How long can you feed chicks medicated feed

[nittanyxi]

I have 4 week old chicks that have been eating medicated feed. I still have a lot of the medicated feed left over and I don't want to waste it.

How long is it ok to feed chicks the medicated feed?

 

[Ridgerunner]

First, I suggest you look at what the medicated part is in the feed. Most major brand over-the-counter types of medicated feed I'm familiar with in the US are medicated with Amprolium, but there is always the possiblity you have something that is not one of these major brands. Especially for the broiler chicks, something else could be in there. I think it is good practice to know what medicine you are talking about when you talk about medicine. I'm just weird that way.

If it is Amprolium, you can feed it for as long as you want to as long as they are chicks. There are different recommendations for how long you should stop using it before you get eggs. Some people say there is no required withdrawal period while others say as much as 4 weeks. I'm not a medical professional so I don't know which medical professional to believe in regard to withdrawal period. I kind of like what one bird vet said about it. Amprolium is not absorbed that well through the intestinal lining so it should not be a big problem, but in regard to all the differing advice out there, he thinks a one week withdrawal is reasonable.

I don't know of any medical professionals that think you should feed Amprolium to hens that are laying. It's just the withdrawal period that is questioned.

The Amprolium in the doses in medicated feed will not hurt the chicks. All it does is help reduce the chance they will come down with a severe case of Coccidiosis. It does not affect anything else and it will allow them to develop the immunity they need if the protozoa that causes Coccidiosis is present. I don't use medicated feed myself, but it does absolutely no harm to them. If you have a history of Coccidiosis, I think feeding Amprolium medicated feed is a good idea for about two to three weeks after they first hit the ground. That's most likely when they are going to be introduced to the protozoa that causes Coccidiosis.