Do i keep my chicks on medicated or switch to non medicated

[DarkAngel77]

I have chicks of different ages, 5 weeks, 4 weeks and 3 weeks. They are just about through their bag of medicated chick starter, so will be buying another bag soon. I'm unsure if I should keep them on medicated or switch to unmedicated. Also, should I keep them on chick starter, or should I change them to starter/grower feed?

 

[Brooks_]

Have they been on the soil for a couple weeks? If so, the medicated should have done what it was intended to do.

Starter or starter/grower or all flock/flock raiser would be fine.

 

[DarkAngel77]

No, they have been brooded inside, and last weekend was the first time for them going outdoors.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

You'll get many different answers so it's up to you because either way is fine at this age, medicated, non medicated or grower.... I've done it all and I can't tell you there was a difference in health.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll copy something I wrote about medicated feed below. It may help you with your decision. The medicated feed does not do any good until they are exposed to the bugs that cause Coccidiosis but will allow them to develop immunity if they are exposed. Many of us don't feed medicated feed at all but if you have a problem it can really help.

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.

should I keep them on chick starter, or should I change them to starter/grower feed?

Many people have pretty strong views on this but not everyone has the same views. With chicken feed you are basically looking at two variables, calcium and protein. The extra calcium is for hens laying eggs to use for their egg shells. Only hens laying eggs need that calcium. Roosters, immature chicks, broody hens, and molting hens do not need that extra calcium. You can provide Layer feed to laying hens for the calcium they need as long as at least 90% of what they eat is that Layer feed. Many of us never feed Layer feed but offer oyster shells or some other calcium supplement on the side. The ones that need the excess calcium will typically eat what they need. The non-laying chickens may eat some too but generally not enough to harm themselves. Low calcium feeds are typically somewhere around 1% calcium while Layer is somewhere around 4% calcium.

Percent protein is a big variable in chicken feed. This is where people can have strong feelings. Some people start their chicks off on a relatively high protein feed, around 18% to 20%, then switch to a lower percent feed (Grower) about the age yours are. The higher protein Starter is to start them off well, especially help them get feathered out quickly so they can regulate their own heat. Grower is often 16% but some can be 18%. Once they start laying many switch to a high calcium Layer that is around 16% to 18% protein.

Many of us start out with a low calcium fairy high protein feed (18% to 20%) whether that is called Starter, All-Flock, Flock Raiser, or something else and never feed anything different. Some may even go higher on the protein. Oyster shell is offered in the side.

My flock almost always has non-laying chickens in it, a rooster, juveniles, molting hens, whatever. When I have young chicks (whether with a broody hen or in the brooder) 4 weeks or younger I feed everyone an 18% protein feed. When they hit 4 weeks and the bag of food runs out I switch to a 15% or 16% Grower feed. My chickens forage for a lot of their food so I couldn't micromanage their protein intake if I wanted to. I always offer oyster shell on the side. I don't know how many grams of protein mine eat in a day but they lay a lot of eggs, are healthy and active, and I hatch and raise a lot of chicks. It suits my goals quite well.

I don't know what is right for you. As long as you don't get ridiculous you'll find that some people agree with you and some people disagree. That is the nature of a forum. Good luck!

 

[K0k0shka]

Agree that ideally they need to have been outside for a couple of weeks before you wean them off of the medicated feed. But it won't hurt them to eat it past those couple of weeks, so if I were you, I'd get another bag of medicated, and if they've been outside for at least 2 weeks by the time they finish the new bag, then the next bag you buy can be non-medicated. You can keep them on chick starter forever, just add calcium on the side when they get close to laying age. Or you can look for an all flock feed - it's very popular with folks on BYC because it's an all-around feed that's good for all chickens, so you don't have to worry about switching, and it's better than layer feed in terms of protein content.

 

[Carlyb22]

i personally use medicated for my flock of 4 Polish when they were little 2 years ago, they did great, they’ve never had coccidiosis or any health concerns, and I swapped to layer around 5 months old. I followed what their breeder told me to do since that breed can be fragile.

I got 4 more chicks (not polish) last weekend and did start them on medicated, and plan to swap to all flock for everyone when I start integrating them to outside!

 

[K0k0shka]

I got 4 more chicks (not polish) last weekend and did start them on medicated, and plan to swap to all flock for everyone when I start integrating them to outside!

Don't forget that they need to still be on medicated feed when they go outside (as mentioned above) for the medication to work. They need exposure to the soil and potential bacteria in it while the medication is still in their system, so their immune system can learn to fight the bacteria in a controlled manner. They need to have been outside for a couple of weeks, on medicated, before you switch them to standard feed. But your adults can eat the medicated feed for those couple of weeks and be fine, so you can put the whole flock on it when the young ones go outside.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

I'll copy something I wrote about medicated feed below. It may help you with your decision. The medicated feed does not do any good until they are exposed to the bugs that cause Coccidiosis but will allow them to develop immunity if they are exposed. Many of us don't feed medicated feed at all but if you have a problem it can really help.

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.


Many people have pretty strong views on this but not everyone has the same views. With chicken feed you are basically looking at two variables, calcium and protein. The extra calcium is for hens laying eggs to use for their egg shells. Only hens laying eggs need that calcium. Roosters, immature chicks, broody hens, and molting hens do not need that extra calcium. You can provide Layer feed to laying hens for the calcium they need as long as at least 90% of what they eat is that Layer feed. Many of us never feed Layer feed but offer oyster shells or some other calcium supplement on the side. The ones that need the excess calcium will typically eat what they need. The non-laying chickens may eat some too but generally not enough to harm themselves. Low calcium feeds are typically somewhere around 1% calcium while Layer is somewhere around 4% calcium.

Percent protein is a big variable in chicken feed. This is where people can have strong feelings. Some people start their chicks off on a relatively high protein feed, around 18% to 20%, then switch to a lower percent feed (Grower) about the age yours are. The higher protein Starter is to start them off well, especially help them get feathered out quickly so they can regulate their own heat. Grower is often 16% but some can be 18%. Once they start laying many switch to a high calcium Layer that is around 16% to 18% protein.

Many of us start out with a low calcium fairy high protein feed (18% to 20%) whether that is called Starter, All-Flock, Flock Raiser, or something else and never feed anything different. Some may even go higher on the protein. Oyster shell is offered in the side.

My flock almost always has non-laying chickens in it, a rooster, juveniles, molting hens, whatever. When I have young chicks (whether with a broody hen or in the brooder) 4 weeks or younger I feed everyone an 18% protein feed. When they hit 4 weeks and the bag of food runs out I switch to a 15% or 16% Grower feed. My chickens forage for a lot of their food so I couldn't micromanage their protein intake if I wanted to. I always offer oyster shell on the side. I don't know how many grams of protein mine eat in a day but they lay a lot of eggs, are healthy and active, and I hatch and raise a lot of chicks. It suits my goals quite well.

I don't know what is right for you. As long as you don't get ridiculous you'll find that some people agree with you and some people disagree. That is the nature of a forum. Good luck!

Once again more evidence is given for never medically treating chickens. All humans do is screw the process up. Maximum exposure makes healthy chickens

 

[K0k0shka]

Once again more evidence is given for never medically treating chickens. All humans do is screw the process up. Maximum exposure makes healthy chickens

Can you show this evidence please? Because that’s a blanket statement that’s just not true.