Sinking feeling about my flock...neighbor's diseases my problem?

[6of6chicks]

Deleted 7/24/2014.

 

[ten chicks]

I would be surprised if it was worms,but anything is possible. I have read of using Oxytetracycline for cocci,but have never used it so cannot comment on how effective it is,i only use Amprol. I'm still thinking cocci,birds have to drink medicated water in order for cocci load to come under control,perhaps your chicks did not consume enough of the amprolium. How long has the bloody poop be going on for and you have seen no improvement in the last 24-48 hours?

As for aspirin dosage i have always used the 25mg per lb or one 325mg per gallon,i cannot comment on article in Learning Center as i have no idea where the original info came from,but i do believe it is way too high of a dose for any bird.

 

[ten chicks]

The only info i cannot find regarding Oxytetracycline(terramycin)is what strains of cocci it actually targets.

 

[6of6chicks]

Deleted 7/24/2014.

 

[ten chicks]

I honestly do not know what to tell you,but this is what i would do if i had this problem,if you see no improvement in 24 hours(meaning still seeing blood)stop the Terramycin(oxytetracyline)b/c i cannot find exactly just how many strains of cocci terramycin actually targets go back to Corid(it targets at least 9 strains) 20% powder and treat again(you should see no more blood with corid.amprolium in 24-48 hours). Do you have any non-medicated feed,reason i am asking is you can add medicated water to feed so it resembles oatmeal(do this for 24-48 hours)this way you know they are receiving enough amprolium in the event they are not drinking enough medicated water.

After treatment give vitamins to your birds. I'm almost inclined to suggest giving vitamins now with treatment(something i never recommend b/c most vitamins contain thiamine,something cocci parasite needs to survive reproduce,this is why we never suggest giving vitamins containing thiamine during treatment)but b/c your birds have had so much thrown at them,they probably need vitamins in their body. Amprolium is an analog of thiamine(mimics thiamine) and works by blocking/inhibits the uptake/transport of thiamine to parasite bringing parasite under control.

Keep the little chick with injured leg in house,provide some addition heat b/c when ill/injured birds cannot regulate their body temp. I would also give scrambled eggs to all chicks due to the fact that they contain many vitamins/nutrients.

 

[Eggcessive]

Re-read this and groaned. A week before Purple came down with coccidiosis we had a week straight of rain. The run was still bare dirt at the time. It never got "wet" in there - just a little damp from rain blowing in through the hardware cloth. But it was already upper 80s/lower 90s, so it was HOT. The run was usually dry an hour after the storm passed, but the rain/dry cycle was repeated several times a day for a week straight. With a dirt floor.

At the time I just thought the wet weather was what finally overloaded Purple's system and led to her outbreak. But could they have all picked up worms? That was about three weeks ago.

(The run now has an 8 in. layer of dried grass, so no more bare dirt. But maybe the damage is already done?)

Coccidiosis thrives in warm and wet conditions. Mercks Manual says that oxytet will treat cocci, but I would use the Corid for that. We recently were helping a lady in Canada to treat her chicken for cocci, and she had oxy but couldn't get Corid because of a holiday that closed all vet's offices, which is the only way to get Corid/amprol in Canada. Many antibiotics will treat cocci, but most would use Corid. I wouldn't obsess about the possibility of worms now, just give some probiotics, and either re-treat with another 5 day course of Corid (and you could even use 1/2 strength this time if you wish) or use the Oxytet. Then get some SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer or Valbazen, and dose them with 1/2 ml once by mouth and repeat in 10 days. Keep using some probiotics since their intestinal bacteria will need this for a bit. Buttermilk, as Dawg53 points out contains good probiotics, and is better for them than a lot of yogurt which contains too much calcium and may cause more GI symptoms. Probios Dispersible Powder is a good product that can be put in the water.

 

[redneck momma]

As I read these posts the 2 things I dont understand is this" Is owning chickens going to be like this all the time?" &
When my chickens got sick with Coryza, everyone around me told me it was irresponsible to keep contagious chickens. They said that the wild birds will get sick too and perpetuate the issue. So why are some people keeping them and treating em with things to make them feel better~ even when there is no way to get rid of the disease without killing em. Are these people just keeping a small flock forever then? and how do they keep the wild birds from getting sick too and then giving it to the neighbors birds and other wild birds etc etc etc. My heart wanted to keep them so freaking bad. Killing them brings tears to my eyes now, 5 months later! My head knows that personal responsibility to the world around me is always hard but necessary. Nobody likes a pandemic. Isnt keeping "carriers" irresponsibile? I feel as though I need a better graphic display of the overall picture here.
Do not worry about hurting my feeling, sugar coating, or being PC, honesty is what I need.

 

[ten chicks]

As I read these posts the 2 things I dont understand is this" Is owning chickens going to be like this all the time?" &
When my chickens got sick with Coryza, everyone around me told me it was irresponsible to keep contagious chickens. They said that the wild birds will get sick too and perpetuate the issue. So why are some people keeping them and treating em with things to make them feel better~ even when there is no way to get rid of the disease without killing em. Are these people just keeping a small flock forever then? and how do they keep the wild birds from getting sick too and then giving it to the neighbors birds and other wild birds etc etc etc. My heart wanted to keep them so freaking bad. Killing them brings tears to my eyes now, 5 months later! My head knows that personal responsibility to the world around me is always hard but necessary. Nobody likes a pandemic. Isnt keeping "carriers" irresponsibile? I feel as though I need a better graphic display of the overall picture here.
Do not worry about hurting my feeling, sugar coating, or being PC, honesty is what I need.

I will always treat and never cull for any illness/disease,although i have not yet had any illness in my flock,i would definitely treat. As for wild birds,they also spread illness to our flocks so to me this is not an issue with my birds spreading any disease to any wild birds.Yes you can keep birds that have had Coryza or MG and treat the symptoms,you are correct that the disease never goes away,but we are able to treat symptoms and if you have a closed flock,meaning no selling birds then it is NOT an issue.

I do not believe you would be irresponsible in keeping birds,only becomes irresponsible if one were to sell birds knowing they had this issue in their flock.

 

[subhanalah]

Everyone needs to calm down on recommending stopping the antibiotics before the course is through. Also on insisting she goes back to the corid.

In some areas, the cocci is RESISTANT to corid, and that is the way I am leaning since she treated the full course and they are not better.

We don't want to go creating antibiotic resistant bugs in our chickens, don't stop the antibiotic unless there's a reason to.

I believe sulmet is what people around here have used for cocci that was resist to corid, but don't quote me on that.

As for the bloody poo...do you think it's Cecal poops? Maybe they have capillaria worms or other type of Cecil worms that is causing irritation/damage/bleeding?

Can you get the sample to a vet? Or even to someone either a microscope so you can take a peek yourself? It's really not that hard to do a fecal test yourself.

 

[6of6chicks]

Deleted 7/24/2014.