When Our Rooster Got Sick: What We Learned About Coccidiosis in Chickens

Life with animals means a lot of surprises. Some are sweet and funny, like when the geese start shrieking alerts because the cat startled them, and some are harder — like when one of your birds suddenly looks sick and you don’t know why.

Recently, one of our roosters started acting off. He wasn’t eating much, and instead of scratching around with the others, he just sat puffed up, feathers ruffled, looking miserable. His comb looked pale, and before long his droppings turned runny. A little research later, we realized we were dealing with something called coccidiosis in chickens.

What is Coccidiosis?

Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease caused by microscopic organisms called coccidia. These parasites live in the soil and spread easily in coops, especially in damp or dirty conditions. They can also come from wild birds. Chickens pick them up when they peck at contaminated food, water, or droppings. 

It mostly affects young birds, but adults can get it too. If it isn’t treated, it can be deadly. Luckily, if you catch it early, you can usually turn things around.

Symptoms of Coccidiosis in Chickens

In our rooster’s case, the warning signs came all at once:

• Lethargy — sitting away from the flock, not moving much
• Ruffled feathers — looking puffed up and uncomfortable
• Loss of appetite
• Pale comb and wattles
• Loose, sometimes bloody droppings

Chickens are notoriously good at hiding illness, so by the time you notice something is wrong, they often need immediate attention.

How We Treated Him

Here’s what worked for us:

1. Isolation — First, we moved him away from the other birds. This kept the flock safer and made sure he didn’t have to compete for food or water.
2. Medication — Because coccidiosis can quickly spread through an entire flock, we treated not just the sick rooster but all of our chickens. We added CORID (amprolium) to every waterer so each bird would get a proper dose. This is one of the standard, most effective ways to fight the parasite.
3. Supportive care — We gave him VetRx to help with general wellness and applied Curicyn eye care when his eyes looked irritated.

It took a few days, but he started perking up. His appetite returned, he became more active, and before long he was ready to rejoin the rest of the flock.

Preventing Coccidiosis in Backyard Chickens

Treating coccidiosis is doable, but prevention is always better. Here are some simple steps to lower your flock’s risk:

• Keep bedding clean and dry (moisture helps the parasites spread).
• Rotate pasture or run areas if you can.
• Make sure your birds get good nutrition to keep their immune systems strong.
• Pay close attention to changes in behavior — early signs are easy to miss if you’re not watching.

Caring for animals comes with plenty of challenges, but each one teaches us something new. Our rooster’s bout with coccidiosis reminded us how important it is to notice the little things — because sometimes those small changes are the first clue your flock needs help.

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