pinkmartin73
Chirping
Folks try to scare newbies to chickens with that medicated feed claptrap but I've never used it for chicks in the past almost 40 yrs now with chickens. In all that time I've had one chick with coccidiosis....arrived from the feed store in that condition and was put down as soon as it was discovered. No other chicks contracted it.
Intestinal health is key and using an antibiotic on young animals is usually not the way to get it. And, yes, no matter how they slice it Amprollium, by the way it works, is most definitely defined as a type of antibiotic. That's why the feed is called "medicated"....
Whatever you feed as a chick starter is not going to insure you have sick or well birds by the time they are large enough to take to a 4-H/fair this summer, so feel free to make a more informed choice than the one being pushed on you by the 4-H leader. Read up on it, make your own decision~decisions made from fear are usually not rational ones~and do what you do.
Fermenting your feed will help your chicks recover their intestinal health after it's been affected by the antibiotic usage anyway, so either way you go, if you ferment their feed from day one it will help them become a healthier bird. As will cultivated deep litter.
A good way to inoculate them against the coccidia that may be in your soils is to give them a hunk of sod~with grass intact~in their brooder, where they can ingest the grit and soils, consume some grasses if they want, and even play on the new "jungle gym". A combination of the DL, the FF and the exposure to the soils on which they will be living will help get them on the right track. Any chicks that sicken and die in the brooder stage would not have been healthy birds anyway and it's just a natural culling system. Those that thrive and survive are more likely to thrive during their lifetime and be healthy specimens to take to the show.
That makes sense. I'm still reading and researching. I will definitely speak to the vet as well. He's a no nonsense kind of guy. He pushes the rabies vaccine because its required by law for dogs and ferrets and recommends parvo because its common here. (I lost a puppy to parvo even after it was vaccinated). If an animal is very sick he usually recommends putting them down. He will treat anyway if that's what you want. I trust him to give me an opinion based on experience. Ultimately, I will do my best to make an educated decision.