Peeps' Droppings Have Some Red In Them

[chicksgalore]

I have two week and a half old chicks that have been having some light red in their droppings (not sure if it's one or both). I'm keeping them in a dog crate on hay so they're segregated from the rest of the flock. I did have some older chicks stay the night with them at the beginning but they've been alone for the past few nights now. Anyway, they don't get anything yet but their starter feed and water. Any ideas?

 

[spook]

If you have red in their stool, then there is a good probablity that its Coccidiosis which you need a antibiotic asap. Is this chick dumpy acting and have cold feet? These are also signs of cocci. They can even get it if their feet have not touched the soil. Sulmet is the medication you need to go pick up at the farm/grain store. TSC has it available. I would start there as this can also happen with medicated feed. Once you see blood, hop right on it by giving the medicated water, make sure you dip its beak in the water frequently as there is no desire to eat or drink and its urgent that they get this into their system.
I am not an expert, only had one with cocci this year and the symptoms seem simular. Good luck !!! Oh, I don't know what others think, but I treated all birds that had come in contact with the one, 2 days worth of medicated water to the others.

 

[chicksgalore]

What exactly is cocci and what does it do to them?

 

[spook]

its a little organism that gets in their little body and when it reaches the intestine it will cause some major irritation and begins the process of bleeding out through their intestine. Right now you can see that in their stool almost like a sausage coating on the stool. I'll try and find a link for you on here, and post it for you.

 

[spook]

Here is a very good article about Cocci. http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex4616


Sorry, had to edit it as the other link was not correct so I found this one by typing in coccidiosis in chickens. Good luck.

 

[chicksgalore]

Thanks for the link. Now that I'm thinking about it, I have a dozen chicks that are about a month and a half and I've seen a little in their droppings over the past month. Nothing major and they all seem fine. None dead or looking droopy.

When I treat, is it okay to just treat all my birds together, the laying ones too? What about the eggs??

 

[spook]

If your adult hens seem fine and none of the chicks have been in with them, I wouldn't bother treating them. For any information on treatment, dosage and directions, cautions etc, will be on the back of the bottles. Good luck and please keep us (or me) posted!

 

[cluckychick]

I was getting ready to post the same subject. I have a momma hen and 3 babies that I've had 1 week, they are seperated and in their own pen in a building away from my flock. Yesterday I found what appeared to be blood in a stool dropping and again this morning but my son had given 1/2 a tomato to the momma hen and I was unsure whether it was tomato or not. I guess in my mind I'm hoping it's just tomato, lol. I will go straight to the feed store and get some sulmet and start them on it anyway as a precaution. Thank You for the information.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I treat entire batches of chicks whenever I spot that tell-tale red in their stool. The chicks that grow up with a Mama hen rarely get this, because they pick up immunity from being around Mom's poop. But the "boarding school" chicks usually get it, unless they've been vaccinated. Some folks feed the medicated chick feed to prevent cocci. I prefer to give them the Sulmet, it only takes 6 days, and seems to clear it up nicely. Then they can stay on regular unmedicated feed. I haven't had any chicks get really sick or die from it since I'll treat them with Sulmet at the first sight of bloody poo.

Definately keep them all together and treat them all. I treat the flock like a tank of aquarium fish, and figure that if one bird is ill then the rest have been exposed.

Hope your biddies get well soon!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
See my post above, you might want to wait to see if there's any more bloody poops. Keep them off the tomatoes for a few more days to elimate that factor. I think the chicks would pick up better immunity from their Mom than from the Sulmet. It's your call, though.