Walk me through Coccidiosis

[SarahGfa]

Are you feeding medicated chick feed? If not you should be. That could have prevented this. I fail to understand why people don't. It's essential imo and it's not 'unnecessary medication', it creates a gut environment where coccidia cannot thrive and multiply.

Many species of coccidia are resistant to amprolium (the medication in medicated chick feed). The parasites develop resistance because people medicate too much when it is not necessary.

 

[Maleficent265]

Adult birds are usually immune if they have been exposed earlier. If your chicks can recover, they will be immune to the coccidiosis in your yard. but there are many different strains and new birds can bring in new parasites. My adult chickens got infected from coccidiosis carried by wild birds.

Do I need to do anything else? One of my chicks I don’t expect is going to live but the others are okay for now.

 

[Maleficent265]

I have liquid corid and put 2 teaspoons in their gallon water. They’re only drinking source is the medicated water…

when you say give the chick a direct shot of corid… do you mean with a syringe?

the birds in my bigger pen are anywhere from 6 years old to 4 months old. And the birds in my smaller pen are 3 months. The sick chicks are 6 weeks. Some of my older girls can scale the run fence and have interacted with the chicks and then gone back into the big pen when they felt like it. So they could potentially carry it back to the other coop if they became infected. I’ve tried clipping wings but they seem to escape no matter what and now it’s kind of important that they don’t.

Would you recommend treating them with corid as well? I also WASNT sure if it was safe to continue eating the eggs if they were being treated?

 

[Maleficent265]

Okay… thanks! At what age are they less likely to have it? Some of my 3 and four month birds are good quality Ayam Cemanis.

Also I’m sorry… I’m misunderstanding. When you say no egg withdrawal period, do you mean they don’t stop laying or I shouldn’t eat the eggs? I’m sorry!

 

[Maleficent265]

As Wyorp Rock said, I would just keep a close eye on them. I got chicks for the first time last year. It has been more than 30 years since there were chickens on our property if there ever were, so the Coccidiosis load in our soil was pretty low. Even with placing clumps of grass and soil in the brooder, my chicks didn't become affected until they were 4 months old. We treated them and they have had no issues since then.
Since you have birds up to 6 years old, my guess is that they were all exposed so gradually, they became resistant without developing any symptoms. But still keep an eye on them just in case this is a new strain on your property.

So is my property infected now? Or could you explain to me how that works? I had young ones out and about earlier this year with no issues and then this batch all of a sudden… so strange. Two just dropped dead.

 

[Maleficent265]

Coccidia parasites are everywhere, in small amounts. Wild birds carry it, and you can carry it on your shoes or cloths. Healthy birds can fight off small infections, but weak birds (like babies) sometimes can't. If a bird gets very sick, the coccidia multiplies inside the sick bird. The bloody poop is full of millions of coccidia oocysts, and then the property can be infected with a heavy load.

How long will my property be infected? Please tell me after a good hard rain

I just wasn’t sure how long it would really last… sorry for all the questions.

 

[Maleficent265]

I can get some pictures in a bit! I don’t have anyone else who knows much about chickens… I’ve had chickens for 8 years and I’m typically the one answering questions. But I tell people that there’s always something new.

I hatched these chicks from my own birds. With the exception of two that I got from a different farm… but those two were also hatched here.

 

[SarahGfa]

From Gail Damerow's chicken Health Handbook:

 

[SarahGfa]

How long will my property be infected? Please tell me after a good hard rain

I just wasn’t sure how long it would really last… sorry for all the questions.

It is always there in small numbers. Coccidia can't reproduce by itself. It reproduces in the chicken's intestines and then spreads wherever the chicken poops. It needs a host to reproduce, which makes it a parasite.

A healthy chicken's immune system would destroy the coccidia before it has a chance to reproduce, so the numbers stay low. Does that make sense?

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

So what ive read is that chickens naturally carry it, its just natural bacteria thats kind of living all over the place. But when they are little or their immune systems are weak sometimes the bacteria multiplies and infects the bird making it all sick. Then the chicken just needs to be able to fight off that infection. Usually making it easier to do so in the future. But I could be wrong. This is just what ive heard from other breeders and chicken keepers.