Hens with cocci, are eggs edible?

[ctyfrmr]

I am having a bout right now with cocci. Should i through the eggs away during this?

 

[suebee]

It's rare that full grown hens would have cocci that needs to be treated. What I mean is full grown chickens may have cocci but are immune from getting ill from it. Normally you'd treat young chicks since they can die from cocci because their immune system can't handle the load. How old are the hens? If you're treating them with a coccistat, such as corid, discard eggs for 2 weeks.

 

[ctyfrmr]

The hens are 20 weeks old and have been off of the meds since they started laying at 14 weeks. When I opened the 2 that have died, their intestinal tract was all discolored and full of blood and clots.

 

[suebee]

What kind of meds were they on? Medicated chick starter only has enough amprol to keep the cocci from multiplying. It's not a "cure". Get a bag of Corid...1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Is their poop bloody?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It sounds like a visiting bird may have introduced a new strain of cocci, one they do not have an immunity to. Rotten luck. We'd have to know what you are treating the hens with before we can accurately answer the question. If you are not treating them, the eggs should be safe to eat.

I assume one of the reasons you opened them up was to look for worms and you did not see any.

 

[ctyfrmr]

They are not on any meds at the moment . I am on my way to get Corid. How long do you treat them for? I did open them up to see what I could see, such as worms. Their poop has not been bloody that I have seen, Though I do have 27 birds and it is hard to see all of them all of the time.

 

[suebee]

1 TBSP to 1 gallon water for 5 days. Are any of your hens listless and puffed up feathers? Along with bloody poo those are classic symptoms of cocci.

 

[ctyfrmr]

There is 1 more that is sitting around, but she is not puffed up. I should have said they were pullets, not hens.