medicated feed

[mobe_45]

I got some chick starter from the local coop. It was medicated. How long should I feed the chicks this before going to unmedicated? This is the first time I have ever had medicated feed.

 

[Folly's place]

Amprolium in the chick starter helps the babies cope with coccidia without getting sick, and should be fed for about six weeks, and then gradually shift to a non-medicated grower ration. Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Check the label. It probably is Amprolium but there are a few medicated feeds that contain something else or Amprolium along with something else. When dealing with medicines I like to know what I’m dealing with for sure, not guessing.

The dosage of Amprolium in medicated feed is a preventative, not a cure. Amprolium is not an antibiotic but is a thiamine inhibitor. It interferes with the reproduction of the bug that causes Coccidiosis. It’s not a problem for some of the bugs that cause Coccidiosis to be in the chick’s guts. In two to three weeks the chick will develop an immunity to that specific bug so having some in its system is a good thing. It’s when the number of bugs get out of hand that the problems occur. The dosage of Amprolium in medicated feed allows a few of those bugs to reproduce so the chick can develop immunity but greatly reduces the chance of the number of those bugs to get out of hand.

That Coccidiosis bug really thrives in wet warm conditions. Whether you feed medicated feed or not, keeping the brooder fairly dry and the water clean will usually prevent an outbreak of Coccidiosis. Some strains of that bug are stronger than others so it can still happen but it is a lot less likely. Feeding medicated feed does not harm the chick at all. I don’t use it but many people do.

Feeding medicated feed if that bug has not been introduce to the chick’s system does absolutely no good at all. If that bug is not there the Amprolium is not going to restrict its reproduction obviously. The chick will not develop immunity since it has not been exposed to the bug. An all too common occurrence on this forum is that someone feeds medicated feed to chicks in a brooder but those chicks are never exposed to that bug. They don’t develop immunity. Then when the chicks leave the brooder and hit the ground where that bug can live, they stop the medicated feed. Then they indignantly post on here about how the medicated feed doesn’t work because their chicks had an attack of Coccidiosis. Medicated feed works fine but you have to use it right.

So how do you use it right? If you have the bug it is in your ground. Not everyone has it but it is pretty common, especially in damp soil like around some waterers.. Introduce your chicks to the dirt they will eventually live on. Take them out for day trips so they can peck at the dirt. I take dirt from my run and feed it to the chicks in the brooder every three or four days to keep a steady supply of that bug in their system so they can develop immunity. I keep my brooder so dry I have to constantly reintroduce that bug. No matter how you introduce that bug, feed the chicks medicated feed for at least three weeks. Longer doesn’t hurt. They will develop immunity and are good to go.