medicated food even if your chicks were vaccinated

[adam7979]

would it hurt my chicks if i fed them medicated food even if they were vaccinated

 

[Southernbelle]

Depends on what vaccine they got. Medicated feed protects against coccidiosis. If they were vaccinated against Mareks - no problem. If they were vaccinated for coccidiosis, the feed would not hurt them, but it would nullify the vaccine. The cocci vaccine is a live low dose of cocci to help them build up immunity. Medicated feed is a coccidistat - actively kills cocci, so the medicated feed would kill the live vaccine the chicks were given.

 

[Hanh3197]

I don't think so
You're just being more careful for the sake of your chicks

 

[nurse_turtle]

Chicks we received from McMurray hatchery came with a warning in big red letters NOT to feed medicated food to chicks that have been vaccinated. Feeding medicated crumbles will negate the vaccines.

 

[adam7979]

thank you im just glad it wont kill them,

 

[cmom]

Most hatcheries only vaccinate for Marek's disease. If the instructions that came with your chicks advise not to feed medicated feed, then I wouldn't. In medicated feed the medication is amprollium which is in the Starter or Starter/Grower and helps in the chicks development in their resistance to cocci. It is sulfa based. I feed it to the birds until I get my first egg then I switch over to Layer. If I have any medicated Starter/Grower or Grower left over when I get my first egg, I mix in the leftover feed with the Layer feed. There is only a problem eating the eggs layed by the birds that have had the medicated feed when they start to lay if you have any allergies to Sulfa.

 

[DuckingLost]

So medicated starter does nothing for Merek's disease?

 

[Mamatomany123]

So medicated starter does nothing for Merek's disease?

Correct, medicated is just for coccidiosis i believe.