Medicated feed

[CARS]

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

All I know is that when I take chickens off medicated feed before they have been on the ground for a while I have lots of losses. Even ground that has not had chickens before. Crowded or not, summer or winter.

Don't seem to have any losses if I keep them on medicated feed for a while on the ground.

 

[pkeeler]

Rebel: Are you sure they are dying from coccidosis? It is possible you have a chronic infection in your housing. Or some of your older birds are carriers. Leaving your birds on medicated feed longer would help. If you do have some very high parasite load in your yard, it would make sense that new chicks would need to be exposed longer on medicated feed than most. Vaccination might be good for you.

It is also possible that you have an unusual strain of the cocci. One that medicated feed actually doesn't prevent. It is only older birds and ones that survive initial infection that survive.

 

[CARS]

I have never used medicated feed. I just get the vaccinations on my day old chicks.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Its not my birds or my land. Every person Ive talked to that has tried doing without medicated feed have had the same results. I have seen no point in medicated feed when they are off the ground but there first month on the ground will kill a percentage of them if you don't use medicated feed. For me it was about 2 or 3 in every 10.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Quote:
I hatch all mine so I use the medicated feed.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
Cocci is in all soils everywhere, just they thrive better in some soils than others, and can live longer without a host which is mostly wild birds. It is a protozoa which reproduces in the GI tract of avian species, in the oocyte stage(egg) it can lie dormant like a seed for many months, even years conditions permitting.

GA is notorious for having cocci in the soils, while someplace like WI or TX will usually not have it bad if at all since it is too cold/hot/dry. The oocysts can survive for many months in warm damp soil, but may not last more than a week in less than "ideal" conditions.

For example, put 100 oocysts in GA soil, and 100 in TX soil without chickens in either place. Come back in 2 months, and you'd probably find 95 in the GA soil, and maybe 5 in TX soil. Add chickens and the ones that will get sick are the ones who get overloaded with the basal amount found in the GA soil which was conducive to the survival of the oocysts.

Make sense?

 

[REINABUGY]

So what should I do? They will be laying in a few mos I hope. Should I just mix the medicated with the layer when they get to venture out?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Quote:
Cocci is in all soils everywhere, just they thrive better in some soils than others, and can live longer without a host which is mostly wild birds. It is a protozoa which reproduces in the GI tract of avian species, in the oocyte stage(egg) it can lie dormant like a seed for many months, even years conditions permitting.

GA is notorious for having cocci in the soils, while someplace like WI or TX will usually not have it bad if at all since it is too cold/hot/dry. The oocysts can survive for many months in warm damp soil, but may not last more than a week in less than "ideal" conditions.

For example, put 100 oocysts in GA soil, and 100 in TX soil without chickens in either place. Come back in 2 months, and you'd probably find 95 in the GA soil, and maybe 5 in TX soil. Add chickens and the ones that will get sick are the ones who get overloaded with the basal amount found in the GA soil which was conducive to the survival of the oocysts.

Make sense?

Yea, what Im saying is the medicated feed does is job when cocci is there. If you rase the birds off the ground an take them off the medicated food before you put them on the ground for a while then it does not help. They need to be on the food while they are on the ground for it to work.