new to chicks - need opinions on a lethargic chick w/wet stools

[lauramei]

Hi all. On Tuesday received our first-ever shipment of chicks to start an urban flock - 1 Leghorn, 1 Easter Egger, 1 Cochin and 1 Cuckoo Maran. I had a really hard time settling on just one breed so I ordered several, which in retrospect may have been a mistake as the chicks are pretty obviously different ages with different needs. Sadly, I lost the leghorn within 16 hours of her arrival, and I'm really not sure why.

The loss has made me super paranoid about the health of all the others. Today, the Cuckoo Maran seemed sleepier than the previous days and spent a lot of time sitting. Her stools were also really loose and the one I witnessed was explosive. The advice I received on feed was to go 100% organic but now I wish I'd fed them medicated from day one...my biggest fear is that this is coccidiosis and she won't make t through the night. There's no blood in her stool and her wings aren't drooping when she stands. I just don't want to miss any early signs and loose any more babies. Should I go out for Amprol first thing in the morning, or will switching them to medicated feed be enough?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[elmo]

Is it all the chick's poops that are runny, or just some of them? If it's only some of them, what you're seeing is probably normal cecal poop.

There's a wide range of normal for chicken droppings:

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

 

[lauramei]

I think it's just some of the poops. Thanks for sharing that link elmo - super informative.