Please help

[wthchristi]

Hi, 4 days ago i answered a listing on Craigslist for 100+ 3 week old chicks. When we got there, they were being housed in very crowded conditions and had large poop balls on all of there toes. We were told that they had been dying, a couple per day for the last week. i could not leave them in that condition and bought them all. Since then they are being housed in a 6x8 brooder with 2 red heat lamps and a wire bottom, easier cleaning, more sanitary. We spent hours getting the balls of poo off there feet. We put them on medicated feed immediately as they were on unmedicated food per the previous owner. We have not lost any since and there condition seems to have much improved.

Now I am noticing a red tint (blood?) in there feces. Can I safely treat them with Sulmet in there water while they are on medicated feed, or is there anything else we can do to get them healthy? I am wondering if its not cocci, it sould not surprise me as there previous conditions were very, very bad. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[RAWR]

how long as this been going on?

 

[slightlyscrambled]

I know that last year we had 4 chicks on med feed, their poo was kind of a rusty color, I assumed from the feed. They are all healthy and laying now. Could this be the case for you?

 

[Kittymomma]

I like corid better because I think it's easier on their systems, but if it is cocci you either treat it or they die so sulmet is better then nothing. Are you pretty sure it's cocci though or could it be normal cecal poo? Sometimes the cecal is a reddish brown that could be mistaken for bloody.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

If you can take it out, and it's like a stretchy string, then it's intestinal lining. My chicks shed it often, some days more than others. If it looks like someone smeared in some red liquid, then I'd get corid and keep them seperate from your other birds if you have any.

 

[wthchristi]

The poo in the brooder with these babies are different, more red then rust. I noticed the different coloring yesterday, but thought it was just chick from changing there feed. Today, I noticed it seemed redder, not all of it. Just a few spots in the bottom of the brooder. Hope this makes sense. They were on wood chips with there feet, feeder and waterer coated in poo with no medicated feed ever given in extremely close quarters. I am pretty sure its cocci but have never had to deal with it before. Any pics out there of cocci feces? Thank you....they all seem to be acting fine, much better then the first couple of days we had them.

 

[wthchristi]

They are by themselves in my largest brooder area. They were not so healthy when we got them and were not going to risk my expensive babies. I have 3 week old blrw, barnes and bcms. My husband built another brooder for them.

 

[Kittymomma]

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

The infamous poo page, hope it helps.

 

[wthchristi]

Okay, it looks like it is normal cecal poo and I am just doing my usual freak out over nothing. To be honest I generally do not study there poop, but have been watching these babies insanely closely as I am terrified of any sort of disease that could affect the rest of my birds. I normally do not take the risk, but just could not leave them like that.

Thank you for all your help!