[Carshay]

My chicks are due to hatch in about ten days and I have been reading about feeding them. Should I try to get medicated crumb or some people seem to think ordinary is ok but have some Coxoid ready in case of coccidosis. Which is best - how do I know if chicks have cocc.?
Also is it ok to give the big chickens slugs that have drowned in beer?

[JaK]

I don't know what the best thing to do is. My chicks are due to hatch the same time as yours. I have opted for the medicated chick crumb because I've never raised chicks before and wouldn't be sure of symptoms ...

[GrannieAnnie]

We give our chicks medicated crumb, but some people prefer to give them plain.  The argument is that there are various types of cocci, and the medicated crumb only protects against some of them.

So if you have the coxoid ready, then you are prepared if they get cocci.

The only time my chicks caught cocci, surprisingly enough they were in the brooder shed, so how they got it I don't know, but Joy and I were watching them and she noticed that they were pecking at something and getting really excited.  When we looked, the 'something' was a spot of blood on the shavings.  So I took it out and we found the chick.  It was bleeding a bit from its vent.  I put it in the cat box, but it quickly became lethargic and just died.  Then the next morning there was another one.  It must have eaten what the other one had.  I took it out and throughly cleaned out the brooder, but I put the chicks into the other end of the shed that I'd cleaned out previously.

I got some coxoid and Joy gave me some unmedicated crumb, and all the others were fine.  Or Joy gave me some coxoid.  The old memory fails me at times! 

I think I must have trod something in from outside when I'd been in there to change their water or something.  Needless to say I now only go into the brooder rings when I have to, and I wear those over shoes so I don't tread anything in from anywhere else.

[joyfull]

I use unmedicated chick crumb and always have coxoid available (think it may have been the crumb I gave you Annie as I'm sure you already had a supply of coxoid  ). I think it is easier to find coxoid or baycox when you are in a rush rather than finding chick crumb that doesn't have ACS in it which is my way of thinking - not all stockists in the UK have crumb without the additives. I believe on the continent most chick crumb is unmedicated.

[GrannieAnnie]

I knew your memory would be better than mine Joy! 

[Carshay]

Sorry but I don't quite understand! Where do they get the cocci from - is it something they eat? My broody is in a seperate house and run inside my large run which has the others in it. The chicks run is therefore on earth which has previously had the other chickens on it. Will this be ok?

[GrannieAnnie]

I don't know much about it, but apparently all animal species can get some form of cocci, but we can't catch it from our chickens and vice versa. 

I got this little bit of info from rawgreencottages blog, so apologies for copying, but grateful for the info if rawgreencottages is reading this! 

Coccidiosis is a terrible condition that young birds can catch. The cocci parasite can be ingested by wild bird droppings or chicks can often be born with it. For the regular hatcher it can be a problem.

So when my 2 chicks caught it and they had never been outside their brooder shed, I must have carried it in there on my boots!

[binghamd]

I think they get it by eating the "eggs" of the parasites. These eggs are passed in the dropping of birds. So if there has been hens on the land before the chicks, you will be better to protect them either by feeding with crumbs containing ACS or putting the "Coccoid" treatment in their water. I believe that some people swear by apple cider vinegar in their water as a preventative. I  haven't tried it with chicks but give it to the grown ups