Meat birds: Hatchery rec? Feeding with organic despite medicated feed first 2 weeks?

[T-Amy]

Any advice on best hatcheries for baby meat chicks? We've used Murray & Meyer but how is Hoovers? Any others that are close to NY to reduce shipping times?

We plan to give the birds organic feed but the hatcheries advise to give medicated feed the first 2 wks to strengthen their legs (which we've gotten from TSC in the past) - is that vitamins or are there antibiotics, etc in them too? It says it has: "Contains amprolium to aid in developing immunity to coccidiosis, a common digestive ailment in young chicks, caused by an intestinal parasite" but I don't know what Amprolium is- is it an antibiotic? will it be out of their systems by the time we butcher them?

For anyone interested, this is the recipe we use to grind our layer ration but will do an organic version for the broilers- http://www.lionsgrip.com/recipes.html

Thanks for the help!

 

[jdywntr]

I've never gotten meat birds from a hatchery, just the feed store.

Medicated feed is medicated. It has an antibiotic in it. As long as you are not selling them or eggs as "organic" thats fine. They do have unmedicated starter and organic starter. I've never heard of giving chicks medicated feed to strengthen their legs.

From Storey's Guide: use medicated feed if: you brood in warm, humid weather. you brood large numbers at a time, you brood one batch after another, or your sanitation isn't great.

 

[T-Amy]

Great advice- I'd prefer NOT to do the medicated. Maybe if I restrict the feeding to 12 hours on & off, that can help. We normally brood them inside for the first month but that's no longer feasible.

 

[jdywntr]

I would not brood meat chicks, well Cornish cross inside for more than a few days.

They are eating and pooping machines. I did the 12 on 12 off with the cornish x I raised and they did well. I brooded them outdoors in FL in March on non-medicated feed and they did fine.

 

[T-Amy]

Trust me, it wasn't fun but it was too cold to put them outside here in upstate NY. Until they're feathered, I didn't want to risk losing them. As it was, I had to put them inside our coop (separate from our layers, of course) & they were disgusting... They matted down the poop & sat in it & I vowed to keep them outside where they could access the ground to walk around as they just seemed too lazy (from growing so fast)... that's why I figured feeding them less would hopefully help such rapid growth & their energy level? We are going to build a movable tractor but I don't want to lose them to cold by getting them & putting outside too early.