Quieter cheeping & liquidy stool

[Cracrachickluv]

I just came home from out of town and my 2 chicks both seem quieter when cheeping than before. I don't know if it's just me from not being around them in a while, or they are actually quieter. Btw my two babies are about 50 days old.

I just want to make sure they are ok.

And, Im not sure which, but one of my chickens has soft, liquidy stool, it also smells worse than usual.


Advice & help needed
thanks

 

[Cracrachickluv]

Anybody? Please!

 

[dbounds10]

I need the same advise. Mine are active and dont act sick but someone has dark brown diarhea that really smells. Do they need antibiotics or any idea what is going on? They are about 6-8 weeks old pullets.

 

[ten chicks]

Have any of them been treated for cocci? Might be a good idea to treat them. Purchase Corid(amprol) dosage is Corid powder - 1/2 tsp per gallon of water, Corid liquid - 2 tsp per gallon of water. Treat for 5 days,no vitamins during treatment,can interfere with medication. You can give vitamins after treatment. Cocci acts quickly and kills fast. May or may not have bloody poop. I'm not saying that they have cocci,but would not hurt to treat then just in case.
Just like to add,that cecal poop has a different texture and color and is smelly,this is normal,several times a day you will notice this type of poop.

 

[Brookliner]

​

Are you feeding medicated chick starter? In any case sounds like you should immediately treat for coccidiosis. Get "Corid" at your feed store. It is labeled for cattle. 2 teaspoons per gallon x 5 days. New clean water each day with corid. Then on the 6th day put probiotic in water no corid. I use Save-a-Chick packet in a gallon of water. I keep them on this for a couple of weeks to build them back up.
See the following for more information

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/260948/cocci-and-corid-question-help-needed

 

[Cracrachickluv]

Hope we can both find good advice for our chickies

very very soon!

 

[Cracrachickluv]

would treating them hurt them for coccidiosis if they didn't have it? They are on medicated chick starter feed. Their poop is light brown, and slightly loose; I gave them some greek yogurt this afternoon. It has gotten better since; but I've only seen one poop better. I've been mixing some sand in their food as grit.

 

[ten chicks]

No, it will not hurt to treat them. Medicated started feed does not prevent cocci,all it does is slow down the progression of cocci to allow you enough time to get medication.

 

[Belinda7]

Thanks - I didn't know that the medicated feed only slows down the progression. I thought it treated it. Shortly after I moved the coop from inside to outside, I had one chick that was not doing well, and had loose stools, so I removed the starter feed from the feeder, and used only the medicated feed until the entire bag was used up. The chick improved, none of the other chicks (I have 6) ever got diarrhea or appeared ill, but thought I should treat them all at the same time, as I felt it one got it, the others would soon follow! I now have normal looking stools in the coop, and never treated with Corid, because I haven't been able to find it locally. I am going to call a vet tomorrow to see if they sell it just so I will have it on hand if this happens again. My chicks are 9 weeks old, healthy, and growing leaps and bounds!

But I have another question that I hope someone can help me with. I have been letting my chickens free range during the day. Do I need to give them grits if they are still on starter crumbles, but now also eating whatever the heck they want all day long (I have 30 acres so they have a world of opportunity to eat whatever they want! It's funny though that near evening when I put them back in the coop, which is open all day - they could go in there anytime if they wanted to - that they all descend on the feeder when I put them in the coop like they are starved. I don't get that, because they go in and out of the coop during the day, so they could eat the crumbles anytime they wanted. Does this mean anything? I see them eating grasses and clover, bugs, etc. all day long, but they do go in and out of the coop on their own during the day also, and I always keep the crumbles inside the coop.

 

[PoultryPedia]

The dark brown stool could be "cecal poop", a bad-smelling, dark, runny type of poop that chickens normally do every so often (I think something like one in seven poops or something, on average.). You could do a search on that term to read more & see if it seems to apply.

When I had a chick with cocci, it cheeped louder & more frequently, but I've only had one chick with bad cocci so I'm definitely not an expert.