Treating a severe case of coccidiosis

[azygous]

If you are seeing the vet again, take some random samples of poop from your flock to have them run fecal float tests on them. This is to check the flock, not just a dead chicken.

Have you checked the feed for mold? Do you have a decent sense of smell? Sniff the run bedding and coop bedding. Mold smells. For so many of your chickens to have crop disorders, something in the environment should be suspected.

I take it these chickens are not two years old yet if they aren't molting. Ask the vet for an antibiotic to treat your flock. A bacterial infection could be behind this runny poop. Ask for a med that is not in the penicillin family as those will aggravate crop yeast.

 

[Ccort]

If you are seeing the vet again, take some random samples of poop from your flock to have them run fecal float tests on them. This is to check the flock, not just a dead chicken.

Have you checked the feed for mold? Do you have a decent sense of smell? Sniff the run bedding and coop bedding. Mold smells. For so many of your chickens to have crop disorders, something in the environment should be suspected.

I take it these chickens are not two years old yet if they aren't molting. Ask the vet for an antibiotic to treat your flock. A bacterial infection could be behind this runny poop. Ask for a med that is not in the penicillin family as those will aggravate crop yeast.

Should the samples be separate?
I throw out the entire bag of food and emptied the feeder. I didn't see any mold but didn't just I'm case.

They're 3 years old, just not presently going through a molt. When I asked for antibiotics for the flock, they said no because she said she would only give antibiotics if she saw each chicken. @azygous

 

[azygous]

A random stool sample consists of three or four poop clumps found in the run, fresher the better. When you test random stool samples, you then get a reading on the general condition of the intestines of your flock. If, for example, the fecal float shows worms in these samples, you will then know that the entire flock likely has worms, and you would treat the entire flock. Same if coccidia are found in sufficient numbers.

The same goes for a bacterial infection. When you have one chicken that is sick, you would treat the one chicken with an antibiotic. Usually, it's E.coli, and amoxicillin is a good broad spectrum antibiotic to use for this. But if you have three or four chickens in the flock sick with similar symptoms, you would then treat the entire flock assuming they all are infected. Usually a vet that treats farm livestock will understand this.

There is no need to bring in every single chicken to be examined. That's not how flock dynamics work. A vet that insists on this is either ignorant or trying to empty your wallet.

You can order this non-penicillin antibiotic here. https://jedds.com/products/enrofloxacin-10?variant=40215712661693

 

[Ccort]

A random stool sample consists of three or four poop clumps found in the run, fresher the better. When you test random stool samples, you then get a reading on the general condition of the intestines of your flock. If, for example, the fecal float shows worms in these samples, you will then know that the entire flock likely has worms, and you would treat the entire flock. Same if coccidia are found in sufficient numbers.

The same goes for a bacterial infection. When you have one chicken that is sick, you would treat the one chicken with an antibiotic. Usually, it's E.coli, and amoxicillin is a good broad spectrum antibiotic to use for this. But if you have three or four chickens in the flock sick with similar symptoms, you would then treat the entire flock assuming they all are infected. Usually a vet that treats farm livestock will understand this.

There is no need to bring in every single chicken to be examined. That's not how flock dynamics work. A vet that insists on this is either ignorant or trying to empty your wallet.

You can order this non-penicillin antibiotic here. https://jedds.com/products/enrofloxacin-10?variant=40215712661693

Thank you. I know the vets just want money. It's ridiculous. I've spent over $1200 and am going again because the three I've seen all insist on seeing each one and testing each one, desperately trying to save them. One is now a passing nothing but very watery, milky stool. I'm taking her today. One of the vets is 2 hours there, two hours back. I'm frustrated because clearly these people do not care about the animals. Thank you for that link to an antibiotic. I'm going to order it today,.assuming no script is needed.

 

[Ccort]

@azygous the soonest that antibiotic would arrive is next week on Thursday.

 

[azygous]

It is what it is. Unless you can talk sense into your vet. You'd then be able to take the prescription to your local pharmacy and get it right away.

My local vet has always been agreeable to providing antibiotics for my chickens when I assure them that I would assume all responsibility for treating my chickens myself.

