City Chicks and medicated feed: yes or no?

[SpinningJenny]

We have one chicken, Henrietta, and are expecting a clutch to hatch early next week. I'm prepping for their arrival and wanted to talk about feed!

Because I have been called "crunchy", and have been accused of being "Martha Stewart on steroids" or "Batman crossed with Betty Crocker" I thought I'd make my life even more complicated and try to make my own chicken feed and chick feed! I found TONS of info and recipes and protein calculators, but wonder a few things about DIY chick feed vs commercial chick starter... Specifically the benefits of medicated chick starter vs. unmedicated (DIY or commercial).

We live in the city of Chicago, and have a tiny (big by city standards) yard where the chicks will forage, and chances are low they'll be exposed to any common farm diseases so I figure they won't need medicated feed initially. Is this naive reasoning? Are diseases like the often mentioned coccidiosis and Mereck's (spelling?) common among any flock, even those with no exposure to other flocks or farm animals? I'm wondering what the medicated feed is good for and if it's advisable or necessary to start them on a commercial medicated feed considering their environment. What are your thoughts?

 

[Pork Pie]

Just my opinion but commercial chick feed will ensure that your chicks get the correct nutrition from the get go. I'll leave the issue of medicated feed to others - all chick feed is medicated where I live, so it's not an option.

Good luck
Ct

 

[SpinningJenny]

What is the "medicated" for? Is it just antibiotics?

 

[keesmom]

You would need to read the tag on the feed bag to be sure, but in most cases "medicated" feed does not contain antibiotics. It has amprolium, a thiamine blocker, which is used to prevent coccidiosis. That's all.