Hello Im Daisy 77 which is actually my goats name. Ive been on this site millions of time but i am in need of help big time. I have a small farm 8 hens 1roo (Rhode islands and golden laced wyndottes) and 6 on their way by day after Easter. Two Nigerian dwarf Goats..buck and doe which is due her second kidding in two weeks. Ive dairy farmed Holistens through childhood..love love farming. Anyway. Last summer my hens got cocci. i cleaned and cleaned..done sulfer antibiotics then amprolim and probiotics and extra vitamins. Everyone seemed to get over it. Well i was cleaning this morning and there it was in the poo again..rrrrr! My run is on a hill so water can drain good but wouldnt u know it doesnt drain worth a hoot..we have had alot of rain so its been really hard keeping the run dry.the coop stays nice and dry i use amonina in it. Im numb at this point the only think i can think to do is. I have a blow torch. (no not burn it to the ground but dang Im so over this) no i thought od torching the soil in the run good then liming it. They free range alot of he day so i dont know what to do about where they range. I dont want to bring these new babies in all this mess ...rrrrr can anyone help with oher than the usual. Thank U Abunch!
Hello there and welcome to BYC!! Sorry for all these issues you are having with cocci. Cocci is everywhere...in the soil, it blows on the wind, etc...and yes it thrives in damp conditions. Have you tried trenching around your run area so that water drains down and away from the run? You might also consider sand for your run. If you can keep the sand dry, cocci can't survive as well. I use sand and love how dry it stays. But you have to use a covered run and keep it drained. Keeping your run dry is the only way to stop these outbreaks. Even if you torched the ground, it will return in the wet conditions. So your best bet is to somehow stop the water from entering the run area. Maybe dig a big trench in a giant V shape with the top of the V high up the slope so that rain run off will pour into this V and away from the run?? Good luck with this. I hope you can get a handle on it!!
Hello and Welcome To BYC! X2 what TwoCrows said, keeping the run area dry is your best bet, building up using gravel/sand and either trenching or building up dams to divert the water around the area. Are you also sure you are having coccidia problems? Healthy adult chicks are usually pretty much immune to the coccidia in their area.
Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined our community. TwoCrows has given you some good advice. Coccidiosis is really everywhere and can come in easily, even once you've eliminated. It is almost always found in the digestive tracts of chickens, but doesn't cause problems until chickens come into contact with large amounts of it or are stressed out. If you get new chickens, you may want to feed them a medicated feed. This can help the birds build resistance to Coccidiosis (at least until they come into contact with a foreign strain).
I have done some trenching but apparently not enough. Crazy think is its a higher spot that stays wet worse..I going to get my dad over here to help me figure out best way to trench it. Sand..id love to do sand but it kinda expensive here. My goats waste alot of hay i put some of the waste that wasnt bad over it this past rain spell. It worked its way to the low point quickly. As for if Im sure its cocci. I havent had a fecal exam but bloody poo is my main evidence. I had never had cocci before so I used Tetracycline at first and seen that didnt fix it. So my vet gave me sulfa-----. The one easier on ther kidneys. They got better. I followed up with Amprolium and probiotics. My roo has stressed them alot this winter I just moved his big butt over with the goats to get pushed around. Give him some of his owe medicine..but Hes probably about to be dinner if i get a roo in this next clutch. My brother in law has a saw mill do yall think sawdust would build it up enough to keep moisture down.
Sorry I don't have anything to add to the advice you were already given. Is it possible to have a stool check done to be sure it is just cocci you are dealing with?
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help. Sorry to hear of the cocci break out!
