Help with Possibly vit deficiency

[Chickenfever16]

I had an outbreak of very bloody diarrhea in my chicks and started them on amprolium as the vet prescribed. One chicks toes all curled up and died despite my syringing poul vite. Another chick now has terrible wry neck symptoms. Looks like a bad case of huntingtons. Can anyone tell me if they were successful using poul vites to cure this? And how much in tsp do I add per litre. My kitchen scale that I used to dose this is no longer working for that tiny a measurement in grams. HELP! Thanks 100g into 180L!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm so sorry you are having sick chicks.

The Poly Vit dosage is 100 g (whole package) per 180 Liters....so you want 1 liter.

that means 1 g for 1.8 Liters (dividing both by 100)...that's nearly 2 liters.

so 1/2 gram per 1 liter (the dosage doesn't have to be exact...there is leeway).

There are 5 grams in 1 teaspoon....so it's about 1/10 of a teaspoon....but again the dosage can be more generous. I personally use 1/4 teaspoon in a quart jar...which is .94 L

So take a teaspoon and put about a 1/4 of it into a liter.

I have cured curling toes due to over treatment with medicated feed. I actually goofed and put in 1 whole teaspoon of Poly Vi in a quart jar, having misread the instructions given me by a feed store clerk (actually she may have told me Tablespoon!). I gave that to the chicks for several days before discovering my mistake.

My Vet Tech daughter said don't worry about it. Consider it a loading dose and just go back to normal the next day.

The chicks improved in 2 days and fully resolved in a week.

Double check your amprolium dosage. You may be over treating with that which may be causing the vitamin B deficiency...amprolium blocks the uptake of vitamin B (which is what kills the protozoa known as coccidia).

Let us know how it goes.

LofMc

 

[Chickenfever16]

Thank you so much for this.
The vets gave me a portion of amprolium in a container and it is labelled how much to give but not the strength/dose they have diluted it. I am worried they gave me a dose that is too strong. I had 2 birds with def vitamin deficiencies and went downhill so quickly by day 4. I have one chick I have been syringing poul lytes to for 2 days and I see no improvement. Getting more lethargic as time goes on. It has def wry neck symptoms and it's painful to watch.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Coccidiosis also causes B deficiency, but wry neck and curling toes are not symptoms normal for coccidiosis...your bloody diarrhea is.

I agree curling toes and wry neck are standard symptoms of vitamin deficiency.

Hopefully the vitamins will help, although you should check with the vet again both for amprolium dosage and if the B vitamins will interfere with the amprolium's job against the coccidios.

Did they confirm with a fecal?

 

[Chickenfever16]

No fecal test. I told the vet about the blood and they gave me amprolium. I've spent hundreds (up to $1000) recently in testing and having to restart due to Mycoplasma in my birds so they are trying to help me save money. I didn't use medicated feed. I never have and this is the first time I've had an issue. Do you use medicated feed with chicks every time ?