I need Some Help Please - Another One Dead

[Alabama ee]

I hope the little chick is doing better

 

[ParadiseChickens]

She is still the same this morning and still cant get up, just lays there. I fed every 3 hours yesterday. I took her chicken feed, added water until it was like baby pablum and put tiny bites in her mouth washed down with a mix of water/Sulmet/electrolytes. She ate fine but this is wearing me out. I feel bad about that since she is trying but should I just go ahead and cull her today? I feel as if this is going on for a long time.

 

[ReeseTheChick]

Hey now don't give up. Give her a few more days. Give her a chance to get better.

 

[kelar]

It sounds like she is a fighter & could get well. Only you can decide if you are willing to continue nursing her. It's a big commitment when you start treating a sick baby and sometimes even all your effort will not save them, but I always try.

 

[JoePa]

Yes - I feel for you - spending so much time trying to nurse a chick back to health - if this chick was living in a natural way it would have died a long time ago - your just wearing yourself out - I'm sure you have other things to do - I once talked to an old timer about raising chickens - he said that to make it easy and not a big complicated affair he never treats a sick chicken - if they are sick he culls them - if you don't want to do it have your husband do it - that's what husbands are for - look at it this way - billions of chickens bite the dust every day - what's one more - good luck

 

[ParadiseChickens]

update in next post

 

[ParadiseChickens]

the little one that I have been hand feeding for the past 3 days is just the same this morning. She seems to protest a little more when I put the feed in her mouth so maybe a little more lively but still cant walk, just lays there. We went to church and came home to one of the remaining 5 laying in a corner. Was laying around a little more yesterday than the other 4 but I thought I was just worrying too much. Anyway, when I touched this one she fell over and just laid there unmoving, lifeless like. We culled her and buried her since there appeared no hope for her. Now I am frantic tho, they are dying about a week apart. I have now treated them all with Sulmet and added vitamin/eletrolyte to their water. What else can I do?

They have been in the coop about 3 weeks now and this is a converted horse stall but we brought in some fresh dirt since the floor was compacted by the horse. I have not put any bedding on the floor just the dirt and our neighbors think this dirt is their problem. I think they are just guessing tho but then again something is killing them. I still think they stayed in the 100 g stock tank too long waiting on us to finish their coop. At the last, their was a waterer in there that was leaking and the underneath layer of shavings was damp when I cleaned it after moving them. But that was 3 weeks ago. These chickens are getting sick one at a time. I know I'm rambling, I am just so worried. I only have 4 and the little sick/hurt one left.

 

[CMV]

Usually, by the time chicks are showing signs/symptoms of cocci a good bit of damage has been done to their GI system. Some will succumb to that damage despite treatment. Add some organic ACV to their water and maybe start them on some yogurt in small amounts. By doing this you will help their GI system by populating their gut with good bugs and acidifying their systems. I would also be giving them some protein rich treats (like scrambled eggs) to help them keep their resources up. The damage done by cocci can make it difficult to absorb enough nutrients from the food they eat, so giving them some nutrient dense foods can be of benefit. Lastly, I would continue to dose them once a day with the Poly-Vi-Sol- 2 drops directly by mouth should do it. Hopefully these measures will help to keep these babies alive until the damage done by the cocci can be healed.

You are probably right about the dirt being the culprit. Cocci is a protozoa that lives in the soil. All chickens have some cocci present in their bodies. The problem happens when they are exposed to so much of it that their system gets overwhelmed. This usually happens to them when they are young, but I have had it show up in adult birds after an extended period of unusually wet weather. It is much more dangerous in chicks because of their small size and relative fragility.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[kelar]

Sulmet is a 6 day treatment and you should not add vitamins/electrolytes to their water or give poly-vi-sol while treating with the sulmet nor should you give any protein rich foods like egg yolk because the cocci thrive on high protein. Just the medicated water and their starter crumbles should be fed. Some may have sustained too much damage to recover, but most should be ok. Keep their bedding dry and clean so they don't reinfect themselves and keep a close eye on them for the next few weeks to make sure the cocci are gone. I sometimes follow up with a treatment with Corid about 3 weeks later. CMV's suggestions are all good ones - just wait until AFTER the round of medication is finished.

 

[CMV]

Thank you, kelar. I should have specified the after treatment part.