Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[TillyPeeps]

One of my Oliver eggers laid a large egg today! Haven’t had any egg after Sunny went broody. Never had a large egg from this group of chickens too. I cannot tell if it’s Boo or Dragon though. Both have 2.5 finger size pelvic bone. Since Dragon has quatted for last two weeks, I think it’s her eggs.

 

[TillyPeeps]

We cannot eat the egg though. Girls just got the second dose of dewormer last Tuesday. They seems much more active after deworming. They came out of coop when it was 1 degree outside. I put a sweet heater over their favorite roost area during the extreme cold night, everybody moved away from the heater and roost on the opposite side of the coop...

 

[dheltzel]

We cannot eat the egg though. Girls just got the second dose of dewormer last Tuesday. They seems much more active after deworming. They came out of coop when it was 1 degree outside. I put a sweet heater over their favorite roost area during the extreme cold night, everybody moved away from the heater and roost on the opposite side of the coop...

I prefer to sleep where it is cool and snuggled under covers. Chickens have built in down coats. They really aren't that bothered by the cold.

 

[MROO]

My understanding of coccidosis is that it is similar to E. coli, in that chickens build up a tolerance for the organism and it no longer runs wild and causes symptoms, but becomes part of the regular "flora" of the gut. The vaccine for cocci is very specific that you should not feed medicated feed or treat with Corid (or any other coccidistat) as that will kill off the live organisms that make up the vaccine.
Medicated feed merely provides a suppression of the growth of the Cocci protozoa, it does not kill them. You really don't want to kill off all the Cocci or the resistance will not happen and they will be unprotected in a future exposure. Coccidosis in older birds is the result of exposure to a new strain (or species, there are several that can infect poultry) or (I believe) the addition of stress factors that compromise the immunity the bird had acquired.

My two cents from Maryland (close enough to the PA line that I can get there by bicycle!)

You're pretty close on that one! I've had to do a lot of reading up on Coccidiosis, since any new bird in my smaller run picks it up at some point. Even though it's not a virus (it's parasitic,) coccidiosis acts kinda like chicken pox, only instead of hiding in the body to wait for a weakening of the immune system, it lives in your soil. ALL soil has it, so there's no eliminating it. In fact, the little buggers in your soil are usually different from those in your neighbor's yard. Your chickens can pick up a new strain simply by visiting next door!

If you do end up with (or even suspect) coccidiosis, it's a relatively easy fix, as long as you catch it early (as soon as they start to look lethargic and heir stool goes runny.) Just keep Corid (amprolium) on hand as part of your first aid kit. It's a quick, five day treatment, and usually shows impressive results in the first 24-48 hours.

I could almost swear that the stuff is magical, but it works simply. It suppresses the B vitamins that coccidia need to survive. Unfortunately, the chickens need them, too, so as soon as the course is done, you need to put them on a good poultry multi-vitamin for a week. Without that quick replacement, I've had birds crash ... but the vitamin brought them right back. They're hardy little buggers!

 

[VictoriaTemple]

Thanks for the info!

 

[TillyPeeps]

My two cents from Maryland (close enough to the PA line that I can get there by bicycle!)

You're pretty close on that one! I've had to do a lot of reading up on Coccidiosis, since any new bird in my smaller run picks it up at some point. Even though it's not a virus (it's parasitic,) coccidiosis acts kinda like chicken pox, only instead of hiding in the body to wait for a weakening of the immune system, it lives in your soil. ALL soil has it, so there's no eliminating it. In fact, the little buggers in your soil are usually different from those in your neighbor's yard. Your chickens can pick up a new strain simply by visiting next door!

If you do end up with (or even suspect) coccidiosis, it's a relatively easy fix, as long as you catch it early (as soon as they start to look lethargic and heir stool goes runny.) Just keep Corid (amprolium) on hand as part of your first aid kit. It's a quick, five day treatment, and usually shows impressive results in the first 24-48 hours.

I could almost swear that the stuff is magical, but it works simply. It suppresses the B vitamins that coccidia need to survive. Unfortunately, the chickens need them, too, so as soon as the course is done, you need to put them on a good poultry multi-vitamin for a week. Without that quick replacement, I've had birds crash ... but the vitamin brought them right back. They're hardy little buggers!

Thanks. It's good to know the information.

 

[TillyPeeps]

I prefer to sleep where it is cool and snuggled under covers. Chickens have built in down coats. They really aren't that bothered by the cold.

I think the deworming made a huge difference. They were afraid of cold before, so I was worry about them for the 0°F night. Their poops were small and green, so I trought they didn't eat enough. It must be too many worms in them. After deworming, their poops are back to normal size and color. And they come out of coop everyday. I never saw anything in their poops though, even I checked everyday.

 

[CuteFluffyButtSilkies]

These are the chicks that hatched ❤

 

[BullChick]

That is a cool pattern on their backs!

 

[VictoriaTemple]

You’re not only a great chicken breeder, but also an awesome photographer! SO cute!!