I think I messed up (bloody stool)

[clickchicks]

Here I am again, having no clue why things keep going poorly.

I have x3 7 week old chicks. About 2 weeks ago I started trying to integrate with my existing flock of 3 hens. A had a fecal run on the adult birds several weeks back, came back with low levels of eimeria but (per the vet who took the sample) nothing unusual or worthy of concern.

A couple of days after leaving them outside I noticed they were a little less active and had watery stools. I decided to just go ahead and treat with Corid since I KNEW the eimeria was out there, and figured I'd get ahead of anything nasty.

I did a 5 day treatment on the higher (2 tsp per gallon) dose. They finished with that 2 days ago and have been on plain water. They seemed normal, had normal poops by the end of the 5 days.

Then this morning, suddenly, lots of blood. One chick is pooping nothing but a liquidly soup of blood. All of them are puffed up and seem uncomfortable/sleepy. They were JUST on a treatment dose of Corid, were acting totally normal yesterday, and no vets are open right now to get a fecal done. I don't know what else to do other than just start them on Corid again.

Please, any advice is welcome and needed.

(all 3 are different poops)

 

[Eggcessive]

Mix up more Corid at the same dose, and give it for 7 days. Give the sick birds a couple of drops of the undiluted Corid twice a day in addition to the treated water. They might not have taken enough of the treated water before. Remove any poops from the bedding, and keep the bedding clean and dry. Change the Corid water daily, and keep the waterers at shoulder height so they will be less likely to poop in the water. After 7 days, reduce the Corid dose to 1/4 of what you are using now, and treat 5-7 more days.

 

[dawg53]

After following Eggcessive's instructions and if you continue to see blood in feces, contact your vet and explain to him what's going on and that you need a sulfa drug to treat your birds ASAP. Hopefully your vet will have sulfadimethoxine or an equivalent.

 

[clickchicks]

After following Eggcessive's instructions and if you continue to see blood in feces, contact your vet and explain to him what's going on and that you need a sulfa drug to treat your birds ASAP. Hopefully your vet will have sulfadimethoxine or an equivalent.

Realistically, if they are already at the point of pooping blood and the corid doesn't help, what are the odds they will survive long enough to get the sulfa drugs? I'll be calling the vet first thing on Monday, but these guys look pretty sad.

The one pooping the most blood is very sleepy and didn't want to eat. I administered the straight corid directly and gave it some corid water with a dropper. Wet some food with the corid water too but this chick didn't take any food. The other two chicks did want to eat.

 

[clickchicks]

The worst one finally took some food before lights out tonight. I've found a few messy stools without blood and a few that still have some blood.

Not really sure what I'm going to do. Its going to rain all next week and clearly they picked up a big load from the run. But they are too big to be in this brooder all day. Nothings ever easy.

 

[clickchicks]

I’ve isolated the sickest one. Not looking great. Drinking on its own but will not eat. Here’s what we’re dealing with stool wise:

 

[clickchicks]

Things are getting worse. More blood in the stool, no interest in eating at all though it is still drinking some. Chick spends most of its time sleeping, will get up for a moment and drink, then falls back asleep. Still isolated from the others

@azygous

I'm tagging you because I noticed you mentioned using amoxicillin to treat necrotic enteritis in your flock. I don't think what I'm dealing with is just coccidiosis anymore. The stool is straight liquid, very dark brown and mixed with blood. I DO have some clavamox on hand from another issue last year, bottles are still within date. I don't want to do anything stupid but I'm getting desperate. Can you advise?

Actually while searching for the clavamox I also found another antibiotic, "TMPS suspension". It must have been given to me at the same time as the clavamox but the bird it was intended for died before I ever got to use it. Google says its Sulphamethoxazole and the exo date is 4/30/2023. Is this of any help to me?

 

[azygous]

The Sulphamethoxazole is a good one to treat the chick with. Mix according to the directions, but adjust the amount for about half a quart of water. Give for four to seven days.

 

[clickchicks]

The Sulphamethoxazole is a good one to treat the chick with. Mix according to the directions, but adjust the amount for about half a quart of water. Give for four to seven days.

Thank you!

The one I have indicates its for direct oral administration. Reading the instructions I was supposed to give .4ml directly to the bird it was intended for. I backed out the amount based on this chick's weight. Almost .3ml on the dot so I went ahead and gave it that directly by mouth.

 

[azygous]

Yes, Corid and a sulfa drug are often given together. Since the US is a third world country in many ways, we don't have access to a coccidiostat that combines sulfa, but it's sold that way in Asia and Europe.