Thank you all so much for all of that info! I will be feeding them as suggested, with medicated feed to start. I never thought about them eating poo if they were hungry...
Live and learn I suppose!
Hi,
I am gonna weigh in here because your questions about cocci pertains to a study I have been working on the past several months. I am guessing here you are getting your broilers as day old chicks.
In broilers there is fascinating research being done worldwide on how to raise them without antibiotics and still prevent cocci and other diseases.
The one thing all the researchers agree on is getting the feed to the birds as soon as possible after hatch. Within 6 hours if possible. Why? because on day 17.5 of incubation the chick opens its mouth and starts to drink the albium fluid. This is because the other sources of its previous nutrition have become depleted. By the time the chick hatches, the nutrition in the albium fluid is now very low. So we think, no problem! The chick has a yolk sac and it can live on that for up to 3 days.
Except ...that is
not what nature has intended. Biologically, the nutrition in the egg yolk is reserved for the development of muscle tissue and the development of the G.I. tract. Now go back and reread what I just wrote.
The yolk sac is not meant to be used for energy to live. If the chick is not fed within about 6 hours of hatch, it starts to use the yolk sac for energy. This means the chick does not have that nutrition available for either myelination of the muscles or development of the G.I tract.
Researchers agree that if this inital"starvation" occurs, they see
challenged G.I. tracts in the chicks and
less muscle on the birds at slaughter.
Now the neonatal G.I. tract in the chick is immature when the chick is hatched. It goes thru massive development the 1st week of life. In addition to biological development, the G.I tract must also populate itself with the proper raitios of flora for digestion and defense against harmful pathogens...in addition to having to adjust to digesting complex carbohydrates. Add to all this the fact the yolk sac is being used for energy to live and the chick finds itself stressed. The door opens for pathogens to attack the chick.
So what do we do? What is the worldwide industrial poultry community doing? Well they have found in their studies that the best ways to combat pathogens getting established in the chick's G.I. tract are three fold.
1. Proper environmental management.
2. Start feeding the chick no later than 6 hours after hatch. '
2. Get the G.I tract up and functioning properly as so as possible. The G. I. biome , the proper flora ratios which allow the chick to efficiently uptake whatever nutrition is provided to it. and provide a G.I. tract environment which is detrimental to harmful pathogen establishment.
Right, pathogens have a real hard time getting settled in GI. tracts with proper bacterial flora ratios!!
Wait minute, if the G.I. tract is stressed and stress helps keep it from uptaking nutrition efficiently... then how do we get the extra nutrition into the chick? If I feed the chick helps that need to be digested and the chick has had to use the yolk sac for energy and so the G.I. tract s stressed, ...how do I get the extra nutrition into my chicks? Well, the answer is you need to either get it in them before they are hatched, thus preventing the yolk sac from being used as energy in the first place ( in ovo injection of supplementary nutrition at 17.5 days of incubation). Or.... we need to give the chicks nutrition which doesn't need to be digested.
Nutrition which can mainline directly into the bloodstream providing the nourishment the body and immune systems need at this critical time. The prestarter period ( 1st 7-10 days of life)
. Because the modern broiler has only about a 42 day lifespan the prestarter and starter period have become crucially important to their welfare. We must act swiftly when the broilers hatch to support and enhance their immune system, ability to lay on muscular tissue, and get the G.I tract up and running as soon as possible. Research worldwide has shown that a healthy G.I. tract is a powerful weapon against harmful pathogens getting established in the chick. It's one of the formidable ways they are using to raise chickens without antibiotics.
For over a decade, I have used supplements called Bovidr Labs Drops and Drenches on my collies and poultry. I have seen superb success using Pet Nutri-Drops on the collies and Poultry Nutri-Drench on chicks. I have never had a sick or dead chick when raised with Poultry Nutri-Drench in their water the 1st 2 weeks of life. For broilers, it would be the 1st 10 days ( circa).
http://www.nutridrench.com It is measurable in the bloodstream in 10 minutes. All natural, prevents pasty butt and diarrhea. I have found I needed no other supplement in addition to feed and water. One season, I raised 42 Sussex on their Goat Nutri-Drench
making sure to use the poultry instructions. These were dual purpose birds, not broilers. I gave them the Drench in their water so it looked like very weak tea for the 1st 2 weeks of life. Not a sick or dead bird. No pasty butt or the runs. Just robust chicks.
If I had broilers, I would instead follow the instructions on the Drench webpage at Bovidr.
http://www.nutridrench.com
Click on "poultry" and read.
Click on "questions" at top of page and read.
Click on blue "immune system" icon and read
There you have it in a nutshell. Why it does what it does and why that is
so very important.
The folk at Bovidr are very knowledgeable and willing to help with additional information.
Anyway, this is another way, in addition to proper environmental management ,that we can help our bird's body systems be ready to repel harmful pathogens.
Best Regards,
Karen in western PA, USA
