Mature roo with bloody stool. Lots of fairly critical questions.

[Lelilamom]

My set up: 8x8x6 coop with attached 25x6 run.
My Roo is over 6 mos and started with bloody stool about 3 days ago. The youngest in my flock is 20 weeks introduced 6 weeks ago (by slow integration over 7 weeks), the rest are older, I have 20 in all. I have not introduced any new chicks, we do have one broody hen however that just hatched one chick a week ago. There is chick food in the coop for the chick and some of the hens are pecking at it. I have an adjacent coop and run with 3 BBW turkeys in it.

I suspect the Roo and I suspect Cocci. I checked all the hens' vents and they all look good. All the chickens, including the Roo, are energetic at the moment, without breathing issues, eating normally and roosting at night. The Roo is crowing and managing the flock as normally. The chickens do not free range at the moment, due to predators migrating through the area.

My questions: Could it still be Cocci? Or am I barking up the wrong tree? How fast does the disease spread? What is it caused by? Can it just show up without the introduction of store bought chicks? My last question: I'm pregnant, is it safe for me to be around chickens with this disease and to handle Corid?

Thanks all!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would start Corid liquid immediately with blood in the stools. 2 tsp per gallon for 5-7 days, give nothing else in their water. Give it to everyone. After treatment you should give vitamins and probiotics to help get their gut bacteria straightened out. Wear gloves when mixing the Corid.

 

[Michael Apple]

Don't procrastinate. Coccidiosis sporulates, so it can enter the area where birds come in contact with it. I would treat the flock with 2 tsp of Corid 9.6% liquid per gallon of water, or 1 tsp of Corid 20% powder per gallon of water. Do this for 5-7 days. Let us know how the birds are doing after 3 days.

Preventative treatments can also be done which are half the strength mentioned above. I do this starting between 2-3 weeks old, every 3 weeks up until they are 20 weeks old. I always use a good quality vitamin electrolyte powder in addition to probiotics in the water 3 days a week following each treatment. I've found this program helps support very healthy birds.

 

[CedarAcres]

At the first sign of coccidiosis, it's best to just treat with Corid right away. It will not harm them if they don't have coccidiosis. Make sure that you re-mix a new batch of the Corid into their water everyday so it remains at the proper strength. The new bird you added may have been exposed to a different strain of cocci than your birds are used to and is shedding it everytime she goes to the bathroom, therefore exposing everyone in your flock to the new strain. And as for being pregnant, just wash your hands as normal after interacting with the chickens. Humans cannot get coccidiosis. Cocci live in the soil and there are multiple types. Your birds will typically get used to the type that you have in your soil and build up immunity over time. As the chickens eat the dirt the cocci get into their gut, which is not a problem unless there are too many in there. You start to see the blood when there are too many that is causing damage. My best guess is that your new bird is immune to a different strain than your birds, and has introduced it to your flock. Corid is very effective though, so I'd start using it right away.

 

[Lelilamom]

Thanks everyone. Started the Corid this morning. Can we still eat the eggs?

 

[Michael Apple]

Thanks everyone. Started the Corid this morning. Can we still eat the eggs?

I prefer 24 hour withdrawal. That's what Merial, the producer of Corid recommends for cattle (bottom of page):
http://www.corid.com/Pages/MixAdminGuide.aspx

 

[casportpony]

Humans can get human coccidiosis, but we cannot get animal coccidiosis, so you don't need to worry about that, but there are other diseases that chickens can carry that might be of concern, talk ot your Dr.

-Kathy

 

[Lelilamom]

Humans can get human coccidiosis, but we cannot get animal coccidiosis, so you don't need to worry about that, but there are other diseases that chickens can carry that might be of concern, talk ot your Dr.

-Kathy

Thanks Kathy. I've spoken to my Doc about handling them and she has assigned DH coop cleaning duties. But I can still feed and water them. I probably shouldn't be examining their vents, but I was worried when I saw the bloody stool. I'm careful about washing my hands and I have 'chicken clothes' for when I handle the chickens.

 

[Lelilamom]

Update on the Chickens. Day 5 of the Corid was yesterday. No bloody stools after Day 3. The roo and all the other chickens seemed fine the entire time. We took the eggs and incubated them - I hated to see them go to waste. Don't know how many are fertile at this point.

Thanks for all the help everyone - Love the site and use it constantly!

 

[Eggcessive]

It's nice to hear about a good ending!