How long should I keep drenching?

[Red Horse]

My hen was on death's doorstep from coccidiosis on Saturday morning and has been improving since starting her on Corid. She went from not being able to get up, to walking around and foraging, preening a little, and quietly sassing me for eating in front of her and not sharing (though she doesn't always want the food when offered). Her color is also greatly improved even since this morning.

She's been getting a drench each morning since Saturday at 0.1mL per pound of body weight, plus drinking a little corid treated water on her own. She's still not eating much at all (she's lost a ton of weight and is practically all keel bone). She's also still having really mucousy watery diarrhea and is occasionally pooping some underdigested grain when she does eat it. I can't even tempt her with sardines or scrambled eggs, though she will visit a strawberry several times throughout the day till it's gone.

Should I continue with the drench, or just let her drink the medicated water from now on? I'll be starting her on some probios soon also because if I remember right the Corid can give them sour crop after awhile.

 

[nuthatched]

I've never read that corid gives sour crop, it's just a thiamine inhibitor.
I'd continue for the full 5 days, and see how she does

 

[BigBlueHen53]

After the 5 days' treatment be sure to give her vitamins to perk her up. She is getting ony Corid water during treatment, right? No other source of water?

 

[Red Horse]

I've never read that corid gives sour crop, it's just a thiamine inhibitor.
I'd continue for the full 5 days, and see how she does

Mine kept getting different (vet tested) strains of coccidiosis over and over for more than a year before I finally figured out why, so they were on Corid for a long time on and off. After a few months they all got huge yeasty crops and were burping up liquid. I had to treat with nystatin. I think maybe extended use of the Corid caused a bacterial imbalance somehow? Either someone here or the vet (probably someone here because the vet was never really much help) recommended adding probios to their water as well and it didn't happen again.

 

[Red Horse]

After the 5 days' treatment be sure to give her vitamins to perk her up. She is getting ony Corid water during treatment, right? No other source of water?

Correct, and I'm making her grain mash with the Corid water as well. She's not eating much of it anyway though.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Are you feeding her anything else besides grain?

 

[Red Horse]

Are you feeding her anything else besides grain?

I've been trying to tempt her with a lot, scrambled eggs, sardines, strawberries, blackberries, pork liver (that's usually my go-to, it picks them up really fast). She won't eat more than a bite of any protein and just leaves it. She seems to be into the strawberries the most. If I chop them up she won't touch them but if I leave one whole she'll revisit it over the course of a couple hours and finish it. She'll eat a few dandelion leaves, clover, and sorrel leaves. Her color is almost normal this morning, hopefully she starts eating a little more protein.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I meant ... do you feed her pellets or crumbles at all?

 

[Red Horse]

I meant ... do you feed her pellets or crumbles at all?

Crumbles, I'm just used to calling it grain. I'm offering regular dry crumbles and crumbles that have been soaked in Corid water.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Great, what kind of crumbles? What protein percentage? Grower, layer, all-flock? Is it available all day? Is it medicated?