Help! Older chicks suddenly died! Is it cocci??

[klcabe]

The only threads I could find were re: adult chickens, so forgive me if this is a duplicate post.

Monday, I picked up some 6-7 week old chicks. A friend of mine and I bought some from the same person. My friend picked them all up Sunday night and I picked mine up from his house on Monday.

I've been petsitting all week so have had them at that location rather than at my house, in a large plastic storage container in the spare room. I have been doing a complete litter change (pine shavings) every evening, and giving them fresh water and food (Manna Pro medicated chick feed) twice a day. They've not been exposed to any other birds or areas where other birds have been, since leaving the person we got them from's hands on Sunday.

Last night, when I did their litter change around 10:00pm, I was putting them back in the container and noticed two bloody stools. Both were mostly liquid, with hardly any solid matter in them at all. I did not notice any blood near the vents of any of the chicks, so I couldn't tell from who they came. All the chicks were acting normally - none appeared sick - but this morning at 6:30am, two chicks were dead.

Everything I can find online points to coccidiosis, with the bloody stools, but my friend's chicks are all still alive, and my remaining 6 still appear normal. I'm unsure what to do. It will be too late to do a necropsy by the time I get off work tonight, and I'm sure the bloody stools from last night are useless now.

From what I've read, it takes approximately 5-7 days for them to show the symptoms of coccidiosis, which means that they had it when I got them, correct? I don't know whether to contact the person I purchased them from or what, if I were to lose any more (he did give me two free chicks, so at this point I haven't lost any money on them). Is there something I can do to treat the ones that are left, just in case they are infected? I really don't want to lose any of them. Are bloody stools a sign of anything else??

 

[casportpony]

Corid powder at 1.5 teaspoons per gallon or Corid liquid at 2 teaspoons per gallon. Treat with either for 5-7 days, then treat with powder at 1/3 teaspoon per gallon or liquid at 1/2 teaspoon per gallon for another 7 days. Make fresh daily and it should be their only source of water.

-Kathy

 

[klcabe]

Make a gallon fresh daily? My goodness, that seems like a huge waste - they're only drinking maybe 2 cups total a day.

Is that something I can get at tractor supply or southern states?

 

[casportpony]

Make a gallon fresh daily? My goodness, that seems like a huge waste - they're only drinking maybe 2 cups total a day.

Is that something I can get at tractor supply or southern states?

Then make less. If it's easier, just make a quart a day. Southern States has the liquid, so get that and a 3ml and 1ml syringe. Use 2.5 ml per quart (16 ounces) for 5-7 days, then 0.625 ml for seven days.

Ignore directions on bottle, they're for cattle, and poultry get twice what cattle get.

-Kathy

Note: Always check my math, lol.
Edited to fix math error.

 

[klcabe]

So Corid is amprolium, which is what is in the medicated feed. Is it ok to continue feeding that while they are getting the medicated water?

 

[casportpony]

So Corid is amprolium, which is what is in the medicated feed. Is it ok to continue feeding that while they are getting the medicated water?

Some say not to, I don't worry about it. If you're worried, you could get a bag of Purina Flock Raiser or the unmedicated Start and Grow.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Math error in post #4
Corid Liquid is 2.5ml per quart for 5-7 days then 0.625ml for seven days, not 1.25ml.

So sorry!

-Kathy

 

[klcabe]

What if I have to give it to them with a dropper? Three more are hunched up this mornin not wanting to eat or drink.

 

[newmarch2014]

I enticed mine that got an overload of cocci to drink last year by putting a tiny cup in front of her with the corrid water and floating a pinch of food in it, the moving flakes enticed her to stick her beak in and get a little water in her, I did this multiple times a day for the first couple days she would not drink or eat anything before that. Droppering is hard cause it is so easy to inadvertently make them aspirate some of the liquid. She almost died and was a week long intensive recovery but made it and is a year old now.

 

[ChickenNamaste]

I wouldn't use a dropper it is so easy to make a mistake.. Try gently pushing their beaks in the water for a second. Worked for all of mine needing cocci treatment, and for when my 1 week chicks were lethargic and needed to drink their boosted water, I just very slowly and gently pushed their heads down to the bowl until their beaktip was in the water and then let them back up, after doing it twice, they started drinking by themselves. Good luck with your babies.