Possible coccidia?

[coach723]

It should not interfere with the meds. The only thing that affects amprolium is thiamine, so I would not give any supplements that contain thiamine, that can reduce the effectiveness of the amprolium.

 

[Ray987]

Update: Day 5 chick is doing way better but not fully recovered yet, tomorrow is the day I restart meds hopefully will be ready to join his/her friends back soon
Other chicks in that group are doing great no signs of coccidia

 

[coach723]

That's good news! Hope it fully recovers.

 

[Ray987]

Update: unfortunately I found this today, it belongs to one of the 25 chicks but I don't know which one, none of them showing any symptoms so I can't figure which one I guess I have to start all of them on medicine: (

 

[coach723]

Yes, I definitely would. It's pretty common that it spreads through the flock, they've all been exposed.

 

[Ray987]

Yes, I definitely would. It's pretty common that it spreads through the flock, they've all been exposed.

I'm just not into giving them this medicine, the vet said it would heal them but it would break their immunity system

 

[coach723]

I don't know what they meant by that. The sulfa part is an antibiotic, so can kill off good bacteria as well as bad, you can give them probiotics following treatment to help replace those and get the gut back in balance. The amprolium isn't going to hurt anything at all. They will still have some resistance to whatever strain of coccidia you are dealing with, once they recover. Left untreated they will either die, or risk permanent gut damage which will leave them weakened and susceptible to further problems for life. In this case the benefits of the medications outweigh the risks (recovering vs death). Coccidia can kill quickly if not treated, it damages the gut terribly. I will link to a very informative video, if you are interested.
Post #1 here, and post #5, two good videos:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/coccidiosis-video-worth-watching.1262022/#post-20259051

 

[Ray987]

T

I don't know what they meant by that. The sulfa part is an antibiotic, so can kill off good bacteria as well as bad, you can give them probiotics following treatment to help replace those and get the gut back in balance. The amprolium isn't going to hurt anything at all. They will still have some resistance to whatever strain of coccidia you are dealing with, once they recover. Left untreated they will either die, or risk permanent gut damage which will leave them weakened and susceptible to further problems for life. In this case the benefits of the medications outweigh the risks (recovering vs death). Coccidia can kill quickly if not treated, it damages the gut terribly. I will link to a very informative video, if you are interested.
Post #1 here, and post #5, two good videos:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/coccidiosis-video-worth-watching.1262022/#post-20259051

Thank you very much
May I ask what are the causes and how to prevent?
I try to keep their place clean all the time I don't know how they caught it?
Could it be unclean water (I'm giving them the same water we drink/cook which comes from a government water station)
Or could it be that they got it from free ranging eating stuff off the ground?
It's pretty frustrating not being able to prevent it

 

[coach723]

Coccidia (it is a microscopic protozoan type parasite that they pick up in the environment) are everywhere, some environments have more or less, but it's pretty much everywhere. There are about 9 strains that affect chickens. Keeping droppings cleaned up as best you can (they are spread in droppings), keeping things dry (wet conditions can cause a "bloom" increasing numbers), and keeping waterers clean can help minimize spread, but it cannot be eradicated from the environment. Once they recover they should not get sick again, unless exposed to a different strain, or have immune systems weakened by another health issue. It is a very common illness in chicks, all over the world. Sometimes medicated feed (contains a very small amount of amprolium) is used to help prevent outbreaks, or there is a vaccine that hatchery chicks can be given, neither is a 100% guarantee. It can even be brought in by shoes, clothing, equipment, or new birds added to the flock. It often happens to brooder raised chicks that have never been exposed, and when moved outside they are suddenly exposed and will get sick. When raising in a brooder, I give my chicks a dish of dirt from outside (large plant saucer) every day to dig and scratch and peck in, to expose them naturally as their immune systems are forming. I do also keep the medication on hand, just in case. Even with medicated feed or vaccination, or the cleanest environment you can maintain, sometimes outbreaks still happen. And then you have to treat with full strength meds. The only way they build resistance to the coccidia present is to be exposed, and recover. The hope is that it's mild enough, or treatment is quick enough, that they don't get sick and die. Some birds may never get sick due to not enough coccidia being inside to overwhelm their immune system, or just having a stronger immune system. But when you see symptoms, it's necessary to treat, or you will lose some, or all.
The video I gave you in my previous post is not long, and really explains what happens inside the bird, and how prevalent it is world wide.

 

[Ray987]

T

Coccidia (it is a microscopic protozoan type parasite that they pick up in the environment) are everywhere, some environments have more or less, but it's pretty much everywhere. There are about 9 strains that affect chickens. Keeping droppings cleaned up as best you can (they are spread in droppings), keeping things dry (wet conditions can cause a "bloom" increasing numbers), and keeping waterers clean can help minimize spread, but it cannot be eradicated from the environment. Once they recover they should not get sick again, unless exposed to a different strain, or have immune systems weakened by another health issue. It is a very common illness in chicks, all over the world. Sometimes medicated feed (contains a very small amount of amprolium) is used to help prevent outbreaks, or there is a vaccine that hatchery chicks can be given, neither is a 100% guarantee. It can even be brought in by shoes, clothing, equipment, or new birds added to the flock. It often happens to brooder raised chicks that have never been exposed, and when moved outside they are suddenly exposed and will get sick. When raising in a brooder, I give my chicks a dish of dirt from outside (large plant saucer) every day to dig and scratch and peck in, to expose them naturally as their immune systems are forming. I do also keep the medication on hand, just in case. Even with medicated feed or vaccination, or the cleanest environment you can maintain, sometimes outbreaks still happen. And then you have to treat with full strength meds. The only way they build resistance to the coccidia present is to be exposed, and recover. The hope is that it's mild enough, or treatment is quick enough, that they don't get sick and die. Some birds may never get sick due to not enough coccidia being inside to overwhelm their immune system, or just having a stronger immune system. But when you see symptoms, it's necessary to treat, or you will lose some, or all.
The video I gave you in my previous post is not long, and really explains what happens inside the bird, and how prevalent it is world wide.

Thanks for the valuable information
I believe the cause is them pooping in their water and drink it although I change it 2-3 times a day, I have a small flock of 9 chicks and a rooster in a different coop for a year then never had coccidia also I have 22 chicks (1 month old) in different coop and run also no coccidia (yet) I'm not exactly sure what triggered it with these 26 chicks (2~ months old) maybe the coop and run is too small for them and they keep pooping in their water