 

[Ccort]

It is what it is. Unless you can talk sense into your vet. You'd then be able to take the prescription to your local pharmacy and get it right away.

My local vet has always been agreeable to providing antibiotics for my chickens when I assure them that I would assume all responsibility for treating my chickens myself.

Saw the vet today. The worse hen has almost nothing but white, runny stool with occasional bright green bits. She mentioned, like I did, that the hen is drinking a lot. She ran the stool sample and no parasites present. That hen is not eating on her own.
I told the vet I gave her two 1cc doses of Baytril. The vet was uspet about that, saying you shouldn't just give antibiotics when you don't know what you're dealing with. She said to stop the antibiotics, stop the probiotic.
Said to give her some Pedialyte, reglan for the crop, acv water, and a quarter Tums calcium tabs. Said maybe she's just low on calcium....
Said might want to do a soil test to see if it's environmental. Problem with that is results won't come back for a couple of weeks.

I am leaning toward continuing the antibiotic with her, seeing how there's a fear of losing her. Thoughts?

Also, considering taking out all/most of the bedding in their chicken run, to ensure no mold, and refilling it. That is a hefty task. Thoughts?
@azygous

 

[azygous]

I don't want to influence you unduly. But when I have a chicken that is slipping away and all other causes don't seem to fit, I do an antibiotic. It can't hurt.

Professional medical people are rightfully concerned about us lay people misusing antibiotics and causing bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics. But in your case, the vet is painting you with broad brush of irresponsibility when you are anything but.

It would be irresponsible to treat every chicken who sneezes wrong with an antibiotic. It would be irresponsible to start to treat a sick chicken with an antibiotic and then stop the antibiotic halfway through the recommended length of time. These practices can actually "train" a bacterium to find ways to defy the antibiotic by altering its DNA. Bacteria may not think the way we do, but they are very cunning about finding ways to survive.

We need our vets. They do good work to keep our animals alive and healthy. But sometimes we just need to make the call ourselves about a sick chicken since no one knows our chickens like we do.

Do you have the proper dosing instructions on the antibiotic you started giving your hen? Be sure to follow the instructions carefully, and give it for the recommended length of time. If your chicken is going to respond to the med, you should start to see improvement within 48 hours.

 

[Ccort]

I don't want to influence you unduly. But when I have a chicken that is slipping away and all other causes don't seem to fit, I do an antibiotic. It can't hurt.

Professional medical people are rightfully concerned about us lay people misusing antibiotics and causing bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics. But in your case, the vet is painting you with broad brush of irresponsibility when you are anything but.

It would be irresponsible to treat every chicken who sneezes wrong with an antibiotic. It would be irresponsible to start to treat a sick chicken with an antibiotic and then stop the antibiotic halfway through the recommended length of time. These practices can actually "train" a bacterium to find ways to defy the antibiotic by altering its DNA. Bacteria may not think the way we do, but they are very cunning about finding ways to survive.

We need our vets. They do good work to keep our animals alive and healthy. But sometimes we just need to make the call ourselves about a sick chicken since no one knows our chickens like we do.

Do you have the proper dosing instructions on the antibiotic you started giving your hen? Be sure to follow the instructions carefully, and give it for the recommended length of time. If your chicken is going to respond to the med, you should start to see improvement within 48 hours.

Thank you for this. Honestly, I needed to hear that, to feel like someones seeing my side of it. She is 5lbs and I am giving her 1cc of Baytril liquid/oral. I asked the vet if that's correct but she wouldn't tell me. If you know if that's correct, I would love to know. Also, I am not sure how many days to do. I know it was prescribed for a bigger hen and I used a couple of doses (2 or 3) so am concerned about not having enough and then that coming back to haunt me.
I did order the antibiotic you sent the link for but it won't arrive until mid next week.

 

[azygous]

10 mg enrofloxacin/kg bodyweight per day for 3-5 consecutive days.

or 10mg per two pounds body weight.

I'm disappointed in your vet for not giving you the information you legitimately requested. That isn't a sign of a professional.