Medicated Chick Feed Question

[khind]

No it shouldn't be a problem. Both feeds are very similar Corn, wheat and soy based, 18% Protein. They both have Amprolium as the active ingredient. GC

Thanks so much!!

 

[khind]

Wow! Thank you! This is good to know! The guidelines I've read have been 8 weeks, till the 18th week, and - just found this one - until a huge bag runs out.. Ugh!

So.. I have decided to stop giving the medicated feed when I replenish their food this evening. Can I just switch abruptly to a non medicated? I would think I should be able to if I can stick with the same brand since the only thing that's different is the lack of thiamine blocker. Or should I mix. 1/3 & 2/3, etc. over a few days?

 

[azygous]

Try a clean crossover. If your chickens balk, then mix the old with the new to phase in the new feed.

 

[khind]

Try a clean crossover. If your chickens balk, then mix the old with the new to phase in the new feed.

Well nothing can be simple of course, so I just got a positive fecal result for Coccidia. I read on Chickenchick.com that the liquid dosage is given for Four days (per the consulted Vet) in their water. I will treat the whole flock: chicks, broody mom, and the other adults.
Yesterday late morning I noticed that 1 of the chicks just looked lethargic. Had a really good appetite and ate really well, doesn't feel thin, no blood or foam or odd color at all in stools, but sleepy before eating, & after it ate it Immediately closed its eyes and fell Into a deep sleep, even tucking its face into its wing as if to stay warm despite the hot temperature in the run (80 outside, & thermometer read at least mid-70s in the run) while the others were grooming and responding to noises, etc, before settling in for a nap. I got a stool from the chick and ran it to the vet, and they said that they thought they saw coccidia but when they looked again it was gone.. so they said to bring another one back today. Last night that chick was the only one who slept way back under mom while the others slept apart from each other because they were not cold or cool, which apparently this chick was.

This a.m the chick looked really good. Lots of energy and still a really good apetite, & very alert and responsive, and stayed up and groomed and pecked quite a bit after eating a main meal, even more than the others (before taking their nap). I got another stool sample minutes later, no blood, no foam... But the result came back as coccidia.
So I have the Corid & will reeplace all their water for the 2nd half of today and then carry it through for 4 more full days. Even though it's a 4 day treatment, I want to start immediately, so that would be 4 and a 1/2 days total, unless that's a bad idea.

Have you or anyone else on this thread had to give Corid to chicks? And the flock? Again, these chicks are just under 5 weeks old, give or take a day. I will mix the liquid in a gallon of water, well probably 2 doses for 2 gallons of water, because I have 2 different coops going.

So I wonder if I should continue feeding the medicated feed for the next 4 days? Or does that even matter?

 

[azygous]

So sorry about this. It's very upsetting. I know the feeling because two of my chicks just took suddenly sick and appeared on the very edge of death. It's very emotional.

The amprolium dose in medicated feed is so low, it really makes no difference if you continue to feed it. It won't hurt anything if you do.

I would do a Corid drench on the very sickest chicks. Undiluted Corid .1ml per pound of weight. So just give the .1ml straight into the beak twice a day for three days. This is in addition to the Corid water.

My sick chicks? Nine weeks old and they are two out of five. The other three are fine, but these two must have found some toxic bugs. Whatever it is, it's trying to kill them at lightening speed. I gave them milk of magnesia with activated charcoal slurried in and I syringed it right into their crops, followed by clear water. One was limp as a dead chicken, couldn't even raise her head or open her eyes. The other just stood with beak open.

It's been about half an hour and both are standing up and eating some crumbles. Out of the woods? Maybe. I'm not daring to assume anything yet.

 

[khind]

Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry! I will treat the chick directly who looked bad yesterday, in addition to the water.
A major issue here is that in 4 days I'm leaving them all in the hands of others while I go to see a family baby & mom whom no one has been able to see yet since the birth in early April due to Covid. I really hope that things work in these 4 days. If not one of the people is a chicken keeper, the other 1 is not. However come of the chicken person has been blessed to have never had an issue with sickness like this, so it will be a learning curve if they have to give meds other than in the water.
Praying for your babies...

 

[khind]

So sorry about this. It's very upsetting. I know the feeling because two of my chicks just took suddenly sick and appeared on the very edge of death. It's very emotional.

The amprolium dose in medicated feed is so low, it really makes no difference if you continue to feed it. It won't hurt anything if you do.

I would do a Corid drench on the very sickest chicks. Undiluted Corid .1ml per pound of weight. So just give the .1ml straight into the beak twice a day for three days. This is in addition to the Corid water.

My sick chicks? Nine weeks old and they are two out of five. The other three are fine, but these two must have found some toxic bugs. Whatever it is, it's trying to kill them at lightening speed. I gave them milk of magnesia with activated charcoal slurried in and I syringed it right into their crops, followed by clear water. One was limp as a dead chicken, couldn't even raise her head or open her eyes. The other just stood with beak open.

It's been about half an hour and both are standing up and eating some crumbles. Out of the woods? Maybe. I'm not daring to assume anything yet.

And I'm going to try to get this chick on to my kitchen scale out there... And I'm at CST, so it's already almost 5 p.m., so that sounds like 1 dose today & 2 per day the next 2.5 days?

 

[azygous]

I doubt such a young chick will even register on a kitchen scale. I'd just use .1ml per dose. This isn't a toxic substance where too much will be harmful if you miscalculate a dose. With chicks, you need to act quickly, without hesitation. They are so tiny and fragile, they can progress from slightly sick to almost dead in just a very short time.

 

[azygous]

My chicks are improving steadily, going from almost dead to just tired and weak. They are still working on some dry crumbles and some sugar water to stabilize their glucose. It's encouraging.

I'm usually involved with helping others save their chickens, and I do get pretty emotionally caught up in the drama. But when it's my own little babies, I can't even describe the raw emotions.

Corid will save your chicks. You have a definitive diagnosis, and treatment is very simple. Do remember to repeat the course of treatment a week after the first round.

 

[rosemarythyme]

So I have the Corid & will reeplace all their water for the 2nd half of today and then carry it through for 4 more full days. Even though it's a 4 day treatment, I want to start immediately, so that would be 4 and a 1/2 days total, unless that's a bad idea.

Have you or anyone else on this thread had to give Corid to chicks? And the flock? Again, these chicks are just under 5 weeks old, give or take a day. I will mix the liquid in a gallon of water, well probably 2 doses for 2 gallons of water, because I have 2 different coops going.

So I wonder if I should continue feeding the medicated feed for the next 4 days? Or does that even matter?

You can continue with the medicated feed or not, since it's a very low dosage in the feed the Corid is going to be what you're relying on for treatment.

You want to offer the more potent dosage for 5 days, then a preventative dose for the next week or two: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ol-ampromed-the-correct-amprolium-dose.73341/ Treat all the birds in the flock.

While you are gone, I'd see about premixing enough Corid water for the duration you're gone, for your chicken sitter to use, to make it as easy as possible on them.

If your one sick chick is still drinking ok, I probably wouldn't bother drenching and just let it get the Corid via the waterer, though I did have to drench one sick chick I had to get her kickstarted, as azygous explained above.