Medicated Starter Feed Question

[ccat1]

I have 6 chicks, about 7 weeks old. Very healthy and doing well.
I have been reading a lot about when to take them off Medicated Starter feed, and found the "medicated" is mainly for coccidiosis, My research shows most wisdom says not to feed them layer feed until they start laying.
Should I switch their feed to something else or keep with the Medicated Starter feed until they are around laying age?
Thank you so much for the advice.
Also..........I still have the chicks in my shop in a fairly good sized pen but know they need to get outside in the "bigger chicks" run. I can separate them for a month or so, but wanted to know if I can't give them a heat source, will they be able to handle the cool nights here in Northern Alabama? We still have some 30's predicted for the next week or so.
Thanks again

 

[SueT]

I have 6 chicks, about 7 weeks old. Very healthy and doing well.
I have been reading a lot about when to take them off Medicated Starter feed, and found the "medicated" is mainly for coccidiosis, My research shows most wisdom says not to feed them layer feed until they start laying.
Should I switch their feed to something else or keep with the Medicated Starter feed until they are around laying age?
Thank you so much for the advice.
Also..........I still have the chicks in my shop in a fairly good sized pen but know they need to get outside in the "bigger chicks" run. I can separate them for a month or so, but wanted to know if I can't give them a heat source, will they be able to handle the cool nights here in Northern Alabama? We still have some 30's predicted for the next week or so.
Thanks again

At 7 weeks, they will be absolutely fine with cold nights outside. I move mine out at 4-5 weeks and it's colder here than where you are.
When you move them out, this will be their greatest chance for exposure to coccidiosis, so you might as well keep feeding the medicated feed. Feed is perishable, use it up.
(I myself don't feed medicated feed, but that's another subject on which many many threads have been written. I don't recommend either for or against it, I leave that to the pundits. )

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree. At 7 weeks they should be fine in those temperatures.

I'll copy something I wrote about medicated feed a long time back. It might help you understand how "medicated feed" works and help you decide how you want to use it.

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 that 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.

Now back to your specific situation, assuming it is Amprolium. There is no withdrawal period for chickens with either eggs or meat. It will not hurt them and if you eat the eggs or meat it will not hurt you. You can continue feeding it until the bag runs out or even get more if you want. You can feed it to your laying hens if you wish. It won't hurt you or them.

But that brings up the calcium question. Your hens need a certain amount of calcium for their egg shells. Excess calcium has been shown to potentially harm growing chickens. If you are integrating them they will eat each other's feed. The way many of us solve that is to feed them all the same thing, a fairly low-calcium feed like Grower, Flock Raiser, Starter, whatever. And offer Oyster shell on the side. The ones that need the calcium for their egg shells seem to know that and eat enough oyster shell. The ones that don't need the excess calcium don't eat enough oyster shell to harm themselves.

 

[chickens really]

They can be switched over to a Grower finisher feed that's not medicated. As far as cold temps go. You can provide shavings and straw to huddle into at night. As long as they don't get drafts they won't be harmed in the Coop.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes you can feed medicated feed until you switch over to layer feed.
Remember you shouldn't feed layer feed to the males.
How old are the chicks you want to move?

 

[ccat1]

Yes you can feed medicated feed until you switch over to layer feed.
Remember you shouldn't feed layer feed to the males.
How old are the chicks you want to move?

These chicks are about 7 weeks old.
Thank you all for the advice/wisdom. Ridgerunnner, that was a great piece you wrote and very interesting. I learned a lot from it.
I will make plans to move the chicks to the run next week and will keep them fenced off from the older 3 Marans that are already there. Those are going on 5 years old.
I'll build a nice but temporary hutch for them to get in the dry at night and roost.
Thanks again yall