which to treat for first, coccid or giardia? or both?

[Jenbirdee]

I have a hen who is showing symptoms that match up with either coccid or giardia. lethargic , drinking alot, loose stools. but I don’t see any blood in her droppings. She also does a little bit of open mouth breathing.
I have corid, safeguard, and metronidazole in my first aid kit. I am thinking about starting her (and her sister, my only 2 hens) on corid this morning, but wonder if it would be better to start with safeguard or metronidazole or could I do any of them concurrently
since I’m not able to test a stool sample?
she’s a one year old chocolate Orpington, who eats all flock pellets and oyster shell, and just a little peas or kale, cabbage etc, occasional plain Greek yogurt, and all the bugs and worms she can find except now that she’s sick. She’s just standing there and not looking for bugs and worms.

 

[Lillith37]

I know you can treat for coccidiosis safely at the same time as worming. Not sure about the giardia.

Is it very wet and warm where you are? Is your other hen showing symptoms? Do you keep them on the same earth all the time? How often do you clean their coop and run?

Check their crops in the morning to make sure they are empty. Do they lay eggs?

 

[Jenbirdee]

I know you can treat for coccidiosis safely at the same time as worming. Not sure about the giardia.

Is it very wet and warm where you are? Is your other hen showing symptoms? Do you keep them on the same earth all the time? How often do you clean their coop and run?

Check their crops in the morning to make sure they are empty. Do they lay eggs?

they do lay eggs
and she had a soft shell and a no shell recently
well there is a 50% chance it was her
my other hen is fine
I check their crops once or twice a week they've been fine
It has been raining a lot lately but not warm,
they have 3000 sq foot yard they run around in and its a hillside so the high ground is dryer than the low ground (ducks love the low ground)
I walk around a scoop poops 2 or 3 times daily
their little coop is always dry and clean for overnights
I did give her calcium citrate w/d3 twice recently for her eggshells
Last night I gave her 1 ml poultry cell
I noticed yesterday her crop feels full of water
but like I said she is drinking a ton

I found an old thread saying I can give the safeguard +metro+corid at same time (and even +baytrl if I needed to)
But I am wondering if the metro powder can be mixed in the same water bucket as the corid?

 

[Jenbirdee]

i just brought the two hens inside my hospital room and haven’t treated with anything yet but the sick one (her name is Henna) does have crop full of water. she could’ve been drinking overnight. There is water in their overnight coop. Also, yesterday I smelled her breath and it was fine.
@azygous @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

 

[Jenbirdee]

i’m going to give them some plain Greek yogurt and see if she eats any.

 

[Eggcessive]

I wouldn’t give metronidazole without a diagnosis. You cannot even get that one now for animals, except in a fish powder. Get a stool sample tested. Diarrhea is very common, and depends on what they are eating. Grown hens usually do not get coccidiosis, but it is possible. How is she acting? Is she puffed up, hunched, not eating or drinking? Corid is fairly safe to use if you think she has coccidiosis, but I prefer to offer probiotics and observe, then get a fecal float.

 

[Jenbirdee]

She was looking pretty bad not eat or drink, closed eyes, just standing still. she did not eat any yogurt, or drink. and then I gave her 1 ml 50/50 acv water with a syringe just a little in her beak at a time. I tried gentle massage downward her crop but she started spitting up so I put her down and then she vomited a lot of water and then she died!!

 

[ChasingChooks]

Oh, I'm so sorry about your hen!

 

[Lillith37]

I’m very sorry to hear about your hen
It sounds like it may have been some troubles relating to her eggs if she was laying soft shell or no shelled eggs. The diarrhoea might have been because she was drinking a lot and not because of parasites. I think if they spend all their day drinking it’s indicative that the kidneys have a problem.

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry that you lost her. If you would like to find out what was wrong with her, your state vet can perform a necropsy if you keep the body cold and take it is or ship it overnight. Here is a list of state vets including yours:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html