My Cocci Battle...it is ongoing...

[chickenbelle]

Okay, guys...I am SUFFERING! My main flock is kept in one large run with an enclosed coop--these are MY egg birds. I had not had one problem out of their health. I had added some newbies back in October. No problems. Then just over two weeks ago, two of the newer little guys died. I assumed it was the cold snap and they were small with no meat on them. I decided to worm them all just in case. I did follow my usual routine of cleaning the coop daily. The following week--FOUR of my grown birds died within two days. That was when I saw the pattern--the droopy feathering and the lethargy I had assumed was from the cold before, but was now warm. I started the Corid certain that I was now dealing with cocci even though I'd seen no bloody stool. From the time they began to look like they were moving a little too slow to death has been less than 48 hours. I took a fecal sample from the sick roo to our vet and, sure enough, it was cocci. Nothing else showed in the sample.

As of this past Saturday, they had been on the Corid for the 5 day run he suggested. All the birds looked fine. I had since cleaned all the litter out of the coop, put in fresh, kept raking it out daily, and made sure the Sweet PDZ in the poop hammock was kept clean. Sterilized the feeder and waterers. Thought I had made it over the hump. Then we get the rain and the cold. I go out this morning--and ANOTHER of the young newer ones is lethargic and pale. I pulled her out into a small quarantine pen and made another corid solution for her and fed it to her with a syringe--she does not look like she'll make it through the day. I do not know what to do here! I'm afraid to move them near any other birds since they've all been exposed, and I have the state coming Monday for my NPIP. I'm thinking they all now need a good system flush to push out any cocci that may still be building up. I read in one university study posted somewhere on BYC to mix their feed with yogurt, small amount of milk, and vitamins to make a mash and that should help flush them out. I give them yogurt weekly. I also give the apple cider vinegar once weekly, but haven't in the past few since I've been giving the Corid. Any other suggestions here? I don't think I can stand to lose any more of those birds in that run.

Ideas anyone? Should I just keep them all together and relocate them to another coop, but still away from others? Or do I leave them there hoping the ones surviving will have immunity built up?!?!?! Although I don't want to lose them, I definitely don't want any others infected. My hubby is ready to tear that entire coop and run down and start them over elsewhere, but if they're contaminated it'll just carry over with them. We have plenty of acreage, but I still don't want them near any other birds. That limits where they could possibly go. I'm totally out of solutions. HELP!

 

[willowbranchfarm]

A good product to use for flushing is molasses in their water.

 

[casportpony]

If you lose another, you should send it for a necropsy, you might be dealing with something in addition to the coccidiosis.

 

[RhodeIslandRedFan]

Are you sure cocci is causing the illness in your flock? I think I remember reading that the presence of cocci in a stool sample doesn't necessarily mean they are present in sufficient numbers to cause illness. I'll see if I can find where I read this and reply again if I can find it. Other things that might cause illness and death are worm overload and lice/mites. What wormer did you use, and have you checked for lice/mites? Is it something they're eating - wet or moldy feed for example? Have you switched feed brands recently? Any symptoms that perhaps you missed in the ones that died? It sounds like you're cleaning everything thoroughly and caring for them well, and you must be very frustrated to deal with this for so long. I'm just thinking that since you've treated with corid, perhaps you are dealing with something else?

 

[RhodeIslandRedFan]

If you lose another, you should send it for a necropsy, you might be dealing with something in addition to the coccidiosis.

X2.

 

[chickenbelle]

The vet saw nothing in the stool sample other than the cocci. Hubby told him we had started the Corid 24 hours prior to taking this sample. They were wormed before with the Wazine--it was all my TSC had in stock at the time. I have seen no sign of any visible worms in the poop hammock or ground. I am amazed at how fast this is happening. I can go out one day with everyone running around happy as can be and then the next I go out and notice what appears to be a "cold" bird--feathers out, kind of just standing around and pale faced. That's honestly the only sign I get that something is wrong with that bird. That same day, once the lethargy sets in, they start to show green, liquid poo. This is the sample I took to the vet. By the next day, it is dead, despite everything. No signs earlier in any of them.

