i think my meat birds have cocci - now what?

[ohiofarmgirl]

dang.

i think my meat birds (red broilers) have cocci - and they are just about to slaughter age. i'm so ticked off! i spent all this time and now.. poop.

bad poop that is. i found some blood in their poops and some runny light brown ones.... but no evil yellow poops yet.

i have been treating my turks and chicks for cocci and have started the meaties on Corid. i realize this will push back the harvest altho the label says there is no withholding period. they were started on regular chick food then we switched to medicated..and i had just pulled them off medicated to finishing when this happened. .

does anyone have any advice?? aside from the Corid - anything?

we lost 4 poults but no chicks so far... but my best wyandotte rooster has the bad yellow poops.

:-(

help!

 

[Judy]

Probiotics, from the feed store, and extra protein, like cooked eggs, canned mackerel, tuna, whatever. Organic ACV in the water.

You can eat meat and eggs when a bird is on Corid.

Good luck!

 

[Brunty_Farms]

It's too bad you started them on the corid, they would have been fine. Mine sometimes have blood in their stools and they are pastured. It's something every chick goes through but if yours were that close I would have let it run it's course... it's not going to effect the meat. The corid however will....

I would take them off of the corid and wait two weeks.... then slaughter.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

oh hey Brunty Farms! thanks for the reply - i should have sought you out.

we really waffled as they were that close - but being inexperienced we thought we should be 'safe' than sorry but now i'm just very sorry and sad about everything
:-(

they act normal - none of the huddling behavior -- but since we've lost poults we werent sure what to do.

i just got a big thing of yogurt - and we feed everyone the extra raw goats milk from our dairy gals. so thats what we are working on... and i'll add some hard boiled eggs

do you think we should keep them separate from the rest of the chickens? we have kept them in the tractor for 2 days but than we waffled and thought they would be better off outside in the dirt and spread out?? we can fence them so they are outside but not with the same aged egg layers??

thanks thanks thanks

 

[Brunty_Farms]

You should be fine, your layers probably already have built up an immunity to the cocci in your area. It's not your fault, they will be fine... you were only doing what you thought best.

However a lot of people forget these birds are only 6-9 weeks when processed... normal breeds take this long to develop an immunity to cocci. If they are acting fine and if it's not affecting them... I would act like nothing is wrong and let it run it's course. As long as you can give them fresh ground or keep their bedding really dry the cocc will stay at low levels slowly letting the chicken building an immunity.

It's when they are raised in filthy wet conditions is when they get an overload of the protazoa.... then you have chilled, hunched over, lethargic poultry.

Good luck,

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

thanks thanks thanks.. i keep forgetting you are in ohio too.

the broilers were on dry ground and as you know - not much rain in these parts. over the last week or so we are changing the litter every couple of days - and now we are burning it (my compost is hot but didnt know if it was hot enough).

we'll keep an eye on them - and let them out of the tractor. we have some little used ground where they can roam around.

thanks thanks thanks!

 

[jaku]

Yeah, I wouldn't have started them on meds- try apple cidar vinager and or whole, prefereably raw milk. Mix the ACV pretty strong in the water, or give them bowls of the milk. If they're at butcher age, they should be fine.