Help with Coccidia in bantam cochin pullets

[PandoraChick]

Hello all,
I need some advice. I had 4 baby cochin frizzles in a brooder(all around 4-6 weeks I believe) and all doing well. I went on vacation and left my husband in charge of their care with clear instructions, however upon my return I noticed them looking lethargic. It was a pretty hot day, and they were eating/drinking a little, so I thought it was the heat and cranked up the AC in the garage where their brooder is. Last night I found one dead and I also found a bloody stool...(not the intestine lining kind of blood, but dark blood)

I immediately transported them to a clean nursery type brooder which is located in my bathroom in the house and added electrolytes to their water and got weights on the remaining 3. I dbl checked and it appears my husband accidentally gave them the non medicated feed while I was gone. I went out this morning and bought Corid and am going to treat...The smallest one is very skinny and I can see her breast bone protuding when I was washing their bottoms. It is so hard to see when they are skinny becasue of their frizzly feathers. They stay huddled together most of the time now

Besides treating with the Corid, is there anything I can do? Would hard boiled eggs be a good idea? I have electrolytes and probiotics in a water dish for them, along with a second container of fresh water.

 

[sumi]

Give them the Corid for 5-7 days and don't add anything else but that to their drinking water. After the Corid treatment you can boost them with probiotics etc. You can give them some hardboiled egg, but only the white, not the yolk, and offer them some plain yoghurt as well. The yoghurt will be good for them now. Best of luck!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Make the Corid-treated water the only water source, and mix a new solution daily. Don't administer vitamins at the same time, since it is a thiamine blocker, I have read.

I would definitely give some scrambled or hard-boiled eggs and you will probably have to dribble alongside the beak the medicated water with a syringe for the sickest ones, as they literally can stop eating and drinking when they are very ill with coccidiosis. So they won't ingest the medication in large enough quantities unless you do it. Don't pour it down the beak, but dribble alongside the beak slowly and they will drink it in.

From my experience frizzle chicks need the warmth of the brooder lamp a little longer than the normally feathering in chicks, so keep that in mind as you adjust their temps. Although it sounds like you aren't using heat lamps anyway- it sounds like you have too much heat there.

I have had to repeat courses of Corid before, as the bloody poos came back -after the 5 day course of Corid- after a few days.

 

[Judy]

Buttermilk will also help soothe their gut during and after treatment. Good luck!

 

[PandoraChick]

I have them in the house now in my bathroom, with the exhaust fan on and 250 watt red lamp pointed indirectly at their brooder..the temp stays around 80-85 f, is that ok? Since they are sick, I think they would prefer it a little warmer.
I thought another was dead this morning, but she was just nuzzled down in the bedding laying down. She is my sickest one..she has lost 2 oz since onset. Doesnt seem like a lot, but when you are only 10 oz to begin with thats a ton

I am making the fresh solution every 18 hours or so....and dropper feeding it to all of them just to make sure they are each getting it. My smallest one is doing the best today...she has stopped losing weight and GAINED .25 of an oz.


The one that is laying down frequently I am the most worried about. Poops seem to becoming more normal(i have not see blood in a full day and 1/2). The sickest one though, had pasty butt, which I promptly cleaned by soaking her bottom in warm water.She then pooped right after that and it was completely clear liquid with a bit of white...She is not eating on her own. I tried mixing up some chick feed, hard boiled egg and yogurt in the blender and gave her some drops of that, but its really hard to get it in her...more is winding up on me.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have them in the house now in my bathroom, with the exhaust fan on and 250 watt red lamp pointed indirectly at their brooder..the temp stays around 80-85 f, is that ok? Since they are sick, I think they would prefer it a little warmer.
I thought another was dead this morning, but she was just nuzzled down in the bedding laying down. She is my sickest one..she has lost 2 oz since onset. Doesnt seem like a lot, but when you are only 10 oz to begin with thats a ton

I am making the fresh solution every 18 hours or so....and dropper feeding it to all of them just to make sure they are each getting it. My smallest one is doing the best today...she has stopped losing weight and GAINED .25 of an oz.


The one that is laying down frequently I am the most worried about. Poops seem to becoming more normal(i have not see blood in a full day and 1/2). The sickest one though, had pasty butt, which I promptly cleaned by soaking her bottom in warm water.She then pooped right after that and it was completely clear liquid with a bit of white...She is not eating on her own. I tried mixing up some chick feed, hard boiled egg and yogurt in the blender and gave her some drops of that, but its really hard to get it in her...more is winding up on me.

Be careful with leaving exhaust fans on for a long period of time in the bathroom (the fan in the ceiling) as I have read of one house fire from it. I have no idea why it would overheat but I make sure we cut ours off after a bit after showers.

In terms of the temperature, a 4 week old would need approx. 75-80 degree temperatures (or access to such). The rule of thumb is 90-95 the first week and decrease by 5 degrees per week until around 6 weeks when fully feathered (though in winter this is a judgement call depending on outside temps).

It sounds like they are well taken care of and I hope they are all better soon!

Oh also I forgot to say...you can use a 100 watt bulb instead of your 250 watt bulb if you check your temperatures and make sure that you are getting the temps you desire. I use from one to three 100 watt bulbs routinely for baby chicks...although when I run out of those I can't buy any more LOL.