Is it ok to stop the chick starter feed a week early

[speckledhen]

Truthfully, medicated starter has little benefit, especially if you live in a wet warm climate. They can get cocci after they leave the brooder, even on starter with Amprolium. Chicks raised by a broody and on soil from the first week of life rarely ever contract coccidiosis. They peck at mom's poop (she is already immune), which sort of inoculates them against it plus they get small doses from the get-go and develop immunity naturally.

In many areas, like my own, you simply cannot get non-medicated starter, so I'm stuck with it. And before anyone says it, keeping a clean brooder does not stop them from getting cocci.

 

[Organics North]

Quote:

This makes sense..
ON

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

I always use starter/grower until about age 16-18, and then switch over to layer pellets.....I looked at the flock raiser, but the starter/grower was cheaper to keep them on that...and it gives them what they need..I also am ALWAYS throwing scraps into them after a certain age also....

 

[matthewschickens]

I don't see a reason not to if they can eat the pellets.

 

[PunkinPeep]

I use flock raiser (non-medicated) from hatch, on - combined with free ranging as soon as weather permits. Like Speckled Hen said, the best thing i can do to prevent the coccidiosis overload is to expose them to the soil and adult feces as soon as possible so their little bodies can start building resistance.

Be ware, flock raiser comes in three forms: non-medicated pellets (61P3), medicated crumble (61W3), and non-medicated crumble(61T3). Be sure you're getting what you want yours to eat. Not every form is available in every area, even if your area does provide Purina products.

 

[Ariel301]

I start my birds on Flock Raiser instead of chick starter because it is cheaper. No one here carries anything bigger than that teeny little $5 bag of medicated starter, and we don't medicate healthy birds here. They don't even carry chick starter except in the spring when they have chicks for sale, and until just recently, they didn't even carry chicken feed except in the spring!

They'll be fine on the Flock Raiser.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Neither do we. We follow organic protocol.

It is my personal opinion it is a waste of money for the back yard flock owner. Antibiotics for a small back yard flock? It is my opinion medicated feed is designed for large poultry houses that have 10,000 birds all packed into a tight space, the birds are in highly stressed conditions, they will get sick without the high doses of antibiotics.

I would assume most back yard flocks are pampered and babied, with clean healthful living conditions. NOT like the big poultry houses!

As far as Coccidiostats, my chicks are introduced to a little bit of clean organic soil at week one while still in the brooder. Gradually increasing their expose to earth.

Just like nature intended it..

ON

Most (not all) medicated starter does not contain antibiotics; it contains amprollium, which is not an antibiotic, but rather a thiamine blocker. A few do contain an antibiotic such as bacitracin in addition to amprollium, but most do not.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
tetracycline has no affect on coccidiosis, and is therefore useless. Sulmet and some other sulfa drugs as well a corrid are effective.

 

[trimpy]

30 chickens, 6 keets, and 4 turkeys raised on non medicated feed with zero problems. I just get them the appropriate protein % feeds for their age and switch to layer pellets @ 18 weeks or so.

 

[eggcited2]

I had just a bit of chick starter left, so added the new stuff in with it (the Flock Raiser). For the past several days they have been very vocal and I kept trying to figure out why. Not too hot, not too cold. fresh water, and food available all the time. But they kept acting as if something was wrong. After eating the mix of the new food today, they are doing much different. Much less vocal, just normal sounds and sound levels now. I wonder if the newer feed is satisfying them better. Maybe at this age they were ready for something else. I just know that there is a lot of difference in them now. Not that "frantic" kind of chirping, etc.

I will let you know if the difference continues. Thankfully the frantic behavior is now over. They seem a lot more satisfied.