Medicated Feed= when to stop?

[the Precious Ladies]

Hello, my chicks are now 2 weeks and 5 days old, and there still on Medicated feed. (Its starter feed) The lady who got us the chicks from the feed store said she owns chicks- and with my 6 chicks, whenever they ran out of food from the 50 bag we have, its fine to switch them to non medicated then. They have already ate 2/5's of the bag. So my overall question is; is it safe to keep them on medicated that long?

 

[ranchhand]

For a long time now I have fed medicated starter up to 16-18 weeks, when they start laying, with no problem. I gradually mix in the layer pellets and after a week they are all happily eating it.

 

[triggfamily5]

I think you'll find this is a personal issue. A lot of people don't use medicated at all (I am one of them).

However, it's my understanding that to actually get the benefit of the medicated, they should be on it before introduction to the outside world and at least up to 2 weeks once outside to actually have the medicine help reduce the chance of getting that Cocci thing.

Like I said I don't use it, and I have also never had need to use it. My chicks have handled this area fine so far (my area might not be that susceptible to cocci)

 

[midget_farms]

It is safe to keep them on the medicated feed that long. You can stop any time you like though.

Medicated feed really isn't necessary unless you have a known diesese in the flock or the conditions are unsanitary.

I've raised several sets of chicks & have never used medicated feed. It's really more of an insurance against infections, but if the brooder is clean & you have never had a major outbreak before it really is unnecessary.

 

[Wynette]

I prefer not to use medicated feed; if you keep their brooder nice & dry and clean, you won't ever have a Cocci issue, IMO.

What I do with starter is that I feed it to them until 12 weeks of age, then I switch to Flock Raiser, and feed that until they lay their first egg. I don't like to start them on layer feed until they are actually.....laying.

 

[ranchhand]

I started with the medicated because 18 years ago Easter it was the only thing available in central TX. I would use the unmedicated just as easily, but it's still hard to find here in SC. The thing about medicated is to make sure it's only Amprollium, which guards against Coccidiosis, a parasite infliction. Not antibiotics or other "stuff".

I am thinking I may start switching to Flock Raiser as Wynette does, but it only became available here earlier this year.

 

[speckledhen]

Honestly, I do keep the brooder and the grow out coops clean and dry and they get cocci even on medicated feed. It's just there in the soil and after raising batch after batch in the same pen, even after using lime on it, they still get a mild case of cocci about two weeks after they hit the soil. Some of it has to do with how damp the climate is at the time you raise them, too. Gads, I've seen some filthy brooders in pics here over the years and those folks have less issue with cocci than we do here in GA on my property. Can't be much cleaner than high air flow plus completely dry shavings and morning pooper scooping and yet, every batch gets it.

I just don't want folks feeling guilty if a chick gets cocci if it's not something they did wrong. Very dry climates have less issue with it than we do here in the South. The only chicks here that never have cocci issues are the ones with their broody mamas. They are on the ground the very first week of life and they eat their mom's poop (she is already immune to the oocycts in our soil).

I cannot buy non-medicated chick starter here, but I would if I could (as long as it wasn't more expensive). Remember, the meds are just thiamine blockers and quite harmless. Flock Raiser here only comes in medicated, plus it's muy expensive.

 

[JesikaD01]

Honestly, I do keep the brooder and the grow out coops clean and dry and they get cocci even on medicated feed. It's just there in the soil and after raising batch after batch in the same pen, even after using lime on it, they still get a mild case of cocci about two weeks after they hit the soil. Some of it has to do with how damp the climate is at the time you raise them, too. Gads, I've seen some filthy brooders in pics here over the years and those folks have less issue with cocci than we do here in GA on my property. Can't be much cleaner than high air flow plus completely dry shavings and morning pooper scooping and yet, every batch gets it.

I just don't want folks feeling guilty if a chick gets cocci if it's not something they did wrong. Very dry climates have less issue with it than we do here in the South. The only chicks here that never have cocci issues are the ones with their broody mamas. They are on the ground the very first week of life and they eat their mom's poop (she is already immune to the oocycts in our soil).

I cannot buy non-medicated chick starter here, but I would if I could (as long as it wasn't more expensive). Remember, the meds are just thiamine blockers and quite harmless. Flock Raiser here only comes in medicated, plus it's muy expensive.

I am in georgia too and we tried non medicated chick feed and within 2 weeks lost 3 chicks. so we are now on medicated feed (and corrid)