[kimtwig]

I have some chicks about 2 1/2 weeks old living in the garage.  Until yesterday they were all happy seemingly in good health.  Yesterday morning one was dead(no apparent reason), this morning another one was dead(no apparent reason).  I now have another that is looking very poorly and lethargic.  I have given him a good look over and it seems he has was looks like blood coming from his bottom.  Having looked at the rest it would seem he is not alone.  Can anyone give me a clue as to what this is?  It is not something i have come across before.  Many thanks in advance.

[helens-hens]

Hi there. I have never brought up chicks but from what I have read on this forum, if there is blood coming from the vent, it sounds like Coccidosis (hope I have spelt that right). Look at the message from GrannieAnnie on the thread below.

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=78868.0

Hopefully somebody who knows more about these things will be along to advise soon. It is such a shame you have already lost some, hopefully you will be able to prevent any more losses 

[Helenaj]

Give your nearest petshop or feedstore a ring and see if they stock "Coxoid". It's a very good treatment for coccidiosis and works quite quickly. Failing that, do you know any pigeon fanciers, they may have some to hand as pigeons get it quite often. Make up the solution as directed in their drinking water.
For the next few days, change the bedding everyday as the bacteria lives in the faeces and can be passed on by ingestion.

If your poorly one isn't up to drinking their water, put some of the ready diluted solution (never neat) into a medi-syringe or a teaspoon and try and get it to drink some. As I said, it works fairly quickly and you should see an improvement overnight if the chick hasn't gone too far. To make sure that they all get some of the coxoid, I made up a very sloppy porridge with their medicated water, porridge oats and chick crumb and fed it too them that way - they all seemed to enjoy it.

Best of luck!

[themagicaltoad1]

If your chick crumb is medicated it should already have a preventative against this coccidiosis in it. Are they under a heat lamp? Is there light in the garage?  Where did you get them from? it would be worth speaking to the supplier.

[GrannieAnnie]

Even if the chick crumb is medicated, it doesn't prevent all type of coccidiosis, so if you get coxoid, then get some unmedicated crumb.  As the ACS in the feed can act against the coxid and render it useless.  They work against each other.

It certainly doees sound like cocci.  Can you put the chicks somewhere else for a bit until you thoroughly clean out their brooder box or whatever they are in?  I use jeyes fluid, but there are lots of other good discinfectants out there for poultry.

Wash their feeder and drinker too in it.  Luckily I only lost 2 chicks the other year, but that was only because Joyfull spotted it so quickly when she was here that day!  It could have been a lot worse!

[joyfull]

You may not notice any blood in their pooh as they will eat it up extremely quickly thus spreading the coccidiosis around more chicks (you do have to be in the right place at the right time to see it  ).
Get un medicated chick crumb (such as organic) and either coccoid or baycox and start treatment as soon as possible. Medicated crumb will only help to prevent some strains of cocci and not all.
Sadly as they are so young you may lose some more but the quicker you act the quicker you can start to save the remaining chicks.
Good luck xx

[kimtwig]

Right ... All cleaned out ,Dosed with Coxoid and looking ok so fingers crossed .... Many thanks for your rapid responses and advice it is all much appreciated ..

[GrannieAnnie]

Good luck Kim!