Hen pooping blood

[banjoellen]

Yesterday I was checking the coop and noticed some bedding with what looked like blood on it. I checked all four of my hens for injuries and looked at their vents and saw nothing. I went out and bought some Corid thinking it could be coccidiosis, and when I got back I observed one of the hens poop blood. I immediately isolated her in a crate in the house and started her on the Corid. I also started all the other hens on it as a preventative. This morning when I checked the coop again, it appeared another hen has started pooping blood. I know which hen it was because the other two are only 9 weeks old and just moved into the coop and are still sleeping on the floor, and the blood was under where the older hen roosts.
Both hens are acting completely normal, and they’re pretty pissed off about being crated in the house! They aren’t listless or having any other symptoms other than the blood. They are eating and drinking normally. The poop appears to be a raspberry purée consistency, mostly blood rather than blood mixed in with normal poop (pic is attached).
Is this a normal presentation of coccidiosis, or is there something else I should be treating for? I don’t know of any injuries they could have sustained. They do free range some so I suppose they could have eaten something they shouldn’t but there’s no way to know.
Both hens are 16-17 weeks old.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

UNcrate them and return them to the flock. Keep treating, Use the outbreak dose for the whole flock, make sure it's their only source of water and do NOT give vitamins during treatment as the Corid works by mimicking thiamine to slow the growth of the coccidia and starve them out while the bird build more resistance to them. Coccidia, are in EVERY chicken dropping, so others have already been exposed but may have stronger resistance already.

Yes, it sounds very much like an early presentation of coccidiosis. meaning the blood in droppings has shown itself before the hens became listless. There are many strains of coccidia and only one or two will actually present as bloody droppings.

 

[banjoellen]

Thank you for your advice! Is there a reason that returning them to the flock is preferable over keeping them isolated? My other 2 hens are about 9 weeks old and when we brought them home 2 weeks ago we gave them Corid as a preventative for a few days. Could that be giving them resistance?

 

[Ebony Rose]

It's pointless to isolate the two that are showing symptoms as your whole flock is already exposed and in this case offers absolutely no benefit to those being isolated and stresses them out. It's easier on you too, as you're already treating your entire flock.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Are all your pullets normally together?
I would treat everyone, so yes, I would also put them back together.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thank you for your advice! Is there a reason that returning them to the flock is preferable over keeping them isolated? My other 2 hens are about 9 weeks old and when we brought them home 2 weeks ago we gave them Corid as a preventative for a few days. Could that be giving them resistance?

My reasoning for suggesting return has mostly been stated already by other posters...

Which one is because you said they were quite upset by the confinement... stress decreases immunity always. In addition, one of the best ways to fight coccidiosis is more space. And ugh, who wants them in the house any longer.

My main reason for suggesting return is because integration is hard enough and it sounds like you had already done that. Separation causes pecking order disputes even in birds that were otherwise perfectly fine together previously. If you prefer to keep them separated, I suggest moving the kennel you are using back out to your chicken run where they can at least see each other still, to help diminish the pecking order thing. These are suggestions according to my experience and what I would do... but YOU should always do what YOU are comfortable with. No two set ups, pastures, birds, or people are the same. Do your best and what makes sense and works best for you. If you discover a better way or that it isn't working well for YOU, switch it up.

Your new additions could have a strain your older birds did not and the elders caught too much exposure at one time or vice versa... there are between 7-9 known strains that effect chickens.

Since you didn't mention it and you have birds approaching lay and some that will be juveniles for a bit longer... I suggest using a flock raiser or grower feed (even starter is okay) and offering the oyster shell free choice on the side for the ladies who will be starting up soon... instead of "layer" feed. The younger birds will sample the OS but not over dose on it by not being able to avoid it in the feed. Since I often have multiple ages and genders I never use layer feed. The extra protein in "flock raiser" even helps my older birds recover from molt faster as feathers are made from 90% protein and it's amino acids.

