Help! I accidentally Fed my Layers Medicated Chick Feed

[newchickenista]

Help! Yesterday morning, in the middle of a very large brain-fart, I accidentally filled my layers feeder with 18% medicated chick feed. I immediately freaked out, climbed in the coop and removed the feed, but about a cup or so of feed had spilled on the ground and I couldn't get it out before they ate it. I had read that if that happens you shouldn't eat the eggs, so I threw out the eggs I got last night. My question is, how long will it take the medication to run through their system, and was about 1-2 cups of medicated feed, eaten by 8 hens and 1 rooster, enough to even worry about. Do I need to throw out the eggs I get today? What about tomorrow? Advice please!

 

[sourland]

I'm not telling you what to do, but I would not worry about a couple of cups of medicated feed spread among 9 chickens.

 

[junebuggena]

Medicated chick feed doesn't actually contain any sort of medication like antibiotics. It contains a thiamine blocker to help prevent the coccidia protozoa from overwhelming a young chick's system. There are no side effects or issues with an adult bird consuming medicated chick starter, as long as it's not fed exclusively, long term. In fact, when I have a batch of chicks being raised by a broody hen, the whole flock gets medicated chick starter, at least for a month or so. Then I switch them back to their usually flock raiser feed. I don't bother with layer at all.

 

[newchickenista]

Thanks for the responses. Just to clarify, I'm not worried about the hens at all, I'm wondering if I can eat the eggs I got this evening, when they ate the medicated feed yesterday morning.

 

[junebuggena]

The eggs are fine to eat. There are no harsh chemicals or pharmaceuticals in medicated feed to be worried about. There is only a small amount of thiamine blocker (chick-appropriate dose). It does not make it's way into the eggs.

 

[Chris09]

If you starter was medicated with amprolium (Corid, Amprovine, Amprolium, Amprol, Anticoccid)

How CORID works --
Structurally, CORID mimics thiamin (Vitamin B1) which is required by coccidia for normal growth and reproduction. When coccidia ingest CORID, they experience thiamin deficiency and starve from malnutrition.
http://www.corid.com/Pages/default.aspx

If your starter was medicated with Lasalocid (Bovatec. Bovatec (lasalocid)

How CORID works --
Lasalocid is also a coccidiocide that kills coccidia. It is an ionophore that moves potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium into the cell causing the cell to burst. Bovatec works primarily on a single developmental stage of coccidia, providing a more narrow range of action than Deccox.

It is less likely that your feed contained Bacitracin Methylene Disalicylate (BMD, Bacitracin) but it is in some starter and grow feeds.

What it is --
Bacitracin in Broiler and Replacement Chickens feeds it is an aid in prevention and control of necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens susceptible to bacitracin methylene disalicylate.

You should be fine eating the eggs, all the above "Medications" stay with in the bird and is not extracted with in the eggs or meat.