Help Sick Chicken - Listless w/ Diarreah.

[winekntrychicks]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

I have to purchase Amprol liquid online from First State Vet supply and keep it on hand... our feed store only carries Sulmet. Amprol is easier on their systems, especially when they're young, than the sulfa-drugs like Sulmet.
The cocci feeds on the protein, so if you can use oatbran or ground up natural oats (the slow-cook/non-sugar kind) and mix 50/50 with their feed, it will help kick it. Use the Sulmet or Amprolium as directed, and get them separated and on wire, if you can, so they're not stepping in their droppings. Remove all the old beddiing material, and disinfect really well. It's transmitted through the droppings, which is why it will likely come back. It's an oocyte in the soil... there's really no way to get away from it. Just stay extra vigilent with the others, watch for signs of bloody poo or lethargy/non-responsiveness.

Please correct me when I am wrong. I am informed that once exposed to cocci if the chick makes it they become immune to cocci. So isn't it good to expose them a little bit at a time just as you would anything you want to build immunity against? Thanks​

 

[Mrs MIA]

That's a good question, and honestly, I don't know. I experienced it a lot last year, and my observations have been ("results may not be typical"

) that it doesn't seem to affect them as hard the second time, so maybe they are a little more resistant. It also seems like there is a magical line that once they cross it, they don't seem to recover. If you catch it in time, and give them the Amprol or Sulmet, they bounce back pretty quickly over the next few days. Otherwise, they just seem to slip away. That's been my experience, anyway. I still get it in my communal flock from time to time, but the only way I know it's there is that I'll find a little bloody poo. The birds don't seem to be affected by it as much, and a treatment of Amprolium clears it right up. I don't know that I would say they're immune to it, just more resistant. Like us getting a flu-bug.

I had a random thought this morning about the cocci, and was wondering if a few cycles of torching the soil, then rototilling it, would kill the oocyte in the soil? I don't rotate pens with my birds, so they're on the same soil year after year (I'd need about 5 acres to do what I want to do!). If torching it kills it, I wonder if we might be able to beat it...?

 

[winekntrychicks]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

That's a good question, and honestly, I don't know. I experienced it a lot last year, and my observations have been ("results may not be typical"

) that it doesn't seem to affect them as hard the second time, so maybe they are a little more resistant. It also seems like there is a magical line that once they cross it, they don't seem to recover. If you catch it in time, and give them the Amprol or Sulmet, they bounce back pretty quickly over the next few days. Otherwise, they just seem to slip away. That's been my experience, anyway. I still get it in my communal flock from time to time, but the only way I know it's there is that I'll find a little bloody poo. The birds don't seem to be affected by it as much, and a treatment of Amprolium clears it right up. I don't know that I would say they're immune to it, just more resistant. Like us getting a flu-bug.

I had a random thought this morning about the cocci, and was wondering if a few cycles of torching the soil, then rototilling it, would kill the oocyte in the soil? I don't rotate pens with my birds, so they're on the same soil year after year (I'd need about 5 acres to do what I want to do!). If torching it kills it, I wonder if we might be able to beat it...?

I don't remember where I found it but the article said that the only way to kill cocci is fire.
Also, there are 9 types of Cocci available for illness. Maybe that is part of why your birds had reoccurances. (food for thought)
Now another question. Is is possiable that your birds are having worm issues? For me personally, taking a chicken to the vet to get a fecal sample is way to expensive, so I just go with my gut when treating a sick chick. I had a pullet that had something really bad. It was almost as if she was pooing her guts out. I was able to save her. I treated her with a alternation of Ampro/sulmet and Tylan and left over Amoxicillan I had. I also dewormed at the same time with Ivomec Eprinex spot on (blue box) It was a good week not more than two before I let her back with the rest of the flock. Her urates finally became white again. I have theory on what made her sick though.​

 

[Mrs MIA]

Oh goody... a good reason to get out the brush-torch.

Lots of good thoughts there.

I hope the OP has good luck getting her chick well again.

 

[silkiechicken]

Cocci is everywhere, especially in damp areas, and really, you can't get rid of it because as soon as you do, that migrating bird will inoculate the soil. Probably don't want to torch it as you'd kill the beneficial bacteria in the soil which you'd want. For example nitrogen fixing bacteria which would break down the chicken poo in the future and make it available to growing things and prevent it from seeping into the water table.

If you can find a vet who will only take the fecal sample and do the float test, that would be ideal since they probably can't do much with the bird anyways. With just the baggie drop off, it shouldn't be too expensive IF a vet place is wiling to do it. I am not one to take a chicken to a vet either.

As for immunities, exposing them early with a dish of soil for a dust bath would probably help them build immunities as it would expose them to the antigens. The only time I have ever had a cocci problem, was when the tractor pens were full and I had a bunch of leghorns raised in a non dirt brooder for 4 weeks and then put out in a run. The rest of the birds, regardless of med feed or not, are on dirt within a week, and haven't had a cocci problem with them in 10+ years. So I'd say early exposure in low doses is probably the winner.

 

[chuckman23]

Despite our best efforts she died overnight.

Thanks to all for the advice, hopefully we don't have to go through this again anytime soon.

Thanks

 

[Mrs MIA]

Oh Chuck...

I'm so sorry. Keep an eye on the others... I hope you don't have to go through it again, either.