How to Treat Chicks with Diarrhea and Watery Droppings? A Guide to Medication Methods for Young Chicks
Young chicks refer to chickens from 0 to 50 days of age, when the chick's body has not yet developed well. If a chick has watery diarrhea, promptly refer to the content below in this article, and based on the shape of the watery droppings the chicken passes, determine the illness the chicken has, and promptly take corresponding treatment measures.
1. Distinguishing by Type of Diarrhea
(1) White watery droppings
Mostly caused by the intestinal mucosa secreting large amounts of intestinal fluid and increased urates. Nutritional factors or infectious diseases that cause kidney damage can all obstruct uric acid excretion, causing urates to increase, leading chickens to pass white watery droppings.
(2) Green watery droppings
A phenomenon at the terminal stage of serious illness. Due to complete loss of appetite, there is no content in the intestinal tract, the intestinal mucosa becomes inflamed, intestinal peristalsis accelerates, and mucosal fluid secretion increases. The green color is bile or a mixture of intestinal fluid.
(3) Watery thin droppings
The salt content in the feed is too high, for example when fishmeal is added, or when using a certain anticoccidial drug the salt content in the feed is raised, and when switching to another anticoccidial drug the salt content is not lowered in time. Under these circumstances, chickens will produce watery droppings due to ingesting large amounts of water. Some acute infectious diseases can also cause watery thin droppings.
(4) Brown or dark brown watery droppings
Mainly seen in intestinal hemorrhagic diseases. Bleeding in the posterior segment of the intestine produces brownish-red thin droppings, mainly seen in cecal coccidiosis. Bleeding in the anterior segment of the intestine produces dark brown droppings, commonly seen in small intestinal coccidiosis of young chickens or some acute infectious diseases and chronic poisoning diseases.
(5) Foamy watery droppings
The droppings are mucous in nature, mixed with small bubbles. Caused by the chicken house being too humid, cold and wind invasion, or riboflavin deficiency, where the intestinal contents ferment and produce gas that mixes into the droppings.
(6) Watery soft droppings
The droppings are plentiful and clear, surrounded by water, commonly seen in indigestion. Mostly caused by improper feed formulation or difficulty in digestion and other reasons.
2. Common Diseases of Diarrhea and Their Prevention and Treatment Methods
(1) Pullorum disease in young chicks
The peak incidence is mostly at 7 to 14 days of age. Affected chicks are depressed, averse to cold, trembling, with ruffled feathers, drooping wings, and decreased appetite and thirst. The most typical symptom is passing white pasty droppings like thick lime milk (pullorum), and once such droppings are excreted they coagulate into limestone-like material, blocking the cloaca. Chicks often die in large numbers due to systemic septicemia. Necropsy shows incomplete yolk absorption, white necrotic dots on the liver surface, and in slightly older diseased chicks the lungs have grayish-yellow nodules and gray hepatization.
Prevention and treatment: For individual severe chickens, oral norfloxacin or gentamicin; for the whole flock use Bacillus Pioneer each bottle (300 jin of water) + Zhili Powder (200 jin/bag) mixed into feed, for 5 consecutive days.
(2) Infectious bursal disease
Chickens 3 to 6 weeks of age are most susceptible. Chickens are averse to cold, draw in their heads, and pass white viscous and watery thin droppings. Necropsy lesions: hemorrhage in the leg and chest muscles, edema and hemorrhage of the bursa of Fabricius, strip-like hemorrhagic spots at the junction of the proventriculus and gizzard. The liver is generally not enlarged and is earth-yellow; after death, due to rib pressure marks it forms a striped pattern of alternating red and yellow, with infarct foci around the edges.
Prevention and treatment: Fuzheng Jiedu Powder (300 jin water/bottle) + Fuhuan (300 jin water/bottle) + kidney-clearing medicine, for 3-5 consecutive days.
(3) Fowl cholera
Generally occurs in adult chicken flocks. Diseased chickens often have severe diarrhea and pass grayish-white thin droppings. Necropsy: hemorrhagic spots densely distributed on the epicardium and coronary fat, a small amount of fluid in the pericardium, many grayish-white necrotic spots scattered on the liver surface, and prominent intestinal hemorrhage.
Prevention and treatment: Fuhuan (300 jin water/bottle) + Zhili Powder (150 jin feed/bag) mixed into feed
(4) Colibacillosis in young chicks
A few days after hatching, large numbers may die acutely. Chronic cases show severe diarrhea, with grayish-white droppings, and before death there are convulsions and circling movements. Necropsy shows enlarged yolk, and in slightly older chicks white fibrinous exudate can be seen covering the liver and heart.
Prevention and treatment: Fuhuan (300 jin water/bottle) + Lvyuanhong (300 jin water/bottle), simultaneously combined with Zhili Powder (150 jin feed/bag) mixed into feed
(5) Urate deposition
Chickens increase their water intake. Necropsy shows white urate deposition on the surface of the internal organs.
Prevention and treatment: Reduce the protein content in the feed; Shenzhining + baking soda in drinking water for 7-10 consecutive days.
