as their bodies are developing a resistance to it. That allows them to be exposed to protazoa long enought to where a resistance develops so that later in life they're not bothered by it unless there's something going on with them that makes their immune system low, or they just really get a huge exposure.
But if chickens are exposed to more cocci without having the normal beneficial bacteria innoculation by a true broody hen, they can still get coccidiosis. And babies who are in a brooder exposed without good gut bacteria still do get it. Often. very often.
I'm seeing babies walking behind a mom in the general vicinity of different aged birds. Am I correct in this? They're going to be exposed to a lot of things that their bodies will have to develop immunities towards. This is fine for making a hardy flock. But understand that as they're exposed, they may show signs of the diseases as they develop those immunities.
If you're concerned about digestive issues and poop, I'd just boost their beneficial bacteria (which help protect them against active diseases of the gut) at this point. If you treat, you can treat both the adults and chicks with Sulmet as it's active both against protazoa (cocci), and E. coli bacteria if the coloration of the droppings is not forest green. Forest green scant droppings indicate a lack of food in the system. Olive tannish green droppings that are solid can be normal if the bird is free ranging. They shouldn't tend more towards lime green, or runny when first dropped.
However, it's important to note that the 'urine' (not urate) portion of the droppings, the clear water part, is going to be much more prevalent in the summer as birds drink more water. If you find a dropping that isn't fresh, sometimes they appear runny because the urine has soaked back into the feces (the solid, worm-like part). So it's important when giving poop descriptions to describe one that you find quite freshly dropped. Other than of course red ones, etc - coloration is different. In this aspect I'm talking about texture.
As for red, are they eating anything red? Berries dropped from trees? Anything in their food? Or do the droppings appear at all to be mucousy? If yes to mucus, then I'd treat them all with Amprolium (corid) at the least. If you can't get Coris, then use Sulmet but be aware that it's a true antibiotic.
In either case, in all cases, I'd give them a probiotic - living bacteria.
You can use plain yogurt (make sure each bird gets some - 1/4th teaspoon is fine for very young chicks, ease up to 1 teaspoon per small commercial sized large fowl hen, 1 tablespoon per to-standard large fowl hen. Again - each bird must have some for it to work. If you have to hand feed it, do.
Alternately you can buy Probios from the feedstore (powdered) or Fastrack and mix that with their feed. Or acidophilis tablets/capsules from the grocery (just checked yesterday - they have 2-3 kinds in the vitamin section ) and use at a rate of 1 capsule per adult bird. I like these in a quickly eaten treat (usually boiled/mashed egg yolk, applesauce or applesauce baby food because it's cheap and comes in small quantities, a little crumbles, some water). Use that for either yogurt or other probiotics and make sure all birds get some. If you feed that first thing in the morning (take up their food the night before) then make sure they all get it, that's best. That way you don't have to work as hard to get them to eat it.
If it's bright red, and the chicks aren't eating bright red anything, I'd treat it as if cocci because it's still possible. Only in adulthood is it unlikely. These chicks look like chicks to me.
