consuming eggs during treatment with amprolium

[Colette Waddell]

Hi Everyone,
I am a new member but have been keeping chickens for about five years. I am currently treating my flock, for the first time, for coccidia (spelling?). My question is, can I consume the eggs my girls are laying while I treat them? I've been putting two teaspoons of Cordid, (amprolium), in every gallon of water I give them. I was told by my local farm supply store that the "pasty butt" my girls have struggled with lately might have to do with coccidia that is spread by the wild birds who visit the chicken yard. I have also treated them for mites by spraying their butts with essential oils, then dusting the same area with diatomaceous earth.

Any suggestions or answers would be greatly appreciated!
Colette in Southern Oregon

 

[Then I Will]

Hi Colette,

When medicating with non-natural meds, things that aren't honey/garlic/vinegar/pumpkin seeds/etc-- it's always best to not eat the eggs.

The Corrid medication fr Coccidiosis is only a thymine blocker, but it could potentially have other ingredients that you wouldn't want to consume. The package may have some more info on how long to not use the animal byproduct after dosing. It's usually a two week window.

The way I decide-- If i don't want to dump the medication I'm giving the bird down my own throat, I don't want to eat the eggs.
I hope this helps,

 

[Colette Waddell]

Hi Colette,

When medicating with non-natural meds, things that aren't honey/garlic/vinegar/pumpkin seeds/etc-- it's always best to not eat the eggs.

The Corrid medication fr Coccidiosis is only a thymine blocker, but it could potentially have other ingredients that you wouldn't want to consume. The package may have some more info on how long to not use the animal byproduct after dosing. It's usually a two week window.

The way I decide-- If i don't want to dump the medication I'm giving the bird down my own throat, I don't want to eat the eggs.
I hope this helps,

Thanks so much! I actually have been eating the eggs but I will stop now. I just hate to discard the dozens that my girls continue to lay in spite of the fact that it's winter here

 

[rebrascora]

If your girls are actively laying then it is unlikely that they are suffering from coccidiosis.
Coccidia occur pretty much everywhere and all chickens have them in their gut. As chicks, they gradually develop resistance to the strains they are exposed to that usually lasts a lifetime, but a change of location can expose them to new strains that they have not developed resistance to or some other health issue suppresses their immune system and the coccidia start to multiply and get out of hand. The bird will usually start to look sick, stand around looking hunched, perhaps go off their food and may have loose, mucous like or bloody stools. This is referred to as Coccidiosis.
I know that here in the UK there is a 2 week withdrawal period for meat from chickens that have been fed "medicated feed" which is a much lower dose of amprolium than the "treatment" level of Corid you are giving your hens, so I would be wary of eating them, especially if you are not fit and healthy yourself. There is the possibility that the active ingredient may have a detrimental effect on other medication that a person has been prescribed if it travels through to the egg.

If you are concerned about wasting them, scramble them and feed them back to your hens. They will love you for it but there may be protests when the treatment period is over and they no longer get their eggy treats!

My feeling would be that you have some other issue than coccidiosis if the hens are acting normal and churning out plenty of eggs.

I'm not sure how effective essential oils and DE will be against an outbreak of mites.... are you sure it is mites and not lice? Mites live in the cracks and crevices of the coop and climb onto the chickens at night to suck their blood. Lice live and breed on the chickens and do not suck blood but are very irritating. It is important to thoroughly clean out and treat the coop as well as the birds.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Hi Everyone,
I am a new member but have been keeping chickens for about five years. I am currently treating my flock, for the first time, for coccidia (spelling?). My question is, can I consume the eggs my girls are laying while I treat them? I've been putting two teaspoons of Cordid, (amprolium), in every gallon of water I give them. I was told by my local farm supply store that the "pasty butt" my girls have struggled with lately might have to do with coccidia that is spread by the wild birds who visit the chicken yard. I have also treated them for mites by spraying their butts with essential oils, then dusting the same area with diatomaceous earth.

Any suggestions or answers would be greatly appreciated!
Colette in Southern Oregon

Just not worth risking it. We have the luxury of having multiple pens. So we treat only one pen at a time, thus the egg flow is not interrupted. As well as only treat effected flock members. Only if symptoms are present. The strain could build a resistance against treatment with misuse.
The post I quoted below is excellent. Words to follow and believe in. Toss your eggs until the end of the withdrawal period. A couple weeks of consuming store bought eggs will make you appreciate how good your fresh back yard eggs really.are.

If your girls are actively laying then it is unlikely that they are suffering from coccidiosis.
Coccidia occur pretty much everywhere and all chickens have them in their gut. As chicks, they gradually develop resistance to the strains they are exposed to that usually lasts a lifetime, but a change of location can expose them to new strains that they have not developed resistance to or some other health issue suppresses their immune system and the coccidia start to multiply and get out of hand. The bird will usually start to look sick, stand around looking hunched, perhaps go off their food and may have loose, mucous like or bloody stools. This is referred to as Coccidiosis.
I know that here in the UK there is a 2 week withdrawal period for meat from chickens that have been fed "medicated feed" which is a much lower dose of amprolium than the "treatment" level of Corid you are giving your hens, so I would be wary of eating them, especially if you are not fit and healthy yourself. There is the possibility that the active ingredient may have a detrimental effect on other medication that a person has been prescribed if it travels through to the egg.

If you are concerned about wasting them, scramble them and feed them back to your hens. They will love you for it but there may be protests when the treatment period is over and they no longer get their eggy treats!

My feeling would be that you have some other issue than coccidiosis if the hens are acting normal and churning out plenty of eggs.

I'm not sure how effective essential oils and DE will be against an outbreak of mites.... are you sure it is mites and not lice? Mites live in the cracks and crevices of the coop and climb onto the chickens at night to suck their blood. Lice live and breed on the chickens and do not suck blood but are very irritating. It is important to thoroughly clean out and treat the coop as well as the birds.

 

[Colette Waddell]

Thanks to everyone for your sound advice! I have stayed away from the eggs and will be feeding them, scrambled, to my flock for two weeks. I'm still unsure if I should even be treating, except that I did have one with symptoms last month and feel the Coccidia may truly be present to some extent. Anyway, I'll be researching more on this and will share if anyone is interested. So grateful to have this group for feedback!