HELP- healthy looking chick just died & another pooping blood!

[erinchelsea]

We got 26 day-old chicks from the hatchery almost 4 weeks ago. This is our first time raising chicks ourselves. They have been doing wonderfully, growing like crazy. Then today one of the chicks I noticed was sitting in the corner and kind of breathing heavily. Then suddenly she started twitching and died while I watched.

There was blood underneath where she had laid an coming from her vent. We were in the process of moving the chicks from their brooder in the basement to their coop (but hadn't moved any of them at that time), went ahead and moved the rest of the chicks and so they had fresh bedding. I went in to check on them about an hour later and saw one of the other chicks poop and it looked like pure blood. ????? Now what do I do? They seem healthy but should I treat them with an antibiotic? I am so scared they have a disease and they will all die! Also, I am pregnant and afraid to handle them if they are ill, should I not be in with them now? Here's some further info:

-all chicks are the same age and we have no other birds
-were vaccinated at the hatchery for Marek's and Coccidosis
-eating non-medicated chick crumbles
-on wood shavings
-were in a clean brooder in our basement under heat lamps and seemed comfortable although was getting a bit crowded
-had fresh food & water & I changed bedding weekly
-have all seemed healthy, no symptoms till today (and I check on them several times a day and watch behavior)

I'd appreciate any advice as we are clueless about this sort of thing! Thank you!!!!

 

[Ema]

the chicks are awfully young, but It sounds like they have cocci I would recommend you start them on antibiotics like Corid as soon as possible. I have not gone through this with my flock so I am not even sure what the amounts to be given are, but I would do a search on cocci on the search bar and you will get tons of good advice.

Ema

 

[dawg53]

Dosage for Corid(amprolium) 9.6 liquid solution is 9.5cc per gallon of water x 7 days. OR 4.75cc per 2 quarts of water x 7 days. Corid is used to treat coccidia in cattle. Your feed store should carry it.

 

[erinchelsea]

Thank you, I looked at the feed store website and they do carry Corid by the pint. I will get some tomorrow. I really hope I don't lose any more chicks! Why would it be that they would get it after being vaccinated? A different strain maybe?

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Most likely a different strain, there are 9 different ones...let's hope the Corid gets it.

 

[erinchelsea]

I hope so too. After doing some research and checking on the chicks again, I am sure at least one more has it really bad and a few others look a little sick as well. I just hope they make it till morning when I can go get the Corid!

I wish I would have caught it sooner but I am new to all this and didn't know what to watch for.

 

[dawg53]

Yes, coccidia spreads and kills quickly. You can try and give them some whole milk, that will slow it down some...perhaps use an eyedropper or if they drink it on their own, that would be great! I've read that powdered milk (just the powder) really slows it down, but I dont know for sure.