I found blood in the coop this morning ... Advise PLEASE ...

[Glos Girls]

I am so unset, I let the girls out this morning and found blood by the door, then more under their roost. On one of the roost it looked like "clotted blood" . I have went through some of the other postings and found some info about coccidiosis. They are 18 weeks old and three of them are laying.
I have not checked them yet to see if there is blood on their feathers so not sure which one or ones it could be. Ashamed to say I have not wormed them but their coop is always clean and there has not been any stress, they are very social and we gossip every day They all seem to be fine, none of them are staying off by themselves or any odd behavior. They are still on the Grower Finisher feed by Dumor from Tractor Supply. I also have calcium out for the girls who are laying. And put DE in their food, coop and dusting areas.
I will be going to the feed store for the recommended Corid, if I understood right I will find this with the cattle supplies?
In the mean time are the eggs still safe to eat?
Any advise would be appreciated, this is the first time we have had any concerns for the girls, they have been happy and healthy. So I am one worried Mama.

 

[Glos Girls]

Also... I was just reading on the dosage... Should I also get Amprol or is this in with the Corid? I am so new to all of this, thought all of my worrying over little ones was over when my adult girls "left the nest" Thank you fo any advise you may have.

 

[Eggcessive]

Eggs are perfectly safe to eat when on Corid (amprollium.) It comes in liquid and powder form, and there are other brands such as Ampromed, so be sure and ask someone if you cannot find it. Dosage of the liquid is 2 tsp (or 1.5 tsp of powder) per gallon of water for 5 days, 7 maximum. Amprol is the name for it in Canada.

 

[Glos Girls]

Thank you very much, I am reading all of the other posting to get myself informed the best I can. Should I also worm them after this is all cleared up? I do have Wazine 17 but have not given it to them as of yet.

Also we have a second coop of chickens, no signs of coccidiosis but should they be given a preventive dose of Corid just in case? The two separate coops of chickens have never had any contact.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you have not medicated them, the eggs are safe to eat. The medicine in Corid is Amprolium. It is the same drug that is in medicated feed. In the dosage in medicated feed there is no withdrawal time for you to eat the eggs, but I can’t find anything I trust about eating the eggs when you are using the dosage of Amprolium that is in Corid. Just to be safe, I would not eat them or feed them back to the chickens.

If they are acting normal, it does not sound like Coccidiosis. There are several different strains of the bugs that cause Coccidiosis but only a couple cause the bleeding. Most don’t cause bleeding. Usually if they have a problem with Coccidiosis they are lethargic, just staying in one place, fluff up, hunch up, and look miserable. Still, it won’t hurt to treat them for Coccidiosis. I’d do that since you have a warning and Coccidiosis can advance pretty fast.

If yours have been on the ground for more than three weeks they should have developed an immunity to any Coccidiosis bug that is in your ground. Developing immunity to one strain of that bug does not give immunity to all strains. It is possible that they have been introduced to a new strain recently. That’s why I would treat them.

The Coccidiosis bug needs warm temperatures and wet conditions to thrive. If you have been getting a lot of rain lately, the soil around a waterer is staying wet for days, or you are not keeping their water clean the risk of an outbreak is higher if they have come in contact with a new strain recently. Wet conditions or dirty water increase the risk of an outbreak.

Have you fed them any red treats? When I can beets I give them the cooked skins. Their poop turns blood red from the beets, not from a disease or medical condition. I was really concerned the first time that happened to me.

Can you get pictures of the blood? There ae some other things that could be causing it, probably not worms. Sometimes chickens pass bits of intestines that slough off. That’s not a big deal to them but it can really upset you when you see it. Something else might be going on.

Get Corid and start treating them, but don’t convince yourself you have solved the problem if there really is one. Keep a close eye on them and see how they are acting. If they act healthy and active, they probably are. Usually a sick chicken acts sick.

You can get a stool sample and have it tested for worms. Talk to your county extension agent about a good place to get that sample tested or talk to a veterinarian. Not all vets do poultry but they should be able to point you to someone that can test that sample. Personally I would not put them through a worm treatment unless I know that they have worms and what type of worms I’ve treating. There are different types of worms and not all medications work on all of them. If I use a medicine I want to specifically target the condition I’m treating, not just shoot in the dark.

Good luck!

 

[Glos Girls]

Ridgerunner, Thank you for all of the info, it is very helpful. Here is a pic... Their water is changed every day, so hopefully it is not that. But we live in Ohio and WET??? Mercy yes, it has been wet with puddles off & on all summer. The only treats they have had lately is clover, they love it so I pick it for them a few times a day.

 

[Eggcessive]

That is definitely a lot of blood in the stool. Start the treatment today. Chickens may be sick for 3 days before symptoms show up. Eventually, they may stop eating, then later stop drinking, so that's why it's important to start treatment early. The worst 2 out of 9 or more strains that cause coccidiosis in chickens cause blood in the stool. Here is a good link to read: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex4616

 

[Glos Girls]

Thanks, leaving now to get Corid & will read the info after I have given it to them. Thank you so much.