How to Treat Coccidiosis Organically in Chickens

Agric4Profits March 23, 2023May 28, 2023 0 Comments Poultry

Coccidiosis can be treated organically using some proven natural materials at a particular rate of application. Coccidiosis in poultry chicken is an acute poultry disease that renders farmer helpless; this disease can ravage a large flock of chickens within a few days of infection.

As an organic farmer, you have two ways of coccidiosis treatment in chickens disease without using synthetic drugs:

Proper litter or bedding management
Use of herbal medications.

Proper litter management is one of the organic ways of controlling coccidiosis in poultry.

Although, it is one of the ways of preventing coccidiosis in poultry; this method can also be termed organic treatment of coccidiosis because it involves no use of coccidiosis drugs; it is just a method that makes the immediate environment of the birds unfit for the survival of the pathogen causing coccidiosis diseases.

Causes of Coccidiosis in Poultry Farming

It is very imperative you know the causes of coccidiosis before finding ways to prevent it. Knowing the causes of this disease is the first line of organic treatment of coccidiosis in poultry. Coccidiosis is a protozoan disease caused by Eimeria spp.

There are about 7 species but only 5 are common. Of these 5, Eimeria tenella is more fervent and common in poultry. The pathogen that causes coccidiosis, coccidia, thrive best in a wet litter or bedding material; the chickens pick and ingest the pathogen from the litter material.

After ingestion, the coccidia multiplies in the chicken’s system. The coccidia produces eggs, which are passed out from the chickens as droppings; other chickens pick up the eggs and the cycle continues.

Coccidiosis is very common with young chickens between the ages of 4 and 6 weeks; these chickens are in there brooding and rearing stages, hence, they have direct contact with the litter or bedding material. Caged chickens are rarely infected by coccidiosis because they do not have direct contact with the beddings.

If you are brooding day-old chicks or rearing chickens in deep litter system, you need to take good care of your bedding materials. Ensure they are not wet and are regularly changed; I do recommend every week but every two weeks is not bad too. The earlier, the better.

Symptoms of Coccidiosis in Poultry Farming

Symptoms are the indicators of diseases; chickens show arrays of symptoms when diseased. Common symptoms of poultry diseases are:

Loss of appetite
Reduced feed intake
Emaciation

These are general symptoms of diseases in poultry. The major sign of coccidiosis in poultry is bloodstains in the droppings of the chickens.

Another operational tool you need as a poultry farmer is “close observation”. Before feeding your chickens and carrying out other management practices in the morning, walk around the pen to determine the color, texture, and size of the chicken’s drooping.

If you have over 200 birds in a pen and you observe just one bloodstained dropping, quickly change the bedding and treat the chickens for coccidiosis.

Coccidiosis can be controlled on early detection of this feaces but in most cases, mortality makes most poultry farmers conscious of coccidiosis.

Organic Treatment of Coccidiosis in Chickens

When you observe bloodstains in the droppings of your chickens, it is a sure sign of coccidiosis. You can treat coccidiosis organically using these ingredients:

Bitter leaf
Garlic
Lime
Cayenne pepper

These are the natural ingredients needed to make organic medicine for coccidiosis in poultry. Blend 500 grams of garlic, 2 peeled lime, 30 grams of cayenne pepper and 200 grams of bitter leaves, all in 2 liters of water. Strain the mixture and collect the liquid portion separately.

Dosage: To treat coccidiosis naturally, serve at 10ml per liter of drinking water for 5 days consecutively, and then change the bedding material.

However, you can serve occasionally for prevention, maybe weekly, at a rate of 3ml per liter of drinking water.

Coccidiosis is best treated naturally by adopting preventive measures such as; keeping the bedding material dry always, changing the bedding material regularly and using this organic treatment on a scheduled basis. If possible, fumigation of the pen and bedding should be done before stocking and brooding. It kills the Coccidia present in the poultry house.

Am sure by now that you must be aware of the coccidiosis treatment in chickens and how to go about them.

Read Also: Feed And Nutrition Management for Cattle