Sick chicks - suspect cocci

[hrhta812]

My chicks are on medicated chick starter but I am seeing symptoms of coccidia - reddish color to stool - one died overnight and now a couple more are acting puny. They are 4 1/2 weeks old.

I do have Corid powder, so can I use that in addition to the medicated food? Can I use the 1/2 tsp Corid per gallon of water dosage as normal?

I just put them into a freshly cleaned brooder, as well, and filled the water container with water that has the electrolytes/vitamin powder added. They manage to spill water all the time, so I think the moisture in the bedding may be what made things go bad.

 

[mustang56]

I believe if your going to medicate them.....which you should immediately...
Don't feed them the medicated food....

Don't give them the medicated food and the medication at the same time......

I hope they all recover...... good luck...... !

 

[vthokie]

I would not give them vitamin water if you suspect they have coccidiosis. I'm not sure what vitamins are included in the mix, but cocci thrive on thiamine [Vitamin B1]. Also, don't add anything else but Corid to the water. I hear buttermilk or milk will slow coccidia if you need to wait till tomorrow to get feed that's not medicated.

 

[mithious]

I am treating for cocci now. Do not give them anything but the corrid and no medicated feed either. do you have any unmedicated feed on hand? If not, you will have to get some in the am, asap. Mine got hungry pretty quick after I got some of the corrid in them. Just have the corrid as their only drinking container.( So they have no other choice and they have to drink the corrid water) So sorry for your loss!!! You did the right thing by changing them to a dry new place though! There seems to be a lot of cocci going around right now.

Yes, the powder is half tsp. I use between 1/2 and 3/4th tsp, to start them....this is day two for us and they are doing much better, as of bed time.

Corrid is a thiamine blocker, so vitamins will feed the parasite and the corrid will not work. I can't remember why not to feed medicated, just that there is a very good reason not to...I should actually be in bed..we have had a long few days...but drank a cup of coffee late, trying to stay up to check on them. Was a bit too much though and now my brain is fried and I can't remember stuff I know!!!

 

[dawg53]

My chicks are on medicated chick starter but I am seeing symptoms of coccidia - reddish color to stool - one died overnight and now a couple more are acting puny. They are 4 1/2 weeks old.

I do have Corid powder, so can I use that in addition to the medicated food? Can I use the 1/2 tsp Corid per gallon of water dosage as normal?

I just put them into a freshly cleaned brooder, as well, and filled the water container with water that has the electrolytes/vitamin powder added. They manage to spill water all the time, so I think the moisture in the bedding may be what made things go bad.

Good advice from the others in this thread. You can raise the waterer by putting a piece of 2x4 under it to block it up, or a brick. Raising it will also prevent them from pooping in the water spreading cocci protozoa. Keep everything as dry as possible.

 

[hrhta812]

Thanks to everyone for the helpful advice! We live in the country but my mom is in town and had my kiddo overnight, so I will ask her to pop into TSC before she brings kiddo home, to get me some non-medicated feed. I will just have to change the brooder daily for now, I guess, to keep it clean. I can alternate between a long plastic tub with fitted wire cap and a really big plastic dog kennel; it's a moderate pain in the butt to have to switch them out and clean one each day, but at least I can do that. I can't build an outdoor brooder by myself. LOL I had tried setting the water up on top of an old phonebook but that didn't work too well; I will see if I can find some scrap wood to try.

Two more were dead this a.m. when I got up. Man, I hate this. I never expected to have to still have them inside at this time, but we are having unusually cool weather and a predator problem, so nothing is working out as I expected [that's typical, though, I should know better].

 

[Suzierd]

Thanks to everyone for the helpful advice!  We live in the country but my mom is in town and had my kiddo overnight, so I will ask her to pop into TSC before she brings kiddo home, to get me some non-medicated feed.  I will just have to change the brooder daily for now, I guess, to keep it clean.  I can alternate between a long plastic tub with fitted wire cap and a really big plastic dog kennel; it's a moderate pain in the butt to have to switch them out and clean one each day, but at least I can do that.  I can't build an outdoor brooder by myself.  LO   I had tried setting the water up on top of an old phonebook but that didn't work too well; I will see if I can find some scrap wood to try.

Two more were dead this a.m. when I got up.  Man, I hate this.  I never expected to have to still have them inside at this time, but we are having unusually cool weather and a predator problem, so nothing is working out as I expected [that's typical, though, I should know better]. 

Cocci kills fast, get that medicine in them ASAP!

 

[hrhta812]

Update: Happy and surprised to see no dead chicks in the brooder this a.m.! Yesterday, there were two dead, so I lost 3 total in 24 hours; I really expected to see two or three more dead this morning. I went out yesterday and got plain yogurt, unflavored Pedialyte and non-medicated chick food. Late in the evening Tues., I mixed up a gallon of Corid water, and used a full tsp., instead of just 1/2. Somewhere in the past, I read a suggestion of starting with double strength, so I tried it.

There was one last night who looked so bad, I was sure she'd be dead this a.m. She still has her feathers puffed out, but she was eager to drink and eat; she even pushed her way through the others to the water dish. Last night, I dipped her beak in Pedialyte, then yogurt, then Corid water, and repeated the Corid water dip a couple times over the late evening hours [did the same for two others that were obviously feeling puny]. Today, everybody wants to drink and eat, which makes me feel a lot better.

I'm not totally relaxed about them yet, but I am very happy to see we've held off the Grim Reaper for now.

 

[IrishAcreFarm]

Glad they are feeling better!! Also, thank you Mithious and Dawg for the cocci advice. I do not have a problem with coccidia, but really have been trying to research all these awful problems so I will be prepared !!! Between mareks and coccidia, I want to keep all my babies in bubbles!!!