hen with bloody black diarrhea

[Sandy]

Originally Posted by barngoddess

Hi Sandy,
Just wanted to report that so far, everyone is doing well. I did have to medicate the other room of chickens. I noticed a bloody stool and figured I had better do it. One side has completed their time on Sulmet. I would like to begin giving them some vitamins in water to boost them up. How long do I need to wait after the Sulmet to begin? Also, can you give vitamins and a broad spectrum antibiotic at the same time? Thanks so much for your help, again!

Wait a week after finishing the Sulmet...and check the droppings every day for any abnormality..

If you dont find anything out of the ordinary.. then by all means start them on Multi vitamins

Why do you want to give them a broad spectrum antibiotic?

If they are sick.. yes you can give it with the multi vits in the water at the same time no problem.. but if they aren't sick and your doing it as a precautionary thing... don't do it ..

Only ever medicate when the birds are sick .. otherwise when you do need to use meds they won't work as effectively...

[barngoddess]

Hi Sandy,
Okay, I won't give the broad spectrum. They have been doing well, and like you said, I really am not in to medicating unless I need too. I will wait until the beginning of next week with the vitamins. Thanks so much for your help. You have been a lifesaver!

[barngoddess]

HI Sandy,
I just wanted to give you an update. Everything was going well until this morning when I went down to the coop. I have one Light Brahma how was dead underneath her perch. I saw no signs yesterday, and have not seen any blood in their stool since I started the Sulmet. In fact, I waited the week after treatment and had just started vitamins on that side. Also, this morning on my other side I noticed one stool which appears to have a tinge of blood to it. I had also started treating that side a few days after with the Sulmet because I had noticed that earlier, but again since treating, hadn't seen any problems. It was to be a week today since the end of their Sulmet treatment. I was planning to start vitamins tomorrow. Any suggestions? I am quite paranoid now and am not sure what to do. Should I stop the vitamins on the side where my Brahma died? Thanks again for your help. Poor girl....that wasn't the way I like to start my morning. She was one of my first girls! Thanks.

[barngoddess]

Hello!
I just wanted to give another update from yesterday's developments. This morning, everyone was doing well. On the second side that I started medicating with Sulmet a few days after the first side, I found one stool tinged with blood again this morning. The first side, other than the chicken I found dead on that side yesterday, has had no signs of blood in their stool. I had started the first side on vitamins a couple of days ago. I had not started the 2nd side yet, as I was waiting a week after treatment. Should I retreat the 2nd side with Sulmet where I found blood in the stool? I'm holding off on vitamins on that side until I am sure if I need to retreat. Thanks for any advice given!!
KImberly

[barngoddess]

Hi Sandy,
I wasn't sure if you've had a chance to take a look at my update posts. I did not see any bloody stool yesterday on the 2nd side. Do you think I should give the vitamins or wait. I didn't start with another round of Sulmet when I saw the blood droppings almost a week later. I was afraid of overmedicating. Any suggestion?? Thanks again for you help.
Kimberly

[Sandy]

I'm glad you re posted.... I have been having heaps of trouble getting onto this site and posting... I post and all of a sudden it goes into slow motion and I only get two or three words and everything comes to a grinding halt

Coccidiosis is a nasty little thing... they only show blood in their droppings when they have cecal Cocci .. they don't show blood when they have intestinal ...

Can you get any other cocci medication...

I can't remember what country your in.. can you remind me please

Hope it either US or Aus.... if yes.. get from the feed store a product called Sulphaquinn... treat as for with 6ml into 1 litre of water .. remove all other sources of water.. and make sure they have lots of medicated water for 6 days...

Then clean fresh water with a teaspoon of molasses in the water for 3 days

And in that three days get back here and let us know what the droppings and brirds are like

If you in the UK... problem.. getting meds.. and also they are having a bad trot with an illness that is killing a lot of birds called Campylobacter

Most campylobacters are pathogenic and may cause a wide range of diseases in humans and/or animals. Their clinical and economic importance should not be underestimated. They are generally regarded as the most common bacterial cause of gastroenteritis in humans and are widely distributed among different food animals. Poultry, cattle, pigs, sheep, and even shellfish are all known reservoirs of infection. Campylobacters can also be found in dogs and cats. Campylobacters are therefore considered as zoonoses - infectious agents transmitted to humans from animals. The main route of transmission is generally believed to be foodborne.

Its really hard to treat...

Without knowing for sure what the problem is that is hitting your birds, its a hit and miss with treating them I'm afraid.

But definately do the Cocci treatment again... sometimes they just get hit with more than one strain

And sometimes they become so immune supressed they just don't recoup as quickly as they should ..

Remember this is all learning..

[barngoddess]

Hi Sandy,
Thanks for your help. I am in the US, and didn't find Sulphaquinn, but did try Sulmet. This morning, and I think yesterday morning, I didn't see any bloody droppings on that side. Should I wait and see or just treat them again? The light brahma that died was from the other side.....that side has been doing fine. No bloody droppings. Everyone has seemed fine except for her, of course. It is tricky and frustrating. Thanks for you advice!!
Kimberly

[Sandy]

Hi Kimberly

As I said.. not all forms of Coccidiosis shows up with bloody droppings.. only the cecal form............... they may well still have it

Sulmet
Just checking
How much have you been putting into a gallon of water
How long have you been giving it for

Yes I would treat them again.. and also give an antibiotic in the drinking water also

Sulmet for the next 2 days
Antibiotic for the next 7 days

Can you give me a list of things your currently feeding them now please
NO multi vitamins
NO extra proteins

Put the medicated water into plastic not metal..

[barngoddess]

Hi Sandy,

Yes, after I sent my post, I remembered what you said about intestinal cocci.

The first side (as of today they have been off the Sulmet for 13 days, but this is also the side that the Light Brahma died on on Wednesday which was day 10 after ending their Sulmet)) is getting Purina Layena pellets (this is their normal food), some chicken scratch and on Tuesday (one week after the Sulmet treatment was over) I started adding a vitamin supplement to their water. At this point, I am still adding it.

The second side (which I started treating a few days after the first because I found a bloody dropping) is receiving the same feed and scratch, but I did not start adding vitamins to their water, because on day 6 after finishing their Sulmet treatment I found a bloody dropping. No chickens on this side have died or acted sickly.

When I treated with the Sulmet, I followed the directions on the bottle which where to use 2 Tb./gallon for the first 2 days, and then 1 Tb./ gallon for 4 days.

I have not started retreating on either side yet.

I have only plastic waters, so that is not a problem.

Thanks for you patience!!
Kimberly

[Sandy]

Try

2 tablespoons per gallon for 3 days instead of the two.. then reduce to 1 tablespoon per gallon for the next 3 days...

Make sure all other sources of water are removed so they only get the medicated water.. very important

Sometimes its really stuborn... you just have to be even more stuborn that they are going to get over this and get well... just don't let it fool you that its gone

If you over medicate they lose thier natural immunity to the strain of cocci they are fighting... but you have to weigh up the alternative.. they die if you don't ....

Now that you have the meds.... its better to over medicate for longer with the possability of them losing the natural immunity... if they get it again.. and you see it earlier you will treat them earlier and they will get over it quicker and they will then build up their natural immunity to that strain.. hope you can see my logic here.