[lou-spins]

Hi i am new to poultry keeping and have 6, 8 week old chicks which i got frm a reputable breeder, all was going well until yesterday morning i found one of my light sussex all wobbly and struggling to stay awake, she is all fluffed up and really not very well. i spoke to the breeder who suggested it may be coccidiosis and for me to get coxoid which i have added to the water and they are now all drinking it. My poorly chick is being drip fed the water with meds in from a syringe every couple of hours so we can make sure she is drinking some. I am gutted as my first chickens and after two weeks i have a poorly one. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated   

[joyfull]

what feed are the on - I do hope the breeder advised you to feed them on unmedicated feed whilst on the coxoid treatment. You cannot mix coxoid with medicated feed (and most feeds in this country are medicated unless you have organic or small holder rangs).

[hillfooter]

You are cleaning their brooder regularly and disinfecting as well as practising good personal hygene?  Cocci usually causes blood strained droppings.  Did you feed medicated chick crumbs and if so it''s unlikely to be cocci.  There weren't any other indications at hatch such as an unhealed navel were there?  Where are they being kept and is there any possibily of contact with other birds.

Was the incubator thoroughly cleaned and sanitised before you started and any equipment especially second hand stuff?  Were the eggs dirty?  If the sanitation is good and you have practised good hygeine any infection must have been present in the egg and likely come from the parent birds.
All the best
HF

[joyfull]

sorry HF but it can occur with medicated feed - believe me, I know of a recent case where this has just happened. Also as the droppings contain blood the other chicks swoop on it and wolf it down very quickly leaving no trace.

[lou-spins]

They are kept outside in coop and run at the moment. We have birds of prey around. i fetched them at 6 weeks old so didn't see them whilst really young.
I claen them out every 2 - 3 days, their feeders and drinkers are raised off the ground and they were cleaned out with virkon. I have got some stalosan on the way. They are on growers pellets as this is what the breeder told me to feed them. 

[joyfull]

in which case the cocci (if that is what it is) could have been picked up from wild birds dropping. have you seen any evidence of blood in their droppings? although like I said previously you have to be quick to see it as they will eat it quickly.

[lou-spins]

bout a week ago i saw a blooming poo but none since

[joyfull]

take a look at your feed (at this age they should really be on growers pellets not layers) and see if it says contains ACS or does it say unmedicated?

[hillfooter]

Nothing stands out from what you are doing I have 8 week old chicks in very similar conditions currently in an outside grass open run being fed on growers (just phased in).  I don't clean out as often as two days so you are exceeding my standards. Of course you don't know the early history so no clues from this.

As Joy says not all coccidiostats are effective against every strain so medicated feed isn't always totally effective.  Antibiotics can help guard against secondary infection but will need a vets perscription.  Multivits in the drinking water helps with recovery.  

If you can easily isolate it's worth doing this but chances are if it's cocci the others will already be exposed.  You will however see the dropping which might give you confirmation of cocci.
HF

[lou-spins]

cant see anywhere that it says unmedicated but it does say not to use with any other coccidiostat. do i need to withdraw the coxoid now or change their food.

[hillfooter]

Excessive coccidiostats is toxic which is why they say this.  Best if you can change their feed as you know if it's cocci it's not being effective so try the Coxoid.  A temporary switch to layers won't do any harm for a week or two while you try the liquid meds though you may need to grind it up to a more managable size for them.
Good luck
HF

[lou-spins]

many thanks for your help so far i will see how i get on and change food for a couple of weeks till off meds. Hope she makes it!!

Many thanks   

[lisa80]

Hi my light sussex chicks have recently been ill .one morning i noticed a lot of blood in the run they are 6 weeks old and have made a complete recovery once treated .If you do see any more blood make sure you clean it up as soon as you can to aviod them eating it and re infecting themselves

[animal mad]

i have just had cocci confirmed by the vet in my growers well 6 weeks old, hopefully they will recover the vet said it was my fault for not cleaning the water out enough, but they have fresh clean water twice a day, it is really upseting to think i have caused it.

[hillfooter]

i have just had cocci confirmed by the vet in my growers well 6 weeks old, hopefully they will recover the vet said it was my fault for not cleaning the water out enough, but they have fresh clean water twice a day, it is really upseting to think i have caused it.

A mistake many new keepers make is to not keep the water and feeders raised high enough.  As the chicks grow you should raise the level so it is above vent height and use feeders and drinkers which the chx can't easily climb on.  This way their food and water gets less fouling.  I only change the water once a day but I always try to keep any fouling to a minimum.  One thing I do is keep them on softwood shavings and their fedder and drinkers raised on a board platform which has a fine weld mesh stapled to it (to prevent slipping) so there's no shavings within scratching distance of their feed or water otherwise they scrat the shavings which get fouled into their water & feed.  Using dishes and improvised feeders and drinkers might seem a good idea but it's a false economy.  Always, but always, think through the equipment you use because there's always an optimum design often subtle, be it spacers to stop them scratting out the feed or guards to prevent climbing etc which help the husbandry and minimise your efforts.  There's always a lot more knowhow in well designed housing & equipment than you might think.

HF