And yes, that dropping is classic coccidiosis... so you are on the right track with treatment.

 

[banjoellen]

My reasoning for suggesting return has mostly been stated already by other posters...

Which one is because you said they were quite upset by the confinement... stress decreases immunity always. In addition, one of the best ways to fight coccidiosis is more space. And ugh, who wants them in the house any longer.

My main reason for suggesting return is because integration is hard enough and it sounds like you had already done that. Separation causes pecking order disputes even in birds that were otherwise perfectly fine together previously. If you prefer to keep them separated, I suggest moving the kennel you are using back out to your chicken run where they can at least see each other still, to help diminish the pecking order thing. These are suggestions according to my experience and what I would do... but YOU should always do what YOU are comfortable with. No two set ups, pastures, birds, or people are the same. Do your best and what makes sense and works best for you. If you discover a better way or that it isn't working well for YOU, switch it up.

Your new additions could have a strain your older birds did not and the elders caught too much exposure at one time or vice versa... there are between 7-9 known strains that effect chickens.

Since you didn't mention it and you have birds approaching lay and some that will be juveniles for a bit longer... I suggest using a flock raiser or grower feed (even starter is okay) and offering the oyster shell free choice on the side for the ladies who will be starting up soon... instead of "layer" feed. The younger birds will sample the OS but not over dose on it by not being able to avoid it in the feed. Since I often have multiple ages and genders I never use layer feed. The extra protein in "flock raiser" even helps my older birds recover from molt faster as feathers are made from 90% protein and it's amino acids.

And yes, that dropping is classic coccidiosis... so you are on the right track with treatment.

Thank you, thank you! That’s so helpful. I think we will keep them separated for the rest of today, the reason being that I would like to be able to monitor them overnight and make sure they’re drinking. Tomorrow I will consider putting them back together. They e settled down and don’t seem upset. I gave them roosting bars in the crates and that seems to be helping. What you said makes sense about them being exposed to a new strain - the little girls just moved in a couple days ago, so the timing makes sense.

And thanks so much for the advice about feed. I was approaching the point where I was going to have to figure that out. I’m using a starter/grower currently. Am I understanding correctly that I should continue to use the starter/grower for everyone and also offer plain oyster shell separately?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Am I understanding correctly that I should continue to use the starter/grower for everyone and also offer plain oyster shell separately?

Yes, that would be a good choice... and my preferred permanent method.

If you want to switch to layer, doing so after your last pullet starts laying is a good time.

It SEEMS as though "layer" is cheaper than "starter/grower/flock raiser" type feeds, BUT it is lower in protein (so maybe higher in carbs for the same amount of overall energy but not nutrients) and contains about 3% more calcium, which is cheaper than protein. So as far as I can tell, it's not actually cheaper in the long run. food for thought.

Looks like you caught the coccidiosis early enough, you *should* see full recovery.

 

[banjoellen]

Yes, that would be a good choice... and my preferred permanent method.

If you want to switch to layer, doing so after your last pullet starts laying is a good time.

It SEEMS as though "layer" is cheaper than "starter/grower/flock raiser" type feeds, BUT it is lower in protein (so maybe higher in carbs for the same amount of overall energy but not nutrients) and contains about 3% more calcium, which is cheaper than protein. So as far as I can tell, it's not actually cheaper in the long run. food for thought.

Looks like you caught the coccidiosis early enough, you *should* see full recovery.

Thank you! That is my hope! I love these little hens so much

 

[banjoellen]

Update: the hens are back outside in the coop. One is drinking pretty well, the other isn’t wanting to as much, and neither are eating much. How worried should I be about their lack of appetite? Is it just a natural side effect of feeling sick? What foods can I give them to entice them to eat? I’m thinking they need nutrients to keep up their strength, right?
And how can I encourage them to drink more water? Should I try a syringe? I don’t even really know how that would work...