Being these were our first chickens since I was a child{ A long time ago}
I assumed the lady at the feed store knew what she was talking about and we had followed her advice since because we wanted to do what was best for the chicks. She seemed like she knew alot about them. She told us no medicated food for bantams, and Ameraucanas. They are started on unmedicated game starter. She got us the bag for these and the medicated feed for the Orps and Brahmas. She also mentioned they don't normally vaccinate bantams. I am going to try to find out if our two standard breeds were vaccinated. The Silkies were purchased from a breeder with really nice birds and we totally fell in love with them. He had told us unmedicated so I was thinking, about what they lady at the feed store said so it must be right.
I am really worried about Mareks. It seems as if the symtoms fit, but she does not have the eye symtom. She is fighting and trying really hard now to rally and eat and drink. I have to hold her up and am feeding her with a spoon which she is eating good from. She will take small pieces of scrambled egg from my hand. She seems to have lost weight. I am getting the fecal done as soon as my vet is in and getting the coccidia meds just in case to have on hand for the others as well. I have read lots on mareks now and see two different schools of thought on it so it is alot to think about. WE have Silkies, Ameraucanas {EEs} and a couple Orps and Brahmas. We love them all, each breed is a little different and dear to us. We are so worried now we could lose them all or many of them. I will look into the vaccines and am wondering about the B factors in some chickens blood that makes them resistant. Those are probably the ones nature would want to survive to breed stronger resistant birds. I was reading that vaccines do not prevent the disease just the symtoms but it will continue to be spread by vaccinated birds though they show no symtoms.
But I do not want to lose birds we love either so I will give this some deep thought. I will now feed the medicated feed to any future chicks of any breed. I am glad I found this forum and was really happy to see we are not the only people who are crazy about chickens.