# Help! Coccidosis aftermath!



## jkjknels (Jul 10, 2014)

I am hoping that you all can help. I have lost 2 hens in the last month to what I thought was coccidosis. We have had an extremely wet spring and early summer here, impossible to keep their run dry. I did not get a test done after the first one died but treated with Corid. Then a second one started getting poorly and died quickly about a month later. This time I had a fecal test done and it was still positive for coccidosis so treated again. In between I have added vitamins and given yogurt to help restore their digestion. Also started to leave oyster shell available. I have also started to let them free range most of the time. The issue right now is that they have almost quit laying completely! I have noted some shell -less eggs that they have left and weak shelled eggs. They seem perky and normal and seem to be eating, but not quite as much as when they were cooped up. I also don't think they are laying in the yard because I did need to keep them in for 2 days last weekend and only 2 eggs from the flock which laid 8-10 eggs all winter long! (the coldest winter for several years!) So is it just a period of time to recover from the treatment or is something else amiss? I really don't have access to a vet around here that handles chickens.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

From your intro you said you've had chickens for a year, is it safe to assume that they are in that age range also? 

Any chance that they are molting? Not all will drop a lot of feathers at once but if you see signs of new quills it could be a molt. 

There are reasons for egg drop, we just need to find out if its a normal response or a serious one. 

Adult chickens that are healthy should not have an issue with cocci unless there is an underlying reason. Problem is, what you've been able to provide is too vague to make suggestions. 

And cocci will always be present. Its the explosion of cocci that can kill. Did your vet say whether there was an over abundance?


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## jkjknels (Jul 10, 2014)

No she didnt, just said they were present. And yes they are about a year old. I see a few feathers shed lately but not many. So maybe it wasnt the cocci that killed the other birds? But it was so wet for length of time that I have to beleive there was an issue in the pen.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

There might have been. Any chance any of their feed was on the ground and got wet? Is their feed stored in a safe place? Is it fresh? Do you have faith that your feed store is storing it properly and that they move enough that its fresh?

There well could be a molt going on. I have four out of ten right now molting. Some dropped a huge amount of feathers at once, the others one or two here and there. One of my girls is so full of quills she won't let the others any where near her.


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## jkjknels (Jul 10, 2014)

Their feed is always inside the coop- very dry. I never have it outside. I don't totally empty it though if they haven't cleaned it up. If its dry but not eaten is it wise to throw out daily the uneaten portion? And this is a dumb question, but are the quills really evident in a molting bird? Because I don't remember seeing any?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You don't have to toss daily but should do a thorough clean up at least every couple of weeks. Feed can absorb moisture and can go bad. And as it sits there exposed to the atmosphere begin to lose vitamins. If you see they consistently leave a couple of inches then lower the amount you give them by a couple of inches. 

Not necessarily, especially if its a feather here and there. I had one Silkie female that I couldn't tell was molting until I picked her up and she would scream. Her poor body was full of quills but her body and coloring kept me from seeing them easily. For my current birds that are molting if it wasn't for the extra feathers and their color I wouldn't know its happening at all. 

The four began the molt all at the same time, it looked like a bird exploded. Only one is obvious.


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## chickiw (Aug 30, 2013)

Hi, me again!!! The one from your neck of the north?? 
My girls did exactly as yours (minus the cocci). Everybody slowed down then stopped completely. Been a couple weeks. Got a couple "rubber" eggs recently then today I got my first normal egg!!! Yea!!! (insert happy dance here). If you have checked all the usual culprits=stress, feed change, heat, wild weather, flock change, parasites (internal/external)and everyone otherwise looks good, it could be molt or in my case, I just checked their diet, added some avian super pack just to be safe and wrote it off to the crazy weather swings we've been having. 

BTW-I have 4 layers at the moment, 3 1 yr old red sex-links (1 decided to go broody on me  )and a sweet 2 yr old leghorn "mutt". I also have 3 nice Australorp pullets just shy of 3 mo. old.


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## jkjknels (Jul 10, 2014)

I will keep a close eye but think there's nothing to do at the moment. They look very healthy and perky now. Thanks for the help- I love this site.


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

That is good news that they are looking better and feeling better.


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