After My Chicks Arrive, What Do I Do To Care For Them Properly?

[3riverschick]

Naturewise (by Cargill) makes a good medicated chick crumble. As with all the brands I have seen, the feeding schedule is printed on the bag. Gary is right about not feeding layer feed to chicks.
Best,
Karen

 

[cmom]

I feed my chicks medicated Starter or starter/grower until they start to lay then I switch them over to Layer. Different people do it different and some won't use medicated feed. The medicated feed is medicated (with Amprolium) which helps the chicks develop an immunity which helps limit the incidence of coccidiosis in young birds. Coccidiosis is an intestinal parasite that is widely spread and found just about everywhere. It multiplies rapidly in the gut and then appears in the feces. As chicks scratch and peck they ingest the coccidiosis from the feces and become infected. Symptoms of infected chicks are a red or orange tint to the feces, a drop in feed consumption and lethargy. This disease can quickly infect your whole group of birds and is often fatal if untreated; Coccidiosis is one of the leading causes of death in baby chicks. One way to help protect your birds against this disease is to feed a medicated chick starter.