Sick Baby Chicks???

[gumpsgirl]

I have 12 RIR chicks that are a week old. Two of them have been having a foamy looking poo. Now it looks like some might have some blood in their poo. The poo spots after they dry have a dark red ring around them and some of the poo is dk. brown in color and runny. That is why I am thinking blood. Would it be a bad thing to feed the chicks a medicated starter food and give them an antibiotic in the water at the same time? I don't want to make any problems worse by over medicating! Thank you!

Here's a little bit more info. All of the poo from the chicks is not foamy or runny. Only some. Am I just worrying about nothing? They are so cute and sweet I don't want anything to go wrong.

 

[silkiechicken]

Brown creamy poo's are normal and are called cecal poo. Each chick will have a dozen or so a day if not more. On ocassion they can have foamy poo too. Are they ALL foamy and creamy? Or just a few. Can you tell us more about how they are being raised? Are they on soil or in a brooder? If they have contact with the soil, and you are sure you see blood in the droppings, they may have a large cocci load which can be treated with a cocciostidant like sulmet or amprolium. Also, what are they eating? Do they get treats?

Please don't give antibiotics if you don't know they have a bacterial infection or a risk of infection, such as a dog bite or injury. That is what causes resistant strains that you can't kill when you really need to do it.