Medicated chick feed

[packinpreacher]

Hi all. Haven't been on the site for a while. I recieved 21 chicks by mail on the 19th of this month. When I went to purchase my chick starter, I wa surprised to find that medicated chick starter was no longer available. Whats up with this? Can anybody shed light on this? They all appear to be doing fine; feeding a 20% chick starter. Gave them electrolytes the first day. Have never raised chicks without medicated feed. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Chirpy the chicken]

https://www.google.co.uk/shopping/product/1495162197562502847?q=medicated+chicken+feed&rlz=1CASMAE_enGB714GB714&biw=1366&bih=654&prds=paur:ClkAsKraX8vYxSwo6VEXn5_lS4RR9UKfEfGzOHMq40zWGiJBhTn6p9ba2Tdvts-oBa2PzXU-yy5UI5fzwvKcUFCdB1tC8mr65CTEvHlgaG6_M_h0HrCI3Tt1XRIZAFPVH72pg0UPYhaRIa7awIdYx14ZYbAYag&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjo6-z_0o7XAhUEb1AKHc4sB1sQ8wIIyQIwAQ try this

 

[chickens really]

Location?....

 

[packinpreacher]

Located in Kansas.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll copy something about this that I wrote a few years back, I think it has good info in it for you, but people have been raising chicks for thousands of years without medicated feed. The ancient Egyptians in the time of the pharaohs were incubating and raising chicks.


First you need to know what the "medicated" is in the medicated feed. It should be on the label. Usually it is Amprolium, Amprol, some such product, but until you read the label, you really don't know. Every "medicated' feed I'm aware of from major brands for chicks that will be layers uses Amprolium, but people on this forum that I trust have posted hat some feeds for broilers have things other than Amprolium. I'll assume it is an Amprolium product, but if it is not, then realize everything I say about it may not apply. And it is possible that the "medicated" is Amprolium AND something else.


Amprol is not an antibiotic. It does not kill anything. It inhibits the protozoa that cause coccidiosis (often called Cocci on this forum) from multiplying in the chicken's system. It does not prevent the protozoa from multiplying; it just slows that multiplication down. There are several different strains of protozoa that can cause Cocci, some more severe than others. Chickens can develop immunity to a specific strain of the protozoa, but that does not give them immunity to all protozoa that cause Cocci. Little bitty tiny baby chicks can develop that immunity easier than older chickens.


It is not a big deal for the chicken’s intestines to contain some of the protozoa that cause Cocci. The problem comes in when the number of those protozoa gets huge. The protozoa can multiply in the chicken’s intestines but also in wet manure. Different protozoa strains have different strengths, but for almost all cases, if you keep the brooder dry, you will not have a problem.


To develop immunity to a specific strain, that protozoa needs to be in the chicks intestines for two or three weeks. The normal sequence is that a chick has the protozoa. It poops and some of the cysts that develop the protozoa come out in the poop. If the poop is slightly damp, those cysts develop and will then develop in the chick's intestines when the chicks eat that poop. This cycle needs go on for a few weeks so all chicks are exposed and they are exposed long enough to develop immunity. A couple of important points here. You do need to watch them to see if they are getting sick. And the key is to keep the brooder dry yet allow some of the poop to stay damp. Not soaking wet, just barely damp. Wet poop can lead to serious problems.


What sometimes happens is that people keep chicks in a brooder and feed them medicated feed while they are in the brooder. Those chicks are never exposed to the Cocci protozoa that lives in the dirt in their run, so they never develop the immunity to it. Then, they are switched to non-medicated feed and put on the ground where they are for the first time exposed to the protozoa. They do not have immunity, they do not have the protection of the medicated feed, so they get sick. Feeding medicated feed while in the brooder was a complete waste.


I do not feed medicated feed. I keep the brooder dry to not allow the protozoa to breed uncontrollably. The third day that they are in the brooder, I take a scoop of dirt from the run and feed it to them so I can introduce the protozoa and they can develop the immunity they need to the strain they need to develop an immunity to. To provide a place for that slightly damp poop, I keep a square of plywood in the dry brooder and let the poop build up on that. I don't lose chicks to Cocci when they hit the ground.


There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding medicated feed to chicks, whether the protozoa are present or not. It will not hurt them. They can still develop the immunity they need. But unless the protozoa are present, it also does no good.


If you get your chicks vaccinated for Cocci, do not feed medicated feed. It can negate the vaccinations.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

I don't ever use medicated feed. I get chicks from a hatchery also, and I don't even give them stuff in the water. They always do just fine on regular chick starter. I believe it's better for them.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

I agree with Ridge runners post.

 

[lazy gardener]

Never used medicated feed. Refused to buy it. Never had issue with cocci. I build natural immunity by providing a plug of sod (from untreated lawn) or a dish of soil from my yard.

 

[Folly's place]

Some places have no real issues with coccidiosis, and some places (sometimes right down the road!) will have big problems, and need to feed amprolium medicated chick starter.
It's never wrong to feed it for ten weeks or so, and can save lives, if your property is overendowed with coccidia in the soil. Some folks find out the hard way, when they have dead/ dying young birds. I've never had issues here, but that's not a blanket recommendation for everyone!!! Mary

 

[Titan Farm]

I don't use a medicated feed, if I feel the need to treat chicks/birds I treat there water/feed myself.

As for coccidistat in chick starter there are two that come to mind one is Amprolium which can go by the trade names Corid and Amprovine, and Amprol. The second would be Lasalocid and can go by the trade names Bovatec and Bovatec (lasalocid) is a coccidiocide that kills coccidia.
Now there are some feeds mostly broiler feeds that contain a product called Bacitracin (BMD). Bacitracin is used to improve feed efficiency and rate of weight of weight gain.