I'm new to chicks and something is wrong

[ten chicks]

I would like to suggest that chicks are cleaned more often than once a week(as stated in previous comments). How many chicks do you have 4 or more? When chicks are in crowded conditions,they are sitting,eating and sleeping in their own poop,this is a environment that cocci thrives in. I clean my brooders twice a day,morning and evening,takes only a couple a minutes,and i feel my chicks appreciate it.Hope all your chicks are feeling better.

 

[sarajane]

Thank you for the suggestions. I have 3 in one brooder and 3 in another-because of their age diff. 8 week olds and 2 week olds. Whatever the cause of help they have all perked up immensely. I'm keeping a sharp eye on them and they are back to their reg feed which they prefer anyhow. And Michael I was doing my best to pay attention-I have no way of just knowing that I couldn't use both things-it wasn't mentioned. No need to be so stern. I've said I'm incredibly new at this and doing the best I can. I had no idea this illness would even be a problem.

 

[Michael Apple]

Thank you for the suggestions. I have 3 in one brooder and 3 in another-because of their age diff. 8 week olds and 2 week olds. Whatever the cause of help they have all perked up immensely. I'm keeping a sharp eye on them and they are back to their reg feed which they prefer anyhow. And Michael I was doing my best to pay attention-I have no way of just knowing that I couldn't use both things-it wasn't mentioned. No need to be so stern. I've said I'm incredibly new at this and doing the best I can. I had no idea this illness would even be a problem.

You haven't seen stern. I deal with people for a living who do not take proper care of their animals. They do not educate themselves on the specific needs of particular animals. That is their responsibility since they chose to own that particular animal. Now I don't mind trying to assist you or anyone else. You decided to use medicated feed with Corid in the water, after you stated they were not on medicated feed, when Corid was originally recommended at a specific dose. It should be common sense that overdosing an animal with medication should never be done.

Now there are all kinds of information available pertaining to Coccidiosis, the conditions that can perpetuate it or prevent it. Here are some reasons why I won't use medicated feed, never crowd chicks, maintain consistent temperatures when brooding in-house, and ensure there is adequate lighting and ventilation:

Several factors may cause an outbreak of coccidiosis, even if a coccidiostat is present in the ration.

• Dilution of a balanced ration by the overfeeding of grain, grass and food scraps. In this case, insufficient amounts of the drug are ingested.
• Restricted diet. When the ration arrives, greedy and bullying birds may deprive other birds of feed. Water constantly medicated with a coccidiostat may overcome this problem.
• Insufficient feeder space. Birds may not get a full quota of medicated feed.
• Poorly adjusted feeders, affecting the distribution of ingredients.
• General management failures such as over-crowding, poor ventilation, leaking drinkers and wet litter.
• Lighting programs which have not been arranged to ensure adequate feed intake.
• An outbreak of another disease such as uraemia, that causes a lowered feed intake. It is not uncommon in outbreaks of uraemia to find some affected birds also have coccidiosis.
• Reduced feed intake during hot weather using a drug specifically for treating clinical coccidiosis.

Here is an informative link that will help you understand Coccidiosis:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1138/coccidiosis-control

Here's another one with very valuable information to understand when it comes to nutrition:
http://www.poultrynews.com/New/Diseases/Merks/207000.htm

 

[SobbaChickens]

Sorry you're dealing with this!

I'm also sorry your dealing with rude people. Sure isn't helpful nor does it make for a safe place to ask for help.

Quit using the medicated feed if you haven't already, it doesn't help with anything if the chicks are already sick. How are they doing today?

 

[satay]

Sorry you're dealing with this!

I'm also sorry your dealing with rude people. Sure isn't helpful nor does it make for a safe place to ask for help.

Quit using the medicated feed if you haven't already, it doesn't help with anything if the chicks are already sick. How are they doing today?

x2. Hope your chicks are better soon.

 

[sarajane]

Michael thank you for the information. You've been quite helpful and my birds are doing better. I really can't say what caused the outbreak even based on your list-they eat like crazy, they have clean water, they don't appear crowded and have been moved to a bigger space. I was ready to put them in their outside coop until I noticed they didn't look right. And you're correct-I needed more education. I thought I knew enough to get started and I clearly didn't. I didn't like the idea of medicated feed in the first place-it just seems yucky. My birds don't like it either. So thankfully they only dealt with it for a day. I'm changing their bedding every other day now-it's been pretty crazy tornado weather here in OK so I'll have to do it when it stops raining. My one buff looks shockingly better-her feathers are starting to calm down and she doesn't look as hunched. She even looks bigger.

 

[SobbaChickens]

Thats wonderful to hear!

I've read that some chicks will show improvement very quickly and others might take a full week. Hope they all make it through okay

 

[Michael Apple]

You're welcome. We are all learning. Nobody knows it all. I've actively kept birds for more than 3 decades and there are some diseases I am familiar with, and others I am not. I have many species of wild birds in my area, fox, coyote, raccoon, bobcat, and I live in a Coastal climate where it is temperate most of the year. It is a good environment for Coccidiosis to survive. Lots of folks think that just because a brooder is kept from fecal build-up, and soil from the yard is slowly introduced to the chicks, that somehow they will all build immunity. Coccidiosis sporulates which means it can be airborne. That doesn't mean we should be fearful, just prepared by knowing how to prevent overabundance of the protozoan in the bird's digestive system, and pay attention when birds begin showing symptoms.

 

[sarajane]

That makes sense-I definitely know what to look for now! What an adventure. On a happy note my EE is alive, eating and moving around a bit, my buff looks almost normal and the other buff is improving. The 2 wk olds are quite spunky and one is outgrowing the others but the tiniest one that I'm sure had very early signs of cocci is very much improved. Whew.

 

[Michael Apple]

That makes sense-I definitely know what to look for now! What an adventure. On a happy note my EE is alive, eating and moving around a bit, my buff looks almost normal and the other buff is improving. The 2 wk olds are quite spunky and one is outgrowing the others but the tiniest one that I'm sure had very early signs of cocci is very much improved. Whew.

I'm glad to hear that. If you have any questions or need assistance, just let me know. I work odd hours but try not to take too long to answer.