CARES AND TREATMENT OF CHICKEN DISEASES (COCCIDIOSIS)

The Coccidia are a microscopic parasitic organism that infect poultry when ingested by the chicken.
The parasites found in the ground or bird feces attaches itself to the lining in the gut, multiplies and becomes an oocys feeding in the digestive tract of the chicken which will make it bleed. Once a chicken is infected it passes on this parasites into other chicken and some days before the symptoms begin to manifest in the chicken. This coccidia only affect chicken . Different kinds of birds are even infected by a different kind of coccidia. Coccidiosis pronounced in chickens is caused by nine species of Eimeria protozoa, some are more serious than others. It is a deadly disease but if your chicken survived this disease it would be immune from cocci infections forever.

How does this disease harm your chickens ?

The more oocysts eaten by the chicken the more sever the disease.
1. The site of development within the chicken.
2. Age of bird. Young birds are more venerable than older birds. But older chickens can also get this disease.
3. Nutrition. A poorly fed chicken are more infected than well fed chicken.

Coccidiosis in chickens affected their intestinal or cecal. Intestinal is caused by E. necatrix and cecal coccidiosis is caused by E. tenella. Coccidiosis in more common in young birds and not old birds because older birds are usually immune due to prior infection. Broilers and layers are more commonly infected. Coccidiosis usually occurs more often in warm weather like month of May to September rather than October to April.

Coccidiosis is more common in young chicks. Medicated feed can help protect your chicks but in order for the medicated starter feed to work your chicks have to be exposed to Coccidia Protozoa should let your chicken go outside and be on the soil is a way for them to be exposed. They then will slowly start to build a resistance and immunity to this disease.
These are what you can do to prevent your chicken from diseases.

1. Good Management
2. Vaccinating at earliest age (do not feed medicated starter feed if your chicks have been vaccinated against cocci. This will neutralize the vaccine.
3. For chicken living outside keep the bedding in the house clean and dry
4. Make sure you clean water can and feeders every time you refill them
5. Feeding medicated starter feed that contains coccidiostat (which kills coccidia) for the first month

6. Keeping your chickens water cleanand free of dropings water, bedding clean, and making sure they are getting good nutrition is a great way to avoid getting this disease. Using preventative tonics like Apple Cider Vinegar in their water and Garlic, will helps to prevent them from oocyst and other worms. The acid in the gut helps to prevent the formation of oocyst which does the damage. All ground fed birds are exposed to infective oocysts throughout their life. Cocci are less common in free ranging birds than ones that are confined to one area. Coccidiosis can be transferred on contaminated boots, clothing, feed sacks, insects, and rodents. So you sterilized whatever equipment using in your chicken house .

7. Make sure you give your chicken fresh water and good nutrition, to help keep your chickens healthy.​

Symptoms of diseases in your chicken.

1. Weak and listless
2.ooking dirty and unkept
3. Chicken may look Fluffed up not doing much
4. May see pale comb and skin
5. May be sick one day and drop dead the next day
6. Not eating and drinking much
7. Blood in poopbut Some types of coccidiosis don't have bloody poop as a symptom .
8. Severe infection that causes yellow foamy poop.

How to Treat Coccidiosis in chicken

Treatment will work effectively and quickly if started when the diseases is discovered early

1. The best treatment is to separate the sicks chickens and then use Corid 9.6% liquid solution. The dosage is 9.5cc to a gallon of water for five days. And there is no withdrawal period. You do need to make a fresh batch every day, and keep him/her away from all the other chickens. Corid takes care of all 9 cocci that chickens could get.

2. Another treatment is Sulment (Sulfadimethoxine). There is also a 10 day withdrawal period for sulmet. Sulmet is a lot harder on chickens then Corid is. In case you want to try sulmet the dosage is 2 Tablespoons to a gallon of water for 2 days. Then reduce to 1 Tablespoon to a gallon for 4 days. But I would recommend Corid over Sulmet.

3. There are some home made treatments like the Milk Flush which is 4 pounds of dried milk, 2 pounds of corn meal, 2 pounds of oatmeal, and 1 pound of bran for 3-5 days feeding only this nothing else. This will flush the system out.

5.You can also treat them with vitamin supplement (especially A and K)
Use liquid treatment for treating chickens since chicks/chickens don't usually eat when infected by cocci.

Incubation Period of Coccidiosis in chicken.

1. Coccidiosis manifest in chicken between 5 to 6 days.

All this infection are found in the intestines, These infection s can be found in the upper small intestines or lower large intestines and ceca. They include a red or white speckled appearance in the intestinal wall. The intestines may become swollen and fill up with fluid, blood, and tissue debris.

I hope you have learn a lot from this article, and I believed you are able to know what to do whenever you notice any disease in your chicken. Please share this article to educate others.