Treatment opinions please...Lethargic 3.5 week chick

[j_mair]

Hello, I have 6 chicks all 3.5 weeks old and looking for some advice. This morning I noticed that my white leghorn was tucked under the heat plate, not running around as she normally does. I've been watching her closely all morning, and she will get out and move around occasionally but is definitely a little slow and lethargic. I also saw her last poop and it looked normal. They have been on medicated feed since they were 1 week old, and in a clean brooder with plenty of space and ventilation. They have not been exposed to any dirt yet. All other chicks are moving, eating, and drinking normally. I purchased both electrolytes and CORID but would like to get a couple opinions before I try one or the other. Last time I checked she was sitting on her little roost and will still move away if I reach for her.

Should I treat all my chicks for cocci just in case? Or continue to monitor and try some electrolytes in their water?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would go ahead and start the Corid. If the electrolytes is in a concentrated product, such as Poultry NutriDrench, you could give one dose of a couple of drops orally, then stop them for the duration of the Corid. Dosage of Corid is 10 ml or 2 tsp of the liquid or 1.5 tsp of the powder per gallon of water for 5-7 days. You can give her a boost of undiluted Corid liquid at 0.1 ml per pound twice a day for a day or two. Coccidiosis is the most common disease at this age, but some can show signs of failure to thrive or organ failure at this age. Make sure that she is not being kept from eating or drinking.

 

[Thiccen]

I had a guinea chick that I assumed had cocci not too long ago I got the medication for it and gave it to him but it kept getting worse after it was too late (the night before he died) I stumbled across something about medicated food depriving chicks of a thaimine (vitamin B1) and without vitamin B1 gives them the exact same symptoms as coccidiosis. This is a tough one because the treatment for cocci deprives them more of vitamin B1 but the vitamin feeds the parasites if it's just one chick acting off and they don't all start acting weird I think it's safe to assume that one's just more sensitive to the lack of vitamin B1