Not sure what is wrong, little blood in poop and poor weights?

[sarahswank]

my entire flock (52 birds mostly red-sex links) has always been skinny. (keel bones always feel very prominate) I always figured they just needed more time to grow and gain muscle. Well they are a year old now and still seem way too skinny. They barely make a meal for two people when slaughtered. I did notice a bit of blood in some poop yesterday, but when the doc did a fecal on a fresh sample today, she didnt see anything, no worms, no eggs, nothing unusual. I have had no deaths, no body seems unhealthy, eyes look good, feathers are a bit untidy, but some are molting, so not too worried. They eat 80lbs of layer crumbles/corn a week (the corn is a semi-recent addition to help put more weight on them, not working), No free range, but they do have a very large covered run where we have a grit pile and a protein block sitting out for them to peck at as they wish.

Any ideas on what in the world I am dealing with? I was thinking about still doing a treatment with wazine, just in case, but I hate to just throw chemicals at them hoping for the best.

 

[fried green eggs]

Are they scratching? Could be mites? Worming with wazine is pretty safe and really can't hurt doing it. That's were I would start. Good luck.

 

[ten chicks]

my entire flock (52 birds mostly red-sex links) has always been skinny. (keel bones always feel very prominate) I always figured they just needed more time to grow and gain muscle. Well they are a year old now and still seem way too skinny. They barely make a meal for two people when slaughtered. I did notice a bit of blood in some poop yesterday, but when the doc did a fecal on a fresh sample today, she didnt see anything, no worms, no eggs, nothing unusual. I have had no deaths, no body seems unhealthy, eyes look good, feathers are a bit untidy, but some are molting, so not too worried. They eat 80lbs of layer crumbles/corn a week (the corn is a semi-recent addition to help put more weight on them, not working), No free range, but they do have a very large covered run where we have a grit pile and a protein block sitting out for them to peck at as they wish.

Any ideas on what in the world I am dealing with? I was thinking about still doing a treatment with wazine, just in case, but I hate to just throw chemicals at them hoping for the best.

Are you sure blood in poop is not shed intestinal lining? Some parasites like coccidiosis do not always show up in a fecal. No symptoms of anything? All are eating/drinking normal,none appear ill?

 

[sarahswank]

Are you sure blood in poop is not shed intestinal lining? Some parasites like coccidiosis do not always show up in a fecal. No symptoms of anything? All are eating/drinking normal,none appear ill?

I couldnt be sure one way or the other because it was such a small swirl. (I have seen it a few other times, it always is small swirls)

I had the fecal test done because of the fact that they are eating 80lbs of feed a week and still feel like they are skinny and barely 2lbs once gutted and cleaned. So in a way, the eating seems abnormal, but they have always been that way. (A man who raises chickens for "things that can not be said here" was helping me with my chickens this week, and was the one who really pointed out how skinny they still are, and it probably wasnt normal even for egg-layers)

Can coccidiosis be a chronic "infection"? Even as chicks, I only had 3 loses, One from a child who mishandled a day-old chick, and 2 chicks were culled due to injuries/birth defects of legs.


I think the more I talk it out, the more likely I have just been seeing intestinal linings (and with as many chickens as I have, they could shed it only one day every two months and I would still see one a day on average). AND I probably have needed to worm them for a long time, and my fecal test just was unlucky in the fact that I must have grabbed a few that just happened to not be shedding eggs or worms at the moment.


I am open to other ideas, but thanks for the forum to talk it out and figure it out.

 

[Eggcessive]

Treating for coccidiosis is certainly not going to harm them. Also if you worm them, chose a dewormer that gets more than roundworm--one like fenbendazole (SafeGuard horse paste or liquid goat wormer.) For coccidosis the treatment is Corid liquid 2 tsp (or podwer 1.5 tsp) per gallon of water for 5 days. Then after treatment give vitamins and probiotics in the water for 1 week. Here is a good link about coccidiosis: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken.html

 

[fried green eggs]

Birds can have a fairly heavy load of worms and you won't necessarily see it in just one sample. Something is stealing their nutrients if they are eating that much and still seem skinny. Wazine followed by fenbendazole or Ivermectin 14 days later should help them start gaining weight.

 

[Eggcessive]

There wouldn't be any need to use Wazine at all--fenbendazole works gradually and is safe to use. Just give a pea sized or 1/2 ml dose, then repeat in 10 days. There are many reports that say ivermectin has lost it's effectiveness as a wormer, but is still good for mites.

 

[sarahswank]

I already have wazine on hand because of it's high level of safety for human consumption, but I will be sure to follow up with something more all-inclusive as a second dose in 2 weeks. I want to avoid any wormers not approved for meat producing agricultural animals or not approved for use in humans. I sell eggs, so for liability reasons, I feel I need to be careful in chosing wormers that are are not approved for egg-laying chickens. (which as far as I know, there are none, even wazine is not approved for egg-layers and fenbendazole lingers too long in tissues)

Due to the life cycle of other worms, should I follow up with a third dose of wormer (second dose of all-inclusive wormer) in 14 weeks after the second? I dont want to start a cycle of resistant worms on the property.


I think I will hold off on Corid until I either get more signs that I need it, or I fail to get results after worming chickens and still not gaining weight.

Birds can have a fairly heavy load of worms and you won't necessarily see it in just one sample. Something is stealing their nutrients if they are eating that much and still seem skinny. Wazine followed by fenbendazole or Ivermectin 14 days later should help them start gaining weight.