No lice or mites. We also have not switched feeds. They are getting a combination of grain and pellets with some kind of treat every other day--be that some scratch, yogurt, or veggies from my kitchen.

I'm going to check on the necropsy. In the meantime, I guess there's not much else? I may try some molasses. I could almost understand some weakness out of the smaller pullets not handling this illness with the wet and cold right now, but this dropped one hen and two big roos--one Rhode Island red and one Australorp within that 48 hour time frame. Sooooo lost here. I am not giving up hope, but I'm not very optimistic at this point, either. Thanks for the replies--I will keep you updated, as this is all so odd.

 

[casportpony]

I'd like to say a few more things...

• Wazine (piperazine) only gets roundworms. You should get a broader spectrum wormer like Safeguard for Goats/Cattle which is sold at TSC, but does not treat tapeworms. Valbazen (albendazole) gets all worms, but you have to order it online.
• Just because you don't see any worms doesn't mean they don't have them.
• The same is true for lice and mites, you should dust all of them and treat their coop just to be safe. I use poultry dust on the birds and Sevin spray for the coops.
• While I don't doubt the presence of coccidiosis, unless they weren't drinking enough water/Corid, I think that you might have something far worse, too.
• LSU has a necropsy service. BYC's Kuntrygirl could give you more info. LSU website: http://www1.vetmed.lsu.edu//LADDL/index.html.

 

[chickenbelle]

I'd like to say a few more things...

• Wazine (piperazine) only gets roundworms. You should get a broader spectrum wormer like Safeguard for Goats/Cattle which is sold at TSC, but does not treat tapeworms. Valbazen (albendazole) gets all worms, but you have to order it online.
• Just because you don't see any worms doesn't mean they don't have them.
• The same is true for lice and mites, you should dust all of them and treat their coop just to be safe. I use poultry dust on the birds and Sevin spray for the coops.
• While I don't doubt the presence of coccidiosis, unless they weren't drinking enough water/Corid, I think that you might have something far worse, too.
• LSU has a necropsy service. BYC's Kuntrygirl could give you more info. LSU website: http://www1.vetmed.lsu.edu//LADDL/index.html.

Thanks for the thoughts. They haven't been dusted for mites in a while. I will head out to do that in a few minutes. Looking online, those symptoms can all apply to several different things. I've seen those symptoms listed for everything from mites and worms to pollorum, typhoid, and botulism.

And since the vet had no answers besides cocci, I'm lost. Hubby is bringing home the neomycin to try at the suggestion of a friend.

I'm assuming if it something really serious I will definitely get a better answer when they show up for my NPIP testing on Monday. If they have answers that my vet couldn't give me, I guess I will be relieved to know what I'm dealing with in this group, but disappointed in the vet. He is the only one anywhere near me who would even handle the chickens when I called.

As of today, that flock is now down to 12 birds. All are eating well today. A couple of them are puffed up, but I'm hoping that is just from the cold. They were running around for food earlier when I took them yogurt and greens.

Are my other birds safe? How far away from this flock should they be? Current distance is around 30 yards and the other birds are in movable coops. Should I move them farther away? I feel like I'm just going in circles here!

 

[Eggcessive]

Are all of the sick birds from the new flock? The are several different strains of coccidia--every chicken has some in their gut, but a new group coming to your home may get sick because of it being a different strain of cocci. If these are young birds they may need to be on medicated feed (with amprollium, but not if you are treating with corid.) The corid should help, but as you say, you may need to let nature take it's course and some of the ones that survive should have good immunity. Be careful not to overmedicate these weak and sick ones with worming, dusting for lice and mites unless you are sure they have them. Too many drugs can put them over the edge.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would also recommend you start putting ACV in their water every day instead of once weekly--1 tablespoonful per gallon because that is a great cocci preventative.