Can we eat eggs from a hen still on starter?

[PhoenixPhlock]

We have three hens in our backyard, and one of them just laid her first egg this morning. Yay!

Here's the question:

Can we eat eggs from her even though she is still eating Start & Grow? It is medicated and made by Purina. The label says the active ingredient is Amprolium 0.0125%. They also free range during the day around the backyard. I have tried to find the information myself, but have not been successful. Any tips would be helpful. I still have half a bag, and would hate to waste it, but will in a heartbeat.

I can't believe we finally have a perfect little egg. Made right in our backyard!

 

[canada-goose]

Go ahead. A little medicated feed never hurt anyone.
Enjoy the egg!

 

[AHappychick]

yes but I would take them off the starter now, as far a I know people dont use the medicated nearly that long although I am sure it did not hurt them.

 

[PhoenixPhlock]

Must it be refrigerated immediately? How long can they stay at room temperature?

 

[Akane]

Unless you are highly allergic to antibiotics there should be no risk. Amprolium is not dangerous unless you are allergic and very little if any would get in an egg. Also it has a very short period before it's completely gone from the body so even if you don't want to eat eggs from a hen on medicated feed in 3 to 4 days of feeding something else it will be gone. It isn't healthy for the chicken though to leave them on medicated feed that long.

Eggs can sit at room temp for at least weeks and often months without going bad.

 

[ella]

Congrats! It's totally fine to eat the egg. Amprolium is not an antibiotic and there is no withdrawl time.

 

[Akane]

Actually it does have a withdrawal period. I did not keep the link to the document but it's around 3-4days for meat chickens if using medicated feed. In calves the slaughter withdrawal is 24hours. If giving higher levels of amprolium than found in poultry feed the withdrawal period for an egg can be up to 19days. The abstract I read that from was a study to determine the risk of thiamine deficiency (amprolium works by blocking the use of thiamine by the cocci organisms) in infants eating eggs from chickens given amprolium. That long of period is only if giving much higher doses than found in medicated feed. Potential for thiamine deficiency is the reason feeding medicated feed for too long is bad. There was also a several page document online put out by the The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products with studies done on other animals to find the safe range of amprolium for everything from mice to beagles and it took about 48hours for most animals before the levels were untestable in everything but certain internal organs like the liver.

 

[silkiechicken]

You can leave an egg out for weeks and still eat it.

As far as alergies, it's the sulfa based drugs that people worry about. Unless you are constantly eating the feed yourself, the levels are so low you aren't going to go deficient.

 

[ella]

I read that article Akane. I believe that was a medical trial as you said involving much higher doses than found in feed. It doesn't apply to eating eggs from hens fed amprolium medicated feed.

Too much of anything is not a good thing, that includes B vitamins.