HELP QUICK please

[ESofVA]

I was told due to the number of chicken infections around in our area that is was best to keep my chicks up to laying age chickens on Oxytetracycline in their water.
OK...I am new at chickens and the area so I took his advice. I lost four 1 1/2 weeks Silkie chicks in the last three days. They seemed quite healthy prior to that. The man got them from PA for me as maybe 3 day old chicks. I noticed today, after losing the last two of the four that died, blood in the box. I separated all chicks and watched until they deficated. The Salmon Faverolles and Cochins purchased at the same time and kept together seem to be ok. I picked those out of the box from Ideal Poultry as soon as the owner of the feed store where I got them brought the chicks into the store from the PO.
Two of the Silkies dropped blood, one was a pool and it came with caecal poop only. I decided to dissect and the caecum of one was empty, the other full of blood. Can Tetracycline cause this??? There was also qite a bit of small bits of pine shavings in their crops. When I cahnged the bedding I replaced it with good clean horse hay.


I hope this makes sense!! If not ask for any clarifications needed

I threw out the tetra, gave all of them milk,gave the Silkies milk soaked bread and cottage cheese. I know I am going to lose at least two more of the original 8 which will leave me 2 if any.

 

[petyanca]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/coccidiosis-and-medicated-feed

It sounds like coccidiosis and you need to medicate them with Corid.

 

[ESofVA]

I don't think it is Coccidiosis. The other symptom that go along with that just aren't there.
No lesions in the gut unless they were too small to see...my microscopes are not here yet from our old house.
No cheesy like material in the caeca.
No froth in feces
No yellow spots
Intestines look fine
Just caecal pouches full of dark red blood.
That is why I was wondering about the tetra causing it. The only chicks in the box that are affected are the Silkies which although are the same age smaller of course. I checked them when I got up this am and one has blood on its butt. The others look a bit better. They are bleeding out from their caeca. The rest of their intestines are not affected.

 

[ESofVA]

Aaaaah... found Eimeria tenella on the internet which is a form of coccidiosis. No treatment...will keep searching....geez...wish I had my microscopes!!!

Not a perfect match but close...Intestines are too inflamed in this pic. Mine aren't full of clots.

 

[ESofVA]

Ok maybe another form that I have seen. I have read most are susceptible to Sulfa. I have that...use it aster Tetra? I guess it can't hurt, they are dying so fast it probably won't have time to do anything for them anyway.
I do wonder why the other 9 chicks, Cochins and SF, have not been affected??? They are now separated as of last night.

 

[Leslieb118]

I wouldn't be giving chickens any antibiotics as a preventative measure. If they were to really get sick, then they'd have built up a resistance to the antibiotic and it would be useless. Antibiotics are used when a chicken has an illness that can be treated with them.
I'd go with the Corid for Coccidiosis.

 

[ESofVA]

I think you are right about preventives, but what about medicated feed? I was getting that but stopped a while back.
I went back out to check my chicks...another had died since I saw it about 2 hrs prior to that. I should probably expect none to last long enough to get meds down quick enough to save the last 3.

 

[Leslieb118]

I think you are right about preventives, but what about medicated feed? I was getting that but stopped a while back.
I went back out to check my chicks...another had died since I saw it about 2 hrs prior to that. I should probably expect none to last long enough to get meds down quick enough to save the last 3.

There's nothing wrong at all with using medicated chick feed. It helps prevent coccidiosis when you give it to young chicks. If you have Cocci in your flock right now, I'd treat with Corid, and get it asap.
Sorry about the loss of your chicks. Hopefully you can get some soon to save the rest.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote: That has to be the craziest thing I've ever heard. Who told you that? Healthy birds do not need antibiotics, not ever.

Giving antibiotics regularly is, to put is bluntly, just NUTS. Anyone who recommended that should be horsewhipped, IMO. Take them off that IMMEDIATELY.

It is probably cocci, which is common in chicks 4-8 weeks of age. Treat with CORID, the same med in medicated feed but at a higher concentration. Once they have cocci, the feed WILL NOT TREAT it. In fact, medicated feed does not guarantee they won't get it, either.

Coccidiosis is not caused by a bacteria, but a protozoan.

Corid is preferred over Sulmet. Sulmet is harder on their intestines, can actually make the bleeding continue longer, and is not effective against all types of cocci. Corid is concentrated amprolium, same med as in the chick starter, but at a higher dosage.

Prime cocci time is 4-8 weeks of age, but by age of 12 weeks, they are usually immune to the oocysts in the soil that cause it.

Cocci is very common and highly treatable if signs are caught early and Corid administered. If you plan to have chicks around, you need to keep a bottle of Corid on hand, however, the best preventative for cocci is to give chicks a dustbath with soil in the brooder the first week of life.

Broody hen-raised chicks rarely, if ever, get cocci. They pick in mom's poop (she's immune) and get bits of soil the first week of life while out with mom.

 

[ESofVA]

There's nothing wrong at all with using medicated chick feed. It helps prevent coccidiosis when you give it to young chicks. If you have Cocci in your flock right now, I'd treat with Corid, and get it asap.
Sorry about the loss of your chicks. Hopefully you can get some soon to save the rest.

No coccidiosis in my flock. Just those chicks I had recently purchased and not kept near my others. My older chicks/chickens are in their pen and free range outside. These chicks were in my garage.