Corid as a preventative?

[emilyenorris]

I have had chickens for about a month. I started off with a very young rooster that just started crowing and a 6 month old hen. I also currently have 6 week old chicks. The chicks go outside every day during the day and I bring them in at night. They have been going out for about 3 weeks now. I have not had any sickness with my birds, but have been told that I need to medicate them with corid. I do not believe that they have been vaccinated. I just switched to purina flock raiser and I do not think that is medicated either. Any suggestions? Thank you.

 

[coach723]

I personally do not do 'preventative' medicating of my chicks, nor do I use medicated feed. I keep Corid on hand so that in the event I do see signs of illness I can treat right away. By giving them access to the earth and all its micro organisms early, it allows them to be naturally exposed and build resistance, they may never get sick. Coccidiosis is very common, so being aware of the symptoms and being ready to treat if necessary is good practice. There are some who swear by medicated feed, or preventative treatments, I prefer to only treat if necessary. I haven't lost a chick in many, many years to coccidiosis, but I do keep a close eye and treat immediately if needed.