Recovering from cocci baby chicks

[1Crzychknlady]

On Friday I began noticing a few of our 2 wk old chicks being lethargic and having runny bloody poo. I separated the two that had those symptoms (I ended up separating a third chick the following day bc she began showing those symptoms also). I began corid on all the chicks we have and added a drench on the three sickest. Sadly, the three ended up dying (one Saturday morning, another Monday morning, and then another this morning) . We have six remaining in the original brooder and I think one of those chicks did have slight symptoms of bloody poo on Sunday but nothing since. They all thankfully eat, drink, and are happy!! I plan on continuing corid in their water for the remaining days to treat for a total of 7 days. I would like to start introducing the chicks to our other older girls out in the coop in the next few weeks. So my question is how long should I wait before I do that? I didn’t need to treat our older girls out in the coop bc they didn’t come into contact with the chicks in the brooder. Should I do a preventative treatment of corid in their water for our girls in the coop just in case when I introduce them? Or once symptoms are gone and 7 day treatment is done we are in the clear? Thanks!!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I doubt the chicks are "clear." The meds simply reduce the load, hopefully to minimal. Once the series is done, they *should* be fine. However, the cysts are in the litter, so you need to completely destroy that litter, like burn it. Don't dump it on your garden.

Your older birds should already have a balanced immune system to your local coccidia. (Coccidia protozoa live in the soil, everywhere. Birds merely gain a balanced immunity to fend off overgrowth. Medicated feed holds down the reproduction cycle of the coccidia while the bird gains a balance immunity in the gut. Keeping fields rotated and litter clean avoids build up. Overgrowth from litter conditions or introduction by another strain from a bird or new soil can trigger overgrowth which will bring on the signs of illness which is treated by the stronger dose of the same med in Corid. The coccidia reproduce in the gut, grow to adults, burst, releasing oocyst (eggs) to the soil for the next bird to pick up. And the cycle grows and escalates. If you don't disinfect and get rid of the litter, or the source, you'll simply be back into the cycle again.

So this will be something you will need to keep an eye on. Wisdom tells me that you should put chicks and adult birds onto medicated feed for a month until everyone acclimates. I also suggest ACV (apple cider vinegar) in their water (tablespoon in gallon). That helps acidify the gut to make it less hospitable, but won't cure coccidia.

BTW...how did 2 week old chicks get coccidiosis? That's very unusual. Usually it doesn't hit until 4 weeks of age. They would have had to have come infected. Where did you get them? Did you expose them right away to your soil? (If so, you must have a strain that is virulent to that breed of chick). But I'm inclined to think your chicks came with it.

Need to answer those questions to get to the bottom of it and your answers.

LofMc

 

[1Crzychknlady]

I doubt the chicks are "clear." The meds simply reduce the load, hopefully to minimal. Once the series is done, they *should* be fine. However, the cysts are in the litter, so you need to completely destroy that litter, like burn it. Don't dump it on your garden.

Your older birds should already have a balanced immune system to your local coccidia. (Coccidia protozoa live in the soil, everywhere. Birds merely gain a balanced immunity to fend off overgrowth. Medicated feed holds down the reproduction cycle of the coccidia while the bird gains a balance immunity in the gut. Keeping fields rotated and litter clean avoids build up. Overgrowth from litter conditions or introduction by another strain from a bird or new soil can trigger overgrowth which will bring on the signs of illness which is treated by the stronger dose of the same med in Corid. The coccidia reproduce in the gut, grow to adults, burst, releasing oocyst (eggs) to the soil for the next bird to pick up. And the cycle grows and escalates. If you don't disinfect and get rid of the litter, or the source, you'll simply be back into the cycle again.

So this will be something you will need to keep an eye on. Wisdom tells me that you should put chicks and adult birds onto medicated feed for a month until everyone acclimates. I also suggest ACV (apple cider vinegar) in their water (tablespoon in gallon). That helps acidify the gut to make it less hospitable, but won't cure coccidia.

BTW...how did 2 week old chicks get coccidiosis? That's very unusual. Usually it doesn't hit until 4 weeks of age. They would have had to have come infected. Where did you get them? Did you expose them right away to your soil? (If so, you must have a strain that is virulent to that breed of chick). But I'm inclined to think your chicks came with it.

Need to answer those questions to get to the bottom of it and your answers.

LofMc

We got them from Tractor Supply, they would have been three weeks old tomorrow. They did not ever get a chance to be outside of the brooder since we were waiting on them getting a little older. It’s strange because the other chicks (besides the one left from our tractor supply batch) we have in the brooder aren’t from tractor supply and are doing fine.
And yes that’s what I was wondering that if we finish the 7 days on Corid and they remain symptom free, after that how long is the waiting period before introducing them to our older chicks.
I will start the medicated feed tomorrow for them all!
Also, I’ve been cleaning out their bedding every day. We don’t have a place to burn it but I could get my husband to set something up so we can start burning it.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

We got them from Tractor Supply, they would have been three weeks old tomorrow. They did not ever get a chance to be outside of the brooder since we were waiting on them getting a little older. It’s strange because the other chicks (besides the one left from our tractor supply batch) we have in the brooder aren’t from tractor supply and are doing fine.
And yes that’s what I was wondering that if we finish the 7 days on Corid and they remain symptom free, after that how long is the waiting period before introducing them to our older chicks.
I will start the medicated feed tomorrow for them all!
Also, I’ve been cleaning out their bedding every day. We don’t have a place to burn it but I could get my husband to set something up so we can start burning it.

The bedding is important to destroy because it will be filled with oocysts. You don't want that going into your general soil.

Good luck with them. (And I'd complain to Tractor Supply).

LofMc

 

[1Crzychknlady]

The bedding is important to destroy because it will be filled with oocysts. You don't want that going into your general soil.

Good luck with them. (And I'd complain to Tractor Supply).

LofMc

Thank you SO much for the info!! This is our first time with chickens so it’s all new to us!

 

[JoFinlay]

I'm having the same issue - 25 years raising poultry and this is my first experience with cocci. The sick birds are a batch of 13 chicks I hatched in an incubator from my own birds eggs. the incubator was thoroughly disinfected with incubator sanitiser, as were the eggs before setting. Chicks were in brooder in the house with heat plate, seemed to be doing well, and it was when I moved them at 3 weeks old into a bigger brooder that one seemed a little off the next day, by the evening there was bloody poo so I sent for medication. It took 2 days to arrive by which time I'd lost 3 chicks Since being on the meds they've made a good recovery, but I have no idea where they could have got cocci from, as they have never been outside or had any contact with any other birds. Due to bird flu in this area I'm very concious of bio security, use foot baths, wash hands between pens etc etc so I'm mystified!