JazzysChicks
In the Brooder
My chicks will arrive around the 10th of Feb. I am having them vaccinated for Merek's from the hatchery. Do I need to feed them medicated Chick starter feed or non-medicated?
What type of feed?
- Thread starter JazzysChicks
- Start date
That is a personal preference. The medicated feed is primarily used as a preventative to coccidiosis. Many people do not feel the need to use medicated, some prefer it. I myself feed them the medicated after hatch and once that bag is gone I switch over to regular starter crumbles.
Yes, it's totally personal preference: do your own homework, and make your decision based on that. The medication usually used is a Thiamine blocker, which blocks the uptake of Thiamine in the coccidiosis organism so it can't replicate. Thiamine is an important nutrient for the chick as well as the cocci. Coccidiosis is in all soils. All chickens will be exposed to it if they are allowed ground contact. A chicken with a healthy immune system will have well balanced gut flora, and will be very unlikely to get sick with coccidiosis. The natural approach would be to expose those chicks to the soils in your yard soon after getting them settled into the brooder. (Wait until after they've figured out what the food dish is all about and they regularly have full crops.) You can do this by giving them a clump of sod to scratch around in. They will go crazy over it, and devour it. Be sure there are no LONG grass sprouts on it, and be sure the sod hasn't been treated with herbicides or pesticides.
Feed them medicated unless you vaccinate them for Coccidiosis. If they have been vaccinated against Coccidiosis do not feed them medicated feed because the anti Coccidiosis factor in medicated feed will render the vaccination useless. Hope that this helps.
- Jan 9, 2015
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I agree with the others personal preference..I was going to go non medicated but my little tykes do not have a vaccine for Coccidiosis. Tractor supply had no corid in stock within the area so I opted for medicated to start with..Couple days ago Tractor supply had corid come in so I got a pouch and organic feed. Which I am mixing the organic chick starter feed with the remainder of the medicated feed now. I felt unsure of feeding non medicated without a place to buy corid if i needed it..So that is what i felt comfortable with.
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