(6) Virulent Newcastle disease
Passing fishy-smelling green droppings. When a chicken is held upside down, sour-smelling mucus flows from the crop. The chicken shows neurological symptoms such as head twisting and circling. Necropsy shows hemorrhage of the proventricular papillae, red-yellow ulcer foci and hemorrhagic spots visible in the intestinal tract, swelling and hemorrhage of the cecal tonsils, and brush-like hemorrhage of the cloaca.
Prevention and treatment: Zhike Powder + Fuhuan in drinking water, for 3-4 consecutive days. After two days, deaths will significantly decrease, and the flock's spirit and feed intake will rise.
(7) Low-pathogenicity avian influenza
Passing white and green thin droppings, with obvious respiratory symptoms. Necropsy shows the trachea reddened and purplish, hemorrhage of the proventricular papillae, diffuse intestinal hemorrhage, and congestion and hemorrhage of the egg follicles in laying hens.
Prevention and treatment: Zhike Powder + Fuhuan in drinking water, for 3-4 consecutive days. Respiratory symptoms lessen, and the flock's spirit and feed intake rise markedly.
(8) Infectious synovitis
Chickens progressively lose weight, grow and develop poorly, have swollen joints, and have difficulty walking. Necropsy shows jelly-like exudate in the hock joints.
Prevention and treatment: Fuhuan + Fuzheng Jiedu Powder in drinking water, for 3-4 consecutive days.
(9) Respiratory-type infectious bronchitis
When chickens cough they bring up mucus containing blood, and chickens stretch out their necks and open their mouths to breathe. Necropsy shows hemorrhagic mucus on the laryngeal and tracheal mucosa. Prevention and treatment: Zhike Powder + Fuhuan in drinking water, for 3-4 consecutive days. After two days the flock's respiratory symptoms will noticeably lessen.
Prevention and treatment: Zhike Powder (300 jin/bottle) + Lvyuanhong (300 jin water/bag) in drinking water, simultaneously combined with Shenzhining in drinking water at night, for 3-4 consecutive days. Generally after two days the flock's spirit will improve, feed intake will rise, and respiratory symptoms will lessen.
(10) Acute typhoid
Passing green or white droppings. Chickens are unwilling to move and stand upright in a penguin-like posture. Necropsy shows an enlarged purple liver.
Prevention and treatment: Fuhuan + norfloxacin in drinking water, for 3 consecutive days.
(11) Salt poisoning
When diarrhea occurs it is accompanied by increased water intake, mucus flowing from the mouth, and in severe cases circling, convulsions, and very rapid death, dying in piles.
Prevention and treatment: Glucose in drinking water.
(12) Kidney-type infectious bronchitis
Chickens 20 to 35 days of age are mostly affected. They pass watery thin droppings or white thin droppings, and water intake increases. Necropsy shows enlarged mottled kidneys with urate deposition.
Prevention and treatment: Fuzheng Jiedu Powder + Lvyuanhong in drinking water, simultaneously combined with Shenzhining in drinking water at night, for 5-7 consecutive days.
(13) Fowl paratyphoid
Initially porridge-like, later watery, with feces soiling the cloaca. Necropsy shows congestion and enlargement of the liver and spleen, the liver being copper-green, dry caseous cores in the ceca, and small intestinal hemorrhage.
Prevention and treatment: Fuhuan mixed into feed, simultaneously combined with Zhili Powder mixed into feed, for four consecutive days.
(14) Cecal coccidiosis
Mainly occurs in chicken flocks raised on litter on the ground. Chickens gradually lose weight and grow and develop poorly. Necropsy shows swollen ceca, and passing bloody droppings is the characteristic symptom of this disease.
Prevention and treatment: Changshun + penicillin + vitamin K3 in drinking water, double the dose for the first use. For four consecutive days.
(15) Small intestinal coccidiosis
The droppings are initially syrup-like thin droppings, and the chicken gradually loses weight. Necropsy shows small round dot-like hemorrhages on the wall of the duodenum and small intestine.
Prevention and treatment: Changshun + Shuqite in drinking water, simultaneously combined with Zhili Powder mixed into feed. For four consecutive days.
(16) Histomoniasis
Also known as blackhead disease or cecal hepatitis. Besides passing bloody droppings, necropsy shows an enlarged liver with round or irregular, rarely depressed necrotic foci on the liver surface; the necrotic foci are crater-like; the ceca are thickened and hemorrhagic, with caseous exudate inside forming a plug that when cut open shows concentric rings.
Prevention and treatment: Metronidazole or tinidazole mixed into feed, for 7 consecutive days
(17) Aflatoxin poisoning
Chickens' feed intake decreases, growth and development are poor, and egg production declines. Necropsy shows the liver is earth-yellow with hemorrhagic spots, and the kidneys are swollen.
Prevention and treatment: First replace the moldy feed, then add nystatin to the feed, and give glucose + vitamin C + electrolytes in drinking water. After 7-10 days, the flock will return to normal.
(18) Arsenic poisoning
The main manifestations are poor appetite, drooping wings, ruffled feathers, trembling of the neck muscles, head tilted to one side, mucus flowing from the mouth, comb turning purple, body temperature dropping, and passing bloody thin droppings. Necropsy: gastrointestinal hemorrhage, fatty degeneration of the liver and kidneys.
Prevention and treatment: First find out the cause, then add glucose + vitamin C + electrolytes to the drinking water. After 7 consecutive days the flock returns to normal.