How long to use medicated chick starter?

[artsy1]

I am fairly new to this whole baby chicken thing, but I also give my chicks other things to eat and they do free range when they are all feathered in.
They love scratch, yogurt, tomatoes, cooked eggs, raw and cooked oatmeal, all kinds of veggies, seeds that fall from the other birds feed. bugs etc. etc. etc.
A variety is good, I think.

 

[wbruder17]

Everything I've read says at LEAST 6-7 weeks, but I'm sure it can't hurt to do it a bit longer. Better safe than sorry, right?

 

[chicken farmer 1997]

is it safe to feed??

 

[sparrker]

I just got some chicks in august and now there 7 weeks old, I lost one due to coccidiosis, and am treating the others with corrid 9.6%. They are doing good. My husbands grandfather had chickens here back in the 1940's or 1950's and apparently they all(thousands) got coccidiosis and died, could it still be in the soil? or Does all soil have the protozoa cocci in it? I'm going to treat them for 7 days. I am now feeding medicated feed.
Patti
'home to 5 easter eggers, 6 new hampshires, 5 rhode islands,7 delawares, 7 austrolorps and 2 barred rock chickens. 7 scottish highland cows 2 beautiful daughters, hubby, 1 turkey and 2 cats.'

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
No, not all soil has it. Wet warm soil like a lot of us have in the southeast is probably the worst. But all it takes is a bird to fly over and take a dump for it to be in the soil.

There are also several different strains of the protozoa. Immunity to one strain does not mean immunity to all the different strains. And some strains are a lot stronger and more dangerous than others. With most strains, if you can keep them on a dry surface you'll be OK, but there is at least one strain that is dangerous even if it is dry. Good luck with yours.

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

Well, SHOOT! I just overspent on a 7lb bag of medicated! Should of brought home the 50lb. Thought medicated wasn't safe to feed layers, Affected their eggs. Will research since horses are free range this time of year...Feed chicks in pen, Chickens Under vehicle, Porch, etc.

 

[olilandy]

I'm pretty sure the medication in the Purina medicated is Amprolium. If it is something other than Amprolium, what I am about to say is wrong. But I do not think I am wrong.

Amprolium is not an antibiotic. It inhibits the protozoa that causes Coccidiosis from reproducing. It does not totally stop the protozoa from reproducing, but it slows it down. It is OK for some of the protozoa to be in the chick's system. That way, the chick will develop an immunity. The danger is when the number of protozoa gets out of hand. The protozoa can also live in wet chicken manure, so the real danger from Cocci is when the chickens are in a wet brooder, coop, or run. Usually, if the brooder, coop, and run are pretty dry, Cocci is not a threat, but it does absolutely no harm to feed the medicated feed to the chicks.

The medicated feed is a total waste and will do you absolutely no good if the protozoa is not present to start with. How can it inhibit the protozoa from reproducing if it is not there to start with? But you don't really know if it is there or not, so again, it does no harm to feed it.

A chick will develop an immunity to the protozoa within two to three weeks once the protozoa is present, as long as it stays active in their system the entire time. The younger the chick is, the easier it is for it to develop that immunity. An older chick or chicken is more likely to have problems than a really young chick. As long as the coop and run are pretty dry, it is usually not a big problem, but Cocci can hit older chickens pretty hard. It can hit the babies too, but older chickens are more at risk.

Your biggest risk is when they are first introduced to the protozoa. If you have taken them out to the ground or brought something in to them, they may have been exposed, but many brooder raised chicks get their first exposure when they first hit the ground. So I suggest you continue them on the medicated feed for at least three weeks after they first hit the ground. Then, when that bag of feed runs out, you can switch them to unmedicated feed like grower or flock raiser if you wish. It really does not matter if they are 6 weeks old or 12 weeks old when you switch, or even older.

I personally do not feed medicated feed and I introduce dirt from the run to them about their 3rd day so they get the exposure early. But I'll say it again. It does absolutely no harm to feed them the medicated feed and the greatest risk is when they first hit the ground.

Good luck!

I am looking for some insight and came across your comments so I figured I'd ask you a question. I have 2 chick that are about to be 12 weeks old that are still on medicated feed. The chicks are in different living quarters outside than my year old chickens. The chicks and chickens all congregate & free range together on the weekends. After watching them together we are starting to feel comfortable putting them all in the same coop but would the chicks be ok eating the same food as my fully grown chickens? My husband doesn't think they need the medicated food anymore but I'm not sure what I can feed everyone if we put them all together.