Even with medicated chick feed, my chicks last year developed tough cases of cocci. Amprolium is not an antibiotic, it only blocks the b-vitamin that the oocycsts live off of; it does not prevent cocci entirely sometimes, but helps the baby's system to not be overwhelmed by it. YET, mine always got it last year, even with tilling the ground in the grow out pen. This year, I limed it to see if I could change the pH of the soil a bit and have raw goat's milk at the ready for an outbreak. I do not like antibiotics in the feed, period, though because of monetary issues, I've been using Tucker Milling chick starter/grower lately because it's a full $5 cheaper per 50# than some others. I think it has bacitracin in it. Antibiotics are useless for prevention, IMO, though some are using them for that, case in point, in some chick starters.
If you've seen a chick die or become very ill from cocci, you'll want to do everything you can to prevent it.
If you've seen a chick die or become very ill from cocci, you'll want to do everything you can to prevent it.
