Dandelion with dirt clod 1-2 week old chicks?

[LadychickAK]

New chicks 4/22 they are probably 1-2 weeks old at most…can I give them a dirt clod with dandelion from the yard? If not what age works for this. What if there’s a worm in the clod? I mentioned the possibility to hubby…low & behold be comes in with one lol

 

[Shabby Chic-Hens]

I gave my chicks a few earth worms at about 8 days old. They are fine. I probably would remove the worm from the dirt.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

New chicks 4/22 they are probably 1-2 weeks old at most…can I give them a dirt clod with dandelion from the yard? If not what age works for this. What if there’s a worm in the clod? I mentioned the possibility to hubby…low & behold be comes in with one lol

Welcome to BYC!

As long as you're not waiting for Marek's vaccine to take effect.. as it requires 2 week quarantine.

Dirt clods are great enrichment and natural source of grit, also giving the chicks a little exposure to what's on pasture and allow some resistance to be built before going out suddenly full time. Please dismiss the suggestion by another poster about removing the dirt as grit is required for digestion of ANYTHING that isn't the preground chick feed.

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

Definitely fine as long as you provide them chick grit as well. Giving them dirt like this is great at preventing coccidiosis.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Definitely fine as long as you provide them chick grit as well. Giving them dirt like this is great at preventing coccidiosis.

Preventing it when they're heading out to their new pasture.. yes! Because there might be other strains of coccidia that the chicks aren't currently carrying out there.. as experineced my very first year in this house.

Preventing it in the brooder.. NO, not at all.. for informational purposes only.. not to be disagreeable.

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

Preventing it when they're heading out to their new pasture.. yes! Because there might be other strains of coccidia that the chicks aren't currently carrying out there.. as experineced my very first year in this house.

Preventing it in the brooder.. NO, not at all.. for imformational purposes only.. not to be disagreeable.

Yes I probably should have mentioned that it helps them build resistance to the strains in your local soil for when they get introduced outside (since that’s when some chicks get it) but not in the brooder.

 

[LadychickAK]

Welcome to BYC!

As long as you're not waiting for Marek's vaccine to take effect.. as it require 2 week quarantine.

Dirt clods are great enrichment and natural source of grit, also giving the chicks a little exposure to what's on pasture and allow some resistance to be built before going out suddenly full time. Please dismiss the suggestion by another poster about removing the dirt as grit is required for digestion of ANYTHING that isn't the preground chick feed.

 

[LadychickAK]

After reading your post I called TSC & they do not vaccinate their chicks…they are shipped from Hoover Hatchery directly to them. Now I am worried..recommendations appreciated

 

[Ridgerunner]

After reading your post I called TSC & they do not vaccinate their chicks…they are shipped from Hoover Hatchery directly to them. Now I am worried..recommendations appreciated

I wrote this a few years back about Coccidiosis and medicated feed to respond to a different post. It should contain enough info for you to make a reasonable fact-based decision.

My recommendations: Expose them to the dirt and environment they will be living in so they can start strengthening their immune systems for things they are going to face later, keep the brooder dry so there is little chance of Coccidiosis becoming a problem, and learn what the symptoms of Coccidiosis is in case it does develop.


First you need to know what the "medicated" is in the medicated feed. It should be on the label. Usually it is Amprolium, Amprol, some such product, but until you read the label, you really don't know. Most "medicated' feed from major brands for chicks that will be layers uses Amprolium, but there are a few out there mostly for broilers, that use other medicines. I'll assume yours is an Amprolium product, but if it is not, then realize everything I say about it may not apply. And it is possible that the "medicated" is Amprolium AND something else.

Amprolium is not an antibiotic. It does not kill anything. It inhibits the protozoa that cause coccidiosis (often called Cocci on this forum) from multiplying in the chicken's system. It does not prevent the protozoa from multiplying; it just slows that multiplication down. There are several different strains of protozoa that can cause Cocci, some more severe than others. Chickens can develop immunity to a specific strain of the protozoa, but that does not give them immunity to all protozoa that cause Cocci.

It is not a big deal for the chicken’s intestines to contain some of the protozoa that cause Cocci. The problem comes in when the number of those protozoa gets huge. The protozoa can multiply in the chicken’s intestines but also in wet manure. For them to reproduce they need some moisture. Slightly damp isn't an issue, soaking wet is. Different protozoa strains have different strengths, but for almost all cases, if you keep the brooder dry, you will not have a problem.

To develop immunity to a specific strain, that protozoa needs to be in the chicks intestines for two or three weeks. The normal sequence is that a chick has the protozoa. It poops and some of the cysts that develop the protozoa come out in the poop. If the poop is slightly damp, those cysts develop and will then develop in the chick's intestines when the chicks eat that poop. This cycle needs go on for a few weeks so all chicks are exposed and they are exposed long enough to develop immunity. A couple of important points here. You do need to watch them to see if they are getting sick. And the key is to keep the brooder dry yet allow some of the poop to stay damp. Not soaking wet, just barely damp. Wet poop can lead to serious problems.

What sometimes happens is that people keep chicks in a brooder and feed them medicated feed while they are in the brooder. Those chicks are never exposed to the Cocci protozoa that lives in the dirt in their run, so they never develop the immunity to it. Then, they are switched to non-medicated feed and put on the ground where they are for the first time exposed to the protozoa. They do not have immunity, they do not have the protection of the medicated feed, so they get sick. Feeding medicated feed while in the brooder was a complete waste.

I do not feed medicated feed. I keep the brooder dry to not allow the protozoa to breed uncontrollably. The third day that they are in the brooder, I take a scoop of dirt from the run and feed it to them so I can introduce the protozoa and they can develop the immunity they need to the strain they need to develop an immunity to. Since I keep my brooder extremely dry and the water clean the protozoa can't reproduce so every three days I give them more dirt from the run so they get more protozoa and can develop immunity. I don't lose chicks to Cocci when they hit the ground.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding medicated feed to chicks, whether the protozoa are present or not. It will not hurt them. They can still develop the immunity they need. But unless the protozoa are present, it also does no good.

If you get your chicks vaccinated for Cocci, do not feed medicated feed. It can negate the vaccinations.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would remove the worm (personal preference) but otherwise this is fine. I brood outdoors so my chicks are exposed to the dirt outside at 2-3 days old, and I've not had issue with coccidiosis. I do not get chicks vaccinated against coccidiosis nor do I use medicated feed, but I do keep Corid on hand just in case.