Are store-bought poultry (chicken and turkey) fed medicated chick feed

[emartin]

Wasn't sure where to ask this question since there was a "General Discussion" or "General Poultry" section...
Anyway...:

Are store-bought poultry (chicken and turkey) fed medicated chick feed when they are chicks?

Just wondering since it is recommended when you buy chicks to feed them medicated feed for a few weeks.

And what about the hens store eggs are from?


Just wondering since I have a family member that is uneasy about eating our eggs since the hens as chicks were fed medicated feed.


ALSO.... How does the Amprolium degrade once it is digested and passed into waste? Is is bio-degradable? Or does it just have a half-life like some meds and decompose on its own over time?

Just wondering since in our front yard flower garden last year we put some of the pine shavings and chick droppings up there as mulch without thinking about the medication that was in the feed, and since that is the south side of the house we'd like to plant some watermelon or corn there.


Thanks in advance.

 

[Buster52]

Yes, they are, but then they have to be because they are raised in such high concentration that there would be very heavy losses if they didn't.

I wouldn't know the answer to the rest of your questions because I don't premedicate my birds. It isn't necessary in a healthy environment, IMO.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

There is medicated gamebird starter, but I'm not sure if it's the same kind or amount of medication as is in medicated chick starter.

 

[scubaforlife]

Store bought have medication their entire lives. Watch Food Inc.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
If it's in a movie is must be fact right?

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Quote:
If it's in a movie is must be fact right?

thank you!

 

[raimnel]

how can they be...... are not the meds passed to people when they consume the chicken or the eggs? some people are deathly alergic to meds........ ETA - my feed mill told me that if I sell meat/eggs from birds that eat medicated feed and someone has an allergic reaction to it, they can sue ME!!!!

can 1 bag of medicated feed fed to chicks stay with them till butcher (broilers age 9 weeks) or into the eggs when their laying at 20-30 weeks old (nonbroilers)?????

 

[AHappychick]

no but ask any chicken farmer and they will often tell you the regiment of antibiotics, bleach and other things they have to do in order to have the factory type chicken farms.

Yes all that are not labled as organic have has some sort of medicine in them at one time, or another and in some cases the whole time they are alive.

as for Food inc there is more truth in that film than fiction. I would like to see anyone disprove any of it with real facts.

As for amprol it is essentially a vitamin B blocker so as far as dangerous it is probably the least harmful.

Frankly I stay away from feed that is not organic and although I have used amprol a few times I always opt for powdered milk and natural cures first.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

this is what I have learned about amprolium . . . that said I am not a scientist and it ALL could be wrong.
Amprolium is not an antibiotic therefor the food industry and we can say that we have antibiotic free meat and eggs.
Amprolium works by disallowing the absorbtion of the coccidisat bacteria in the gut. I have also heard that it slows the absorbtion of B vitamins. As I said previously ALL of that could be wrong . . . the guy at First state vet supply seems very knowledgeable and if you wanted more information I would contact him or the avian vets at your local university.

Personally I do feed the medicated starter. I used to also treat for cocci when it would show up. However I have stopped doing that.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
I always wonder why everyone is so quick to take what a movie says as fact. Anyone can find "facts" to support what they want to say.

Our state Farm Bureau put together a panel rebuttle to the movie. I thought it was a very fair discussion of the movie....both the pros and the cons of what the movie showed. I'll have to see if there's a link to it online.

A national farm women's group put together a very interesting rebuttal to the film and it's "facts" too. I thought I had saved that link because I didn't have time to read it all, but now I can't find it. I'll do some searching and see if I can come up with it.