Coccidiosis: Symptoms, Prevention and Natural Cure


Hello dear readers,
I must confess that my chickens has never suffered from this disease but as a proactive measure, I do take time to do a thorough research for  knowledge as regards diseases that are very prone to chickens.

And this researches has really help be to set up preventive measure to guide against any outbreak or infestation.

Any farmer that wants to profit from this line of business (Poultry farming) must be proactive and passionate about his/her business. Manage your business like a company and treat your birds like a family without attaching any emotions to them.

Coccidiosic is one of the common diseases disturbing farms bird and this disease is caused by a protozoan organism. It is transmitted from bird to bird through contaminated water, feed, droppings or litter. The disease usually occurs among chicks. Birds on free range management system rarely get this disease. The disease usually occurs where birds are kept inside a house all the time.

These protozoan organisms bring about chronic intestinal coccidiosis. Chickens are infected with coccidiosis after picking up oocysts from the ground or from their litter. These oocysts are usually passed out from other infected birds that might have recovered from the condition, and they can survive in litter for several month. Because of the ruggedness of oocysts, it is very difficult to completely exclude or eradicate them from a poultry farm.


The disease has a high mortality rate in baby chickens and death usually occurs within a week of first seeing symptoms, so fast treatment is a must.

This is why prevention is so very important. Young chicks between 3-5 weeks old are most susceptible.
As chickens aged and are exposed to small amount of the parasite, over time they develop a naturally immunity and will become asymptomatic when they come into contact with coccidia, but older hens with poor immune systems or who are stressed or otherwise unhealthy are also vulnerable.

So a strong healthy immune system is the best defense along with proper brooder/run/coop management.

Symptoms
If you ask any poultry farmer for symptoms of Coccidiosis, the first sign they will probably mention is that of bloody droppings, which happens as a result of damage to the intestinal wall. The bleeding intestine explains why chickens suffering from Coccidiosis are often reluctant to eat. This, in turn, hastens their death if the condition is not treated with urgency.
With that being said, you should keep a close watch for the following symptoms and act quickly;
·        Poor growth or low weight gain,
·        Loss of appetite
·        Bloody diarrhea,
·        Dropping wings
·        Body weakness.
·        Exhaustion
·        Huddling (cold)
·        Pale combs and skin around eyes.
·        No longer laying eggs
·        Weight Loss
·        Ruffled feathers

Prevention is The Key
When it comes to chicken illnesses, diseases, and parasites, prevention is always the best way to combat whatever comes your way. It’s better to be preventative rather than dealing with the stress of being reactive to a problem once it shows up.

So, how do you prevent coccidiosis in chickens? Let’s dig into the details so you can keep your flock happy and healthy…and have plenty of eggs and good meat!

Practice Good Housekeeping
A clean coop/pen is number one on this list because excessive dropping may promote the spread of disease in general. Keep it tidy and clean and your chickens will be happy, and the parasites not-so-much!

So Fresh So Clean…Water
Let’s face it, chickens poop is in their waterers all the time, sometimes to our bewilderment. You wonder how they get it in there sometimes. Infected droppings in drinking water means infected water. So change it regularly and clean waterers often.

Isolation
Isolate newly acquired birds for at least 21 days after their arrival to your flock.
Isolate birds returning from fairs and exhibitions for at least 21 days.
Isolate birds that shows symptoms of sickness.

More…

·        Control the presence of rodents, insects, and wild birds.

·        Minimize contact with all wildlife by providing an adequate barrier.

·        Control access to your flock by neighbors, service people, and strangers.

·    Try to avoid sharing equipment. If you must share, thoroughly clean and disinfect equipment before and after use.

·    After indirect contact with other birds (e.g., visits to feed stores), wash your hands and change your clothing and footwear before caring for your birds.

·        After direct contact with other birds (e.g., visits to other farms, exhibitions), shower and change your clothing and footwear before caring for your birds.

·        Shower and change or disinfect clothing and footwear after contact with sick birds.

·        Provide adequate nutrition and shelter to your birds.

Treatment of Coccidiosis
As a backyard chicken farm, I eat more of my chickens while I sell the other, so I am very careful when it comes to medications and drugs. I eat healthy foods so I don’t give unhealthy food to anybody irrespective of whom you are to me a Customer or a neighbor.

Cure with Drugs
Drugs used for coccidiosis treatment
Anticoccidia drugs include sulfa drugs, Amprolium, Quinolones, and Ionophores. There has also been record of drug-resistant strains of coccidiosis. One way to overcome these resistant strains is to switch the drug used. Also, it should be noted that some drugs are more effective for certain species of coccidian.

Cure with Natural Herbs
Bitter Leaf is effective for coccidiosis treatment, giving chickens bitter leaf extract in their water has been proven to take care of coccidia.

How to extract bitter leaf for coccidiosis treatment

Gather some bitter leaves. The quantity depends on the volume of juice you are hoping to get and the number of chickens you want to treat
Remove the leaves from the stem and rinse them in a bowl. Be sure to rinse properly but don’t squeeze too hard
Put the leaves in a kitchen blender and add just a little water. Just enough water to blend the leaves easily. What you need is a juice that is as thick as 5 Alive, so don’t add too much water at this stage.
Blend until the leaves are cut into tiny particles
Use a cheese cloth to sieve the juice into a container
If you have followed the process carefully, the bitter leaf extract should be as thick as 5 Alive.

How to administer bitter leaf extract for Coccidiosis treatment
·        For prevention, add 20 ml of bitter leaf extract to 1 litter of clean water
·        For treatment, add 30-40ml of bitter leaf extract to 1 litter of clean water
Bitter leaf extract added to chicken water will not reduce their water intake in harmful proportions.

However, these are natural cure, so you need to administer it for 4 to 5 days, and you can give orally to a chicken that is very sick.

Remember, for good result, you have to take water away from the chickens for some time before given the treatment, so that they can really drink the water.

Thank you for reading. …do have a happy business.