Is there a reason we don't treat new birds for cocci just to be safe?

[appps]

I've just added to my flock and have the newbies in quarantine. I'm just curious why we don't just give them the medication for cocci just in case save a lot of the worrying if they may have it and could potentially infect the whole flock?

Two of my new 10 weeek birds had reddish poos this morning which I know can also be normal and they all have runny poos which I am putting down to what they were eating and hoping a change of feed and a few days to get over the drive should fix. (From layer + grower plus lots of lettuce. To grower and on grass)

So now I'm going to be watching every poo like a hawke which brings me to the why don't we just treat them just in case when adding to a new flock?

 

[realsis]

its not good to treat unless necessary because the medication can destroy the beneficial bacteria in the gut. this in turn can actually MAKE them More susceptible to disease. if the have the cocci is necessary to treat and can be followed with a probotics to replace the good bacteria. but if you're treating when not necessary your killing good gut bacteria making the chick susceptible to bad bacteria's. what you Can do is use a medicated food that helps prevent cocci. also bring dirt into the brooder and let them develop a resistance naturally. this is best. NEVER medicate when unnecessary because it will cause more harm than good. hope this is helpful. best wishes

 

[1muttsfan]

Actually, coccidia treatments do not kill any bacteria at all. They are not antibiotics, but medications called Coccidiostats. They do not kill the coccidia, they just reduce the rate at which they multiply. Treatment will not eliminate coccidia from infected bird, but it does reduce parasite shedding into the environment and sickness associated with higher numbers of parasites. It is most effective when given to young birds, who have less resistance to the parasite, and when birds are under stress.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I've just added to my flock and have the newbies in quarantine. I'm just curious why we don't just give them the medication for cocci just in case save a lot of the worrying if they may have it and could potentially infect the whole flock?

Two of my new 10 weeek birds had reddish poos this morning which I know can also be normal and they all have runny poos which I am putting down to what they were eating and hoping a change of feed and a few days to get over the drive should fix. (From layer + grower plus lots of lettuce. To grower and on grass)

So now I'm going to be watching every poo like a hawke which brings me to the why don't we just treat them just in case when adding to a new flock?

Some people DO treat preventatively for cocci by putting the birds through a course of Corid at regular intervals until they mature. Most people don't and just watch young or new birds carefully and treat as needed.

If you have new birds on your property that are showing red/bloody poops you would be very wise to treat those birds asap. Birds brought to a new environment may come into contact with strains of cocci they are not immune too, they may also bring in cocci your other birds have not previously come in contact with and therefore are not immune to. If you wait to see if it is going to become a full blown case of coccidiosis you are most likely going to loose birds. Better safe then sorry.

Feeding medicated feed may be helpful but it contains very low levels of Amprolium and birds can still come down with coccidiosis. There is a lot of debate about the value of it at all.

Treating for a suspected case of coccidiosis, even if birds did NOT have it, is NOT harmful and does not lessen a birds immunity to the cocci protozoa. All it will do is slow the growth of any cocci the bird does happen to have, that's how the bird is able to develop immunity. Using a coccidiostat is not the same as using antibiotic's. What may happen is that you just might save a lot of birds if it IS indeed cocci!

 

[appps]

Thank you!!

The two red poops did concern me as I while not exactly blood red they were defiantly redder than I remember my others doing, they were more a reddish brown.

The one I think did it is still eating and drinking but seems to also have the worst diareah. It's a lot tireder than the others and a couple of times has even sat down next to the feed dish and eaten sitting there.

Mostly its just wandering around like the others but just seems worn out which I guess diareah could do. The guy I got them from said he used to throw armfuls of lettuce in their coop each morning. I know that gives rabbits diareah so suspecting that's why they are all runny. I've also changed feeds both brand and from layer back to pullet grower.

I did read the reddish brown normal poops have to do with shedding intestine lining or something like that. So on fence its just redder due to being affected by the diareah before shedding.

Where would I buy the corrid? Vet?

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Question here because I've no first-hand experience and don't know . . . How prevalent is cocci in chicks brooded and raised by their mother? Do they ever get it?

I've been struggling with this concept of medicated feed as the whole idea of raising my own birds was to do it as naturally as possible. I chose not to use medicated feed. BUT I did buy a bottle of Corid, just in case. I'm hoping for the best but preparing for the worst, I guess.

 

[1muttsfan]

You should be able to find corid at any farm supply store.

Chicks raised by a broody can also be exposed to coccidia. How likely they are to become sick depends on how high a level of coccidia they are exposed to. Kept confined in a pen and/or where other birds are confined results in higher exposure than if they are kept in a tractor that is moved to clean areas frequently.

Cafarmgirl gave a lot of good advice. I do feed medicated starter for the first 6 weeks. Any chick not on medicated feed with runny stools, especially if they are not acting normally, should be treated immediately for coccidia.