AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

I need some advice please I have 4 young chickens aged about 14 weeks old. All seemed fine until yesterday when I noticed 2 of them have blood in her runny poo. I rang the seller I got them from and the lady said it was likely to be just stress but I have my doubts because I asked the gentleman at the pet shop this morning when buying my pallets and he thinks it could be a disease? Could it just be stress or should I see a Vet?

see a vet ASAP!!! it probly is a disease and i would think coxy it the one were your birds head turns down or blood in there poo or when they start walking funny.

give your vet a call.. most of the time you will only need to give them antibiotic that will set you back about $30 but it will make ALOT!!... it dose sound like coccidiosis

sorry i dont now how to spell coxy right

Thank you both for your guidance. I took all 4 to the vet on Saturday and yes your right they all have coccidiosis he has given me sulpha Quin to treat them so I hope they all pull through

Thanks again for guidance

Steve

tell us when they get beter

Coccidiosis is a common problem in young birds. There is medication readily available and its a good idea to keep it at hand so if you need it, you are prepared. Its a really good idea to get a 'first aid kit' together and along with other things have cocci medication along with worming and parasite treament in it.

Taking birds to the vet is an expensive option and although very good of you, you don't want to do it every time your bird gets sick. Don't forget it might be a child giving you advice on here (who doesn't kow the cost of a vet!). Also the problem with taking birds with cocci to the vet is this not only delays the treatment but puts the birds in a stressful situation which does not help in recovery.

(For future reference there are probably plenty of previous posts on how to treat cocci in this forum but here is some extra info for you).

Keep any newly purchased (especially young) birds separated from existing flocks for at least a couple of week to make sure they aren't going to develop (or already have) cocci or some other type of sickness.
Check them for external parasites and treat accordingly.
There are different strains of cocci so a bird may develop it after getting to your house - the stress of a move can make a bird more susceptible to becomig sick.
In chicks or young birds, droopiness, huddling with ruffled feathers, loss of appetite, slow growth, and bloody diarrhoea are the early stages. An important symptom is blood around the vent or bloody diarrhea as Cocci breaks down the lining of the gut and causing disease so can make them very sick indeed and can lead to death if not treated.

Damp or contaminated litter and overcrowding favour its development, so clean DRY litter and adequate space is essential
It is generally spread when one bird eats faecal matter from a contaminated bird, this happens when they scrach and peck. It is advisable to carefully turn over soil but not on a windy day. Hydrated lime sprinkled on the soil can help eradicate the problem.
Generally commercial chick starter does have cocci medication in it so make sure you aren't feeding treats to often to minimise its effects.

Antibiotics DON'T cure cocci but may help with any secondary infection caused by the birds immune system being down

There are a few treatments for cocci and most go in the drinking water. You should carefully follow the exact dosages and all instructions.
Most treatments are sulpha based and can be bought from petshops and stockfeed places etc (probably far cheaper than from the vet). Sulpha-Quin is a common one.
One the treatment has been completed you might want to pop some vitamins in their water and make sure their diet is spot on.

To help get them better:
Separate the sick bird/s from the rest of the flock
Ensure the housing of the sick bird is sufficient to avoid stress and give them the best chances of improving their health and immune system.
Treat with cocci medication to the letter
They need to be warm and protected at all times
They need fresh clean water and good quality nutrition.
Do you know how to make the rickets supplement? It can be a good pick me up.
Ensure they aren't on wet or damp ground, either put them somewhere dry or put hay or mulch down as a temporary solution.
If there are signs of secondary infection then antibiotics become a consideration

I hope you're chookies will be ok and I wish you the best of luck getting them treated

THANK YOU Roova

How good is all that info WOW!!!!!!

I hope you don't mind but I printed that so I can read it over and also give it to a friend who has had problems with the same disease


Thanks again you have given me super advice and it was similar to the vets but more details


Steve

Roova,
Great info on coccidia.
However, I disagree with you re delaying treatment by taking a sick bird to a vet. A vet's job is to diagnose an illness and then start the correct treatment.
By assuming that a sick chook with blood in its droppings or diarrhoea has coccidia, and starting to treat it, without a proper diagnosis, may mean you waste time treating for the wrong disease.(diarrhoea could be caused by bacteria- E.coli, Salmonella- worms, other protozoa etc etc- all of which need different treatments). In some cases, the wrong treatment can actually make the condition worse.

Granted not everyone can take a bird to the vet all the time ( or can afford to) but don't forget you're often not just treating the one bird but potentially your whole flock.

The other difference is that you can get more effective treatments from the vets eg Baycox which is the only drug which kills coccidia; sulpha drugs and amprolium merely stop them from multiplying and may not be as effective in a severe outbreak.

In the end everyone has the right to make their own decisions regarding treating their own birds, and often experience dictates that your first guess is right.

Parvo

Thanks for putting a different slant on this, everything you say is very true.

In saying that, generally with the symptoms noted and this time of the year, with young new birds, there is a pretty good chance the problem is cocci.

I doubt the vet is going to be able to diagnose any of the other problems you mentioned from one examination, so unless full tests are going to be done, or the person is prepared to pay for multiple visits while working out which treatment is working, the vet is probably going to be guessing from symptoms noted too.

In the end though, you're right, a vet has the skills and tools at their disposal to be quite specific in the right treatment and you do take a chance when guessing what the problem might be.