Severe bloody stools... unsure if it's Coccidia or something else.

[TheBajan]

I have 10 day and 15 day old chicks who just a couple of hours ago began having severely bloody stools. I immediately gave them fresh water with Corid added to it. However, I'm unsure if it's coccidia or something else. Could it be worms or parasites or I don't know what? These guys are in our brooder out in the coop in sight of the remainder of our flock. There's 41 juveniles between 5 weeks and 16 weeks old. I will be treating their water with Corid also. The real emergency here is that I'm flying out tomorrow morning for two weeks. My husband will be here but I'm the one who normally takes care of the chickens and I want to cover any possible issues with instructions to him. I just don't know what else to do and he won't know what signs to look for if one or more of them begins to go downhill. Any suggestions?

 

[Eggcessive]

Treating for possible coccidiosis would be best. Dosage is 2 tsp per gallon of the water for 5-7 days. Make sure that chicks are drinking the treated water. Change it every day, and raise it on small boards to keep poop out as they quickly grow. Keep the bedding dry and clean, and replace it as needed. If one is especially weak, give 0.1 ml of the undiluted Corid per pound twice daily.

 

[Chuckkeeper]

I have 10 day and 15 day old chicks who just a couple of hours ago began having severely bloody stools. I immediately gave them fresh water with Corid added to it. However, I'm unsure if it's coccidia or something else. Could it be worms or parasites or I don't know what? These guys are in our brooder out in the coop in sight of the remainder of our flock. There's 41 juveniles between 5 weeks and 16 weeks old. I will be treating their water with Corid also. The real emergency here is that I'm flying out tomorrow morning for two weeks. My husband will be here but I'm the one who normally takes care of the chickens and I want to cover any possible issues with instructions to him. I just don't know what else to do and he won't know what signs to look for if one or more of them begins to go downhill. Any suggestions?

Definitely arrange to ensure that the full Corid (UK: Coxoid Amprolium) treatment is properly & fully administered. It's a harsh treatment (VitB blocker) so I am always reluctant to advise more than one treatment at once. That said, I have done so successfully when I felt there was no alternative. At one point I had to combine Amprolium with Flubenvet & Baytril. All birds survived and recovered.

Can you receive picture updates in 2 and 5 days' time and share these with us on here? Ingested faecal matter is the most likely source of transmission from bird to bird and this may help you to think about & evaluate whether it is likely to be coccid. This is likely to depend on age, contact with older birds, cleaning routines etc.

 

[Chuckkeeper]

Definitely arrange to ensure that the full Corid (UK: Coxoid Amprolium) treatment is properly & fully administered. It's a harsh treatment (VitB blocker) so I am always reluctant to advise more than one treatment at once. That said, I have done so successfully when I felt there was no alternative. At one point I had to combinve Amprolium with Flubenvet & Baytril. All birds survived and recovered.

Can you receive picture updates in 2 and 5 days' time and share these with us on here? Ingested faecal matter is the most likely source of transmission from bird to bird and this may help you to think about & evaluate whether it is likely to be coccid. This is likely to depend on age, contact with older birds, cleaning routines etc.

I should add: as far as I am aware, vertical transmission is no concern here - so if your chicks have lived indoors and without contact (with established birds and wildlife etc) then it is unlikely to be coccid, hence the evaluation.

 

[TheBajan]

Definitely arrange to ensure that the full Corid (UK: Coxoid Amprolium) treatment is properly & fully administered. It's a harsh treatment (VitB blocker) so I am always reluctant to advise more than one treatment at once. That said, I have done so successfully when I felt there was no alternative. At one point I had to combine Amprolium with Flubenvet & Baytril. All birds survived and recovered.

Can you receive picture updates in 2 and 5 days' time and share these with us on here? Ingested faecal matter is the most likely source of transmission from bird to bird and this may help you to think about & evaluate whether it is likely to be coccid. This is likely to depend on age, contact with older birds, cleaning routines etc.

I won't be here to take pictures. Already started the Corid as soon as I saw the bloody stools. They have been in sight of the older birds but not in contact with them. However, yes, they have been in the open coop on a couple of occasions while we cleaned the brooder. We put fresh bedding down this morning. Water is elevated. They actually have to climb a short ramp to get to it. I leave the house at 9 in the morning tomorrow and will be gone 2 weeks. Terrible timing!

 

[TheBajan]

Ingested faecal matter is the most likely source of transmission from bird to bird and this may help you to think about & evaluate whether it is likely to be coccid. This is likely to depend on age, contact with older birds, cleaning routines etc.

I should also add that my oldest pullets (now 16 weeks old) had bloody stools when I first got them at 4 weeks old. I treated with Corid and everyone was fine. In their case, the stools were not nearly as bloody as what I say today.

 

[Chuckkeeper]

I won't be here to take pictures. Already started the Corid as soon as I saw the bloody stools. They have been in sight of the older birds but not in contact with them. However, yes, they have been in the open coop on a couple of occasions while we cleaned the brooder. We put fresh bedding down this morning. Water is elevated. They actually have to climb a short ramp to get to it. I leave the house at 9 in the morning tomorrow and will be gone 2 weeks. Terrible timing!

Don't worry. We can all try to do our best (and nothing else). I think starting Corid (UK: Coxoid) was a good idea, especially now we know there has been chance for bird-bird transmission (and because of Coccid's affect on relatively young birds). Can who ever is looking after them share pictures with you? I think worms & parasites are unlikely given their age and the severity of the blood you reference, but not impossible. These can of course be transmitted vertically so it is possible. Did you hatch yourself? If so, were the parent birds wormed etc?

 

[Chuckkeeper]

I should also add that my oldest pullets (now 16 weeks old) had bloody stools when I first got them at 4 weeks old. I treated with Corid and everyone was fine. In their case, the stools were not nearly as bloody as what I say today.

I am thinking everything we have discussed points to Corid treatment. Can you arrange oral administration for any birds that aren't drinking?

 

[TheBajan]

Don't worry. We can all try to do our best (and nothing else). I think starting Corid (UK: Coxoid) was a good idea, especially now we know there has been chance for bird-bird transmission (and because of Coccid's affect on relatively young birds). Can who ever is looking after them share pictures with you? I think worms & parasites are unlikely given their age and the severity of the blood you reference, but not impossible. These can of course be transmitted vertically so it is possible. Did you hatch yourself? If so, were the parent birds wormed etc?

Some of these I hatched myself.... 14 of the 19 little ones in the brooder I hatched myself but the eggs came from eBay. With my remaining birds, about half of them were purchased live from Greenfire Farms. The oldest pullets I purchased from a local swap (7 of them) and the remaining 14 chicks I hatched with eggs from Omega Hills.

 

[Chuckkeeper]

Don't worry. We can all try to do our best (and nothing else). I think starting Corid (UK: Coxoid) was a good idea, especially now we know there has been chance for bird-bird transmission (and because of Coccid's affect on relatively young birds). Can who ever is looking after them share pictures with you? I think worms & parasites are unlikely given their age and the severity of the blood you reference, but not impossible. These can of course be transmitted vertically so it is possible. Did you hatch yourself? If so, were the parent birds wormed etc?

My presumption is that your Corid treatment halted growth of coccidia within the original host (parent bird etc) hence you saw reduction or elimination of symptoms (and immunity). I'd suspect that the protozoa have survived in the soil (etc.) and have been able to reach your new birds (to whom have no immunity).