Treating my chicks for cocci...treat older flock too?

[Peppermint]

I've lost one chick to what I'm presuming is cocci. The rest are all currently fine, but since they are all living in the same coop, same run, etc I'm going to go ahead and treat with Corid for 5 days.

My question is this: Should I go ahead and treat my older flock as well? If cocci is in my soil, then they are surely exposed too. In all my reading about cocci, it always talks about it being a condition from crowded or unsanitary conditions. I can honestly say my chickens live in the cleanest chicken environments I have seen. I am out there 2-3 times/d scooping poop, and they live in spacious quarters...so it must just be in my soil from wild birds.

Any advice on whether or not I should treat my older girls (1 year old) would be appreciated.

 

[Miss Lydia]

If they are all living together in the same coop i would say yes. and good luck

 

[flowerhippie]

I would treat every one in the flock. When I had this a few years ago I figured I picked it up from the feed store. I wish every one would change there barn yard shoe's before going into the store. If some poor little chickens that have had bad husbandry from some one who was not to keen on sanitary conditions, I buy feed and usually drive home and park at my chicken house to unload. I have just exposed my flock to a devastating illness. I know that this is a battle to create a awareness for CHANGE YOUR SHOES BEFORE YOU GO INTO THE FEED STORE ! YOU ARE TRACKING ILLNESS FROM YOUR YARD TO MINE ! It is nothing we have done usually if we use this practice. Our chickens do not go any where so whatever they get is brought home from us. I hope your flock will be o.k.

 

[Peppermint]

To clarify: they are not living in the same coops, but are adjacent to each other so they can get to know everyone with a fence between them. Of course they mingle occasionally when one decides to fly in for a visit...

 

[Fool]

I was under the impression that cocci was naturally occurring in the intestinal tracts of chickens. That the problem was when the bacteria gets out of control. If this is the case, wouldn't the older birds already have a tolerance to this bacteria, thus treating older birds should be unnecessary. Am I completely off base in my thinking?

 

[nivtup]

I would not treat the older birds.

Chickens develop a resistance, my understanding is that once the resistance has developed all is well.

 

[Peppermint]

Ok, that would make sense since medicated feed is only for 6-8 weeks and under. Older birds should be able to tolerate a bit of cocci.

I do live in the wild wet northwest...

 

[Caliphe]

Quote:
We seem to have a lot of cocci in the soil up here in the PNW. It's really bothersome, actually. And infuriating.