Medicated Chick Starter

[Nascarwc88]

I may be wrong, but I thought the medicated starter was for ages up to 8 to 10 weeks.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Quote:
I was told by several people here that you can feed medicated starter until they lay their first egg? I only have the starter and layer....so that's what I'm going to do.

 

[speckledhen]

It seems that the disease is caused by contaminated litter. So, a preventative measure without medication is to keep the litter clean.

That is only partly true. The oocycsts that cause cocci are in your soil and in your chicks' gut. You can keep it pristine clean in their coop, but once they hit the ground you can't sanitize that and they can be overwhelmed by the oocysts they ingest.

I feed medicated because it's the only kind I can get here, but mine always get cocci a couple weeks after they are on soil, especially if the ground is damp from rain often. I promise you that I keep a cleaner grow-out coop than most folks do.

Conversely, chicks who hit the ground within their first week of life because they are being raised by a broody never get cocci. They peck at mom's poop, plus get it in small amounts and their immunity builds. Ones you keep in a brooder for a few weeks are more susceptible to cocci.

Mine are on medicated feed until they go in with the main flock at around 14 weeks old.​

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
That is only partly true. The oocycsts that cause cocci are in your soil and in your chicks' gut. You can keep it pristine clean in their coop, but once they hit the ground you can't sanitize that and they can be overwhelmed by the oocysts they ingest.

I feed medicated because it's the only kind I can get here, but mine always get cocci a couple weeks after they are on soil, especially if the ground is damp from rain often. I promise you that I keep a cleaner grow-out coop than most folks do.

Conversely, chicks who hit the ground within their first week of life because they are being raised by a broody never get cocci. They peck at mom's poop, plus get it in small amounts and their immunity builds. Ones you keep in a brooder for a few weeks are more susceptible to cocci.

Mine are on medicated feed until they go in with the main flock at around 14 weeks old.

Thanks for that info!
Right, wrong or indifferent....
I feed spent pots of organic lettuce roots so the chicks are getting a little "dirt" from a young age even in the brooder.

ON

 

[BarredBuff]

Well what would do is give them the medicated feed until they are 16 weeks old then switch them to a layers ration then most of it will have left their system, but I have also been scared by coccidia related deaths so medicated feed is a must for me.

 

[TwilightMom]

After reading all these helpful posts I went back to the feed store. The only chick starter they carry is medicated. I think I'll stick with the medicated until 5 mos, then switch to layer. I was told by the feed store not to eat the first eggs for the first week. Thanks again, everyone. What would I do without BYC!