Help with feed/watering additives

[Jdhite]

Hey friends! Quick backstory. Over the summer, we lost 4 birds to unknown illnesses at various times. Two I believe were FTT, and two were an unknown illness, symptoms similar to Mareks, but not confirmed even after a necropsy. With that said, after the loses, we started fresh, AFTER the entire coop, run, and ground beneath the run were treated with bleach and Virex (we use it at work and it kills virtually all bacterium and viruses), then let the area sit for 1 month before introducing our 8 bird flock to it.

With that said, our current flock seems to being well (have been outside for a month, all about 3 months old). I've been adding B vitamins to their water, and feeding only medicated feed sprinkled with poultry booster. Should I be adding anything else to their food/water to better protect them and prevent any possible illness? After we lost the other birds, we of course worried that we were not doing something correctly, and want to do all we can to help them thrive. Thanks for your advice, it is so appreciated!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I get that after a bout of illness that you're worried, but I think you're overcompensating. Nothing in excess is good for any living creature, and that includes vitamins. Just my opinion but I think the less you add, the better - fresh, quality chicken feed and plain water is really all they should need.

Also it's contradictory to add B vitamins and then use medicated feed (which usually contains amprolium) - amprolium is a thiamine blocker but you're adding thiamine back into their diet which effectively negates the effect of the amprolium.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

The best thing you can do is start with good, fresh, high quality feed. and stop giving them poultry booster.

Why? Read the label. Poultry booster was formulated as a general purpose "catch all" intended for adult laying hens. Its like the Dr saying "take two aspirin and call me int he morning" - only if you have ulcers or a bleeding disorder, taking two aspirins daily is rather bad advice. and Vit B plus Amprolium equals ineffective amprolium (at least, if your b complex contains lots of thiamine, to which you add more with the poultry booster...)

Poultry booster has extra calcium - about 3% on average. Hatchlings and juveniles are very susceptable to damage from excess calcium, and have no way to excrete it - it simply builds up in the body, causing damage in proportion to dosage and exposure.

So, forget the suppliments for a moment, you don't fix a meal by serving it with a side of multivitamin. What are you feeding them??? What is your flock composition, and what are your plans for your birds?

 

[Jdhite]

Man, I'm glad I asked! They are on purina chick crumbles. Flock is made up of 7 hens and 1 rooster (we think he's a rooster, but that's being discussed in my other topic!) anyway, plans for them are simply to keep for eggs, and as pets. No plans for meat birds, and we will keep spent hens to live their lives out with us. Thanks for the reply!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Purina chick feed is fine feed. Do that, save the supplements for when there is actual need.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Man, I'm glad I asked! They are on purina chick crumbles. Flock is made up of 7 hens and 1 rooster (we think he's a rooster, but that's being discussed in my other topic!) anyway, plans for them are simply to keep for eggs, and as pets. No plans for meat birds, and we will keep spent hens to live their lives out with us. Thanks for the reply!

So they are basically chicks or growing adolescent birds. They won't be hens and rooster till they are a year old.
I agree with sticking with a chick starter or flock raiser type feed. Purina flock raiser is a good feed with excellent vitamin profile.
I would pay very close attention to insure they have adequate ventilation. Less than adequate oxygen supply is often a source of disease this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere as people close up coops out of a misguided concern for warmth. Your birds are old enough to handle anything North Carolina can send their way.

 

[Jdhite]

@ChickenCanoe thanks for the heads up! Fortunately ventilation is one thing I feel like I'm squared away on! We have large vents at the peak of the coop on both ends (these stay open year round, as they're well above the birds heads), as well as openings along the entire length of the coop where the metal roof meets the walls. These aren't large openings, each being about 2"x8", but there are 16 of them. That coupled with the large vents at the peak, make for a pretty well ventilated coop with no smell, condensation, or drafts. It seems like I've been over complicating the feeding/watering additives and should just keep it basic. Thanks again for your insight, you guys are awesome!

As an aside, it's pouring rain and 39* and as I look out back at the chickens, they're all pecking around under their coop. They truly can handle the cold much better than we can!

 

[Folly's place]

About feed: make sure you check the mill date on each bag, so you are feeding fresh all the time. I like to use it up within two months of manufacture if at all possible.
Mary

 

[Brooks_]

They truly can handle the cold much better than we can!

And much better than heat.

I agree with the above and will add that a separate electrolyte water once a week during peak summer is not out of the question for you. I'd say peak winter too, but I don't think your winter is cold enough to justify it.

 

[Jdhite]

@BrooksHatlen yeah, we will definitely do that. We raise alpacas as well, and they hate the heat more than chickens! They get Gatorade powder in their water during the summer. We'll find a chicken safe electrolyte additive for the hot summer! Thanks!