[3699]

On last Thursday while I was out of town my ranch hand contacted me and told me that we lost a hen. I was not there so to be safe I had him start on Di -Methox (sulfadimethoxine) for Coccidia. By Friday morning we lost 3 more... By Friday evening we lost 2 more. Saturday when I arrived we disinfected the pen with bleach, (which is 36' x 12' ventilated well, has a concrete floor which we place fresh sand weekly and channel drains on all four sides for drainage when we hose it off). That day we lost 4 additional hens.
They are five months almost to the day. Never had any other illnesses prior.

Symptoms: Lethargic, bloody diarrhea, heads lowered, not eating much.

Additionally many have bloated crawls filled with brownish fluid. When they are about to die they have been vomiting and went into what looked like a seizure stiffened up and died all in about 20 seconds.

Had a vet tech come out and she agreed that it was coccidia. But did not know about the crawl being filled with liquid.

Today we did not loose any additional birds by morning and had only 3 not looking good and lethargic. While the rest of the 25 hens are moving around as normal.

Could I have done anything else... We felt so helpless as our hens were dying right in front of us???

 

[Tiempo]

Corid is a better treatment for coccidiosis than Sulmet, and ammonia will kill the oocysts more effectively than bleach.

You can have a vet run a fecal sample pretty easily and cheaply though so you can be sure that's what you're dealing with.

Sorry about your losses, it sucks.

 

[3699]

Thanks for the reply... We have goats and have had to use Di-Methox in the past on them and it was very effective even though it is not labeled for goats our vet recommended it. We always keep it on hand just in case and it is labeled for chickens and cattle. But as you say and others agree we will obtain Corid for future use... just in case.

We did lose one additional hen today but she has been ill since Friday and I didn't think she would survive.

The rest are active and looking better, chasing each other around and perching.

Thanks,

Mike 3699

 

[gjensen]

That is not cocci.

 

[idigbeets]

Doesn't sound like cocci, I agree. What are you feeding them? Any chance they got into something else? What does the crop discharge smell like?

 

[3699]

We had been feeding them a layer mash mix from a local feed and grain dealer. They make up their own mix fresh daily and supply the feed stores in the area. We have switched to feeding a commercial brand of flock raiser since they are only 5 months old, which is a crumble feed.

One of our neighbors said that there was too much corn in the layer mash for the hens so we took the advice and switched.

As for the smell.... I have a keen sense of smell and I can't say that I noticed any foul or particular odor coming from the crop discharge.

We had been keeping them in the hen house 24 - 7 since they were young, but recently have been letting them out in their new run. So I don't think it was possible for them to get into anything other than the feed I was giving the.

The surviving hens (we lost 12 all together) are all doing fine after the 6th day and after we competed the treatment for cocci. The droppings are all back to a normal color and consistency and there is no more blood in the droppings.

 

[Ross Stone]

How much Corid do you give a sick hen?

I've got another sick hen, listless, the runs and not layin'.

Lost 2 in the last month.

 

[aart]

How much Corid do you give a sick hen?

I've got another sick hen, listless, the runs and not layin'.

Lost 2 in the last month.

Are you sure it's coccidiosis? This is the dosage I have for chicks:

The Corid 20% soluble powder.
Dosage is 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water for 5 days.
Make it fresh daily, don't add anything to it such as ACV, electrolytes, vitamins-etc,
Must be their sole source of treated water to drink.
1/2 tsp in 1 gallon of water

 

[Ross Stone]

Thanks Aart

I'm not really sure what they're sick with. They have diarrhea, not laying, listless. How do I tell?

I see this hens poop is a combo of yellow liquid too. Figured that's the egg coming out.

Wife asked me to check here.

Ross

Ps. the hens were all treated with parasite meds in water two times, two weeks apart.