Coccidiosis
Coccidia are protozoans that infect poultry and other
animal’s GI tract. Each species is host specific, meaning that the coccidia
that affect your birds are not the same as the ones that can affect your dog or
cat or even yourself. They are very
common and can usually be found in most any person’s backyard flock. Although they are very common and most birds
have them, they usually don’t cause a problem unless found in high numbers or
in birds that are immune-compromised.
Chicks are very susceptible and can die, even with treatment. Some birds
are able to develop immunity to the parasite after long or repeated exposures.
Signs and Symptoms
Some birds may come down with diarrhea, experience weight
loss and decreased egg production. You
may notice a decrease in food and water intake and general sick
appearance. Chicks may develop “pasty
butt”, which is when the fecal material builds up on and around the chicks vent
and surrounding feathers. This is usually a sign of diarrhea in the chick.
There are other things that can cause this in your chicks, such as stress from
shipping or incorrect temperatures in the brooder. If you notice this in your
chicks you should clean the fecal materials away as soon as possible, just use
some warm water and a paper towel, being gentle as to not tear the chick’s
delicate skin. Another symptom often
seen in chicks infected by coccidian is bloody diarrhea. Droppings may also
appear to have mucus like texture. Some
birds appear droopy and will have un-kept feathers. There is a high chance for
mortality in young birds infected with coccidia. Your veterinarian can tell you
if your birds are experiencing an infection with coccidia with a fecal sample,
however, many birds will have coccidia in their feces even when they are not
showing symptoms so a thorough exam and history of the symptoms should be
obtained to ensure the birds are not misdiagnosed.
Prevention
It is nearly impossible to completely prevent your birds
from being infected with this parasite.
Birds can be kept in wire floored cages to help reduce the risk of
infection but even those birds kept in this manner have been found to contract
the parasite. The reason is that it is so common in the environment and is very
easily transmitted and lives for a long time in the environment, up to a year
if the environment is favorable. It is also resistant to many disinfectants
commonly used around poultry. The coccidia can survive on clothing, feeders,
waterers, in the dirt and litter or bedding.
The infection process only takes between 4-7 days. Keeping the environment as clean as possible
will help. Your brooder should be cleaned out between each new chick arrival.
Use a material that is easy to clean and non-porous. New bedding should be used
each time and the feeder and waterer should be thoroughly disinfected. Coccidia is an opportunistic pathogen so it
is most commonly seen in cases of poor nutrition, poor sanitation, overcrowding
or after stress, such as changes in feed or severe weather. So keeping your
birds healthy and in a clean environment with the proper feed is very
important. You can put your birds on an anticoccidial medication to help
prevent infection. Many are available
that can be mixed into the feed, most drugs are used for both prevention and
treatment. Lower doses are used when
attempting to prevent coccidia because they are given on a continuous basis. The downside of these drugs is that they can
slow or even prevent the naturally occurring immunity process from taking
place. Meaning, that birds that are given anticoccidials in their feed all the
time may never develop a natural immunity against coccidia. This is ok in birds that are intended for
slaughter and won’t be around very long, but if you have a small flock of birds
that you intend to keep for years it may not be in their best interest to use
the feeds with these medications already in them.
Treatment
There are many drugs available on the market to prevent and
treat coccidia. You use a higher dose when trying to treat coccidia than you do
when trying to prevent it. The other
difference is that when using these medications for treatment you will want to
put them in the birds water rather than in the feed. It is also recommended to increase the amount
of Vitamin A and K that the birds receive to help boost their immunity. It is important to rotate the drug used to
prevent and treat coccidia in your flock so you don’t end up with a strain that
becomes resistant to one particular drug.
Treating with the full dose for the appropriate amount of days will also
help prevent resistance from occurring. The most common drug used in treating poultry
in the back yard setting is Amprolium, also known as Corid. It can be mixed in
the water and is used for 3-5 days for effective treatment. It works by mimicking an important amino acid
called thiamine that the coccidia need to survive. The coccidia attempts to use
the amprolium instead of thiamine and dies.
Amprolium is very safe, up to 8 times the recommended dose has been given
without significant affects.
The dose is as follows:
Amprolium (Corid) liquid form (9.6% solution) 2ml/gallon of
water for 5 days.
Corid 20% Soluble Powder 4 oz/50 gal water (treatment) 4 oz/100 gal water (prevention) or 1.5 tablespoons per gallon for treatment and
1 tablespoon per gallon for prevention.
