treating for cocci, how long till we can eat eggs?

[urbanolive]

Started a cocci treatment today of Sulmet. They have been laying for about 1 month now. How long till it's safe to eat the eggs ? The bottle says do not administer to egg layers but 1 is very sick and I am treating the whole flock. Thanks for any advice...

 

[dlolato]

The recommended waiting period is fourteen days after the last treatment. It can be very painful to destroy all the eggs during that time period. Some, suggest feeding the eggs back to the chiickens, but my Avian Vet said that was not adviseable in his opinion, due to the traces of medication they will digest.

Even though they will vary in trace consumption, the medication will still be in their system.

 

[Wynette]

It's very unusual for hens of laying age to get cocci...what are her symptoms? I suspect she may have something else.

It's true that you should not feed the eggs back to the hens - you really shouldn't feed them to other critters (such as dogs) either. There are trace amounts of the medicine in the eggs, and critters that eat them would be highly prone to sulmet-resistant bugs in the future.

 

[urbanolive]

I read and researched for about 6 hours and her symptoms most closely matched lymphoid leukosis and cocci. She looked like she was about to die so I started the treatment for cocci because I couldn't just do nothing, a blood test would take too long. LL has no treatment. her symptoms are standing by herself with head drawn in, feathers all fluffed up. ,lethargic, sleepy eyed, no clucking , comb receeded, egg laying stopped, reluctancy to move. I couldn't feel any mass between her legs and her crop feels normal. Shes eating and drinking a little but not very excited about it or her treats. Those are the symptoms of a lot of things so who knows. It is very damp here from all the snow but their run is covered so it isn't muddy , just dampish. She separated now and seems to feel a little better. Rooster boy wouldn't stop bugging her because she couldn't scoot away fast enough! I have read about cocci in older hens so it could be a possibility but with no chicken docs here I will probably never know. If she drops dead in a few days I will assume it's LL...

 

[urbanolive]

by the way her poops seems relatively normal except for a lot of undigested seeds.(BOSS ) No blood yet but I read that can take 4-5 days to show up and then it is often too late to do anything. So I decided to hustle...hope it works. The other possibility could be worms, the whole flock looks a bit thin but are worms a problem in the dead of winter ?

 

[PunkinPeep]

I agree with Wynette. It is very likely that something else is bothering her. I'm glad that you separated her. I think i would be feeding her boiled egg yolks (easily absorbed nutrition) and keeping her in a dark quiet area.

If she continues to eat and poop normally, o.k., but if her poops turn runny, i would strongly suspect something wrong in the egg-making department and give her a warm shallow bath to see if she gets 'loosened up.'

Those are just a couple of ideas. I'm no expert, but i think that cocci is very unlikely, and like you said, sitting away from the others puffed up and whatnot, is really just a sign that they 'don't feel good.' At that age, that's really all it's a sign of, i think. When they're babies, cocci is simply the most likely problem. You mentioned that the temps aren't optimum for worms. The cold temperatures aren't conducive to cocci life either.

I know you didn't ask for advice on what's wrong with her, and you have to do what you think is best.

I would keep an eye on that crop - or a finger, actually - i had a cockerel who acted a lot like your'e describing. And he had gotten very skinny. At first his crop seemed fine, but i felt one tiny little bulge at the bottom. I massaged his crop maybe twice, two days in a row, and he was back to normal and immediately started gaining weight.

I said all that to say, keep looking and watching her to see what's wrong.

I hope all goes well.

 

[urbanolive]

Quote:
Oh I do need advice and thanks for giving it !

I never considered cocci until someone else in another thread suggested she had it, so I read and read and read and her symptoms most closely matched cocci. She seems a bit better this morning so maybe I shall discontinue the sulmet or would the naturally occurring protazoa in her gut develop a resistance and become stronger, such as quitting antibiotics before the course is done?

I shall try the warm bath today....thanks so much everyone

 

[PunkinPeep]

I can't decide whether to tell you to keep up the sulmet or not, and i don't have any personal experience with sulmet specifically, so i don't want to lead you wrong.

Please let us know how she does.

 

[suebee]

I would take a fresh sample of poop to a vet. They can quickly check for cocci for less than $10. It is rare for adults to have cocci...they're usually immune to it.
I've had hens die from LL, the same symptoms you're describing. But...The last hen having these symptoms was treated with antibiotics (Terramycin) and she pulled through. That was 6 months ago. She's out there free ranging with the rest. I'd try a broad spectrum antibiotic for 2-3 days and see if she improves.

 

[chrishensley]

I agree - take a doo sample to the vet - I had a sick girl, we went to the vet - turns out she was REALLY sick - had a respiratory infection & two kinds of cocci - separated her and treated - she's doing great - treating everyone else but gotta give up the eggs. Some folks say I only have to toss the eggs for 14 days - I'm a bit sulfa sensitive so I'm gonna toss 'em for a month. Ya'll get well soon!