medicated feed or not

[Beekissed]

I would have to sign up for the nonmedicated feed side of the debate. At least for long-range sustainability of your flock, it makes good sense to let nature sort out the chicks with stable immune systems and good genetics. No, they may not be able to "build up an immunity" to a parasite, but a strong immune system is what allows them to survive a parasitical attack to their systems. From what it sounds like, the parasite causes minute ruptures in the bowel walls, on a cellular level, allowing otherwise "good bacteria" to enter the blood stream, causing the bird to die from septicemia.

I want my flock to be from strong, hardy stock and I wish to breed from that stock and no longer order from a hatchery. It makes sense, even if I suffer financial loss, to let nature select the strongest animals. Not that I won't provide healthy living conditions and good feed, but not medications.

As a nurse, I have seen what trace antibiotics in our food supplies have done to America's immune systems.

If I just had pets, I might do it differently, as it wouldn't matter about the genetics. But, I too, wish to eat an organically raised meat and advertise organically raised chickens.

One other consideration here, if you also want to have your property listed as certified organic, you probably cannot compost with the chicken feces that have medication, of any kind. Just a thought.

 

[kstaven]

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I know our standard will allow NO medicated feeds to be used for meat or egg laying birds. The standard is more lax in the U.S. and will allow a coccidiostat to be used on chicks destined to be layers.

 

[Beekissed]

Talked to my mom this morning and found out an interesting way of medicating chickens! Folks on here would probably die!!!

My grandmother raised chickens all her life...the old fashioned way! If she had a chicken with a cold or sounding "croupy" she put an eye-dropper of coal oil down her and she got better.

Coal oil= kerosene

Mom said she witnessed this herself, grandma with a hen on her lap, opening that beak and dosing with kerosene! BTW, grandma's hens always seemed happy and healthy....so, go figure!

 

[greyfields]

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Yes it does. You certainly cannot use medicated feeds or coccidiostats (even on sick birds) and be organic. It's simply prohibited at any point in the birds life. Organic growing practices are a very specific list of standards. You should familiarize yourself with them if you're going to make any label claims or even use the "o-word". They'll come down on you like a ton of bricks.

You can use medicated feed and label your eggs as "natural" though.

 

[greyfields]

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Prior to mailing chickens through the USPS, people bred their own birds. Since they were using their own birds, they were selecting for birds which weren't affected by their local diseases/microrganisms. However their birds were nothing like the producers we can get access today going through commercial breeders. You have to balance the two and find a plan which works for you.

 

[greyfields]

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This is a rather finessed point you're trying to make here. There are certain chickens in every flock which will be teaming with coccidiossis but not get sick from it. These chickens don't have an 'immunity' meaning they won't be affected to the point it becomes an illness. These chickens will pass on these genetics to their offspring and you can create a disease resistant flock. Chickens also do pass antibodies along to their offspring. I believe the yolk contains them.

 

[greyfields]

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Absolutely not under the national organic program. It's not that lax.

The "Natural" marketing label claim allows coccdiostats as long as the proper withdrawal periods are observed.

 

[greyfields]

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Here are all the synthetic substances allowed under the NOP used for the production. You will find no coccdiostats in here. You will also notice one dewormer allowed, but that is rare exclusion for dairy animals being freshened. There is nothing in here making chickens unlike any other livestock:


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[the simple life]

Greyfields,I appreciate the time an effort you put into anwering my questions.Its important for me to know all this, I am really hoping to have organic and natural all the way.Not even so much for marketing, but for my family. I am very leery of mass vaccinations and medication ( my son was injured this way and we are still trying to undo the damage) and I have to question the neccessity of this practice.I understand everyone's point of view and I know everyone has to do what is right for them.Thank you for all the information, everyone has been so helpful by sharing their experiences.

 

[greyfields]

Just to make a distinction as well, vaccination of animals is very much allowed under organic rules. It would be inhumane not to prevent illness in an animal which could be avoided through a vaccine (which even though you had a bad experience with your child, vaccines have saved far more lives of human and animal than they've cost).

So, organic is vaccinate not medicate. :0

And if you truly want to be organic, you have to be buying organic feed as well from the first day of the chicken's life onward.