Medicated or non medicated?

[Ozarkhomesteader]

That's so cool! What do you grow?

leafy greens like spring mix and romaine lettuce, tomatoes, melons, and fallen apples are their favorites. They also get clippings from the people garden, and also get a lot of food from foraging...i also grow corn and millet. I supplement with a little bit of layer pellets for the chickens...if i don't, the egg production drops a lot. Ducks are better at keeping up with production on simple homegrown foods. During the winter i usually have to buy local wheat berries, which i like to grow into fodder for them not that i have like 60 birds

 

[cafarmgirl]

That's a really good plan!! I've been giving just regular grass to eat along with their food so they get some natural as well.

Are you talking about cut grass? Or clumps of dirt with grass still attached? The clumps are fine, they pick off bite sized pieces but cut grass can be a problem since they tend to just swallow down the whole piece. If they gobble up to much they can end up with an impacted crop. It is in the soil where the cocci protozoa live as well.

 

[kdolly87]

Are you talking about cut grass?  Or clumps of dirt with grass still attached?  The clumps are fine, they pick off bite sized pieces but cut grass can be a problem since they tend to just swallow down the whole piece.  If they gobble up to much they can end up with an impacted crop.  It is in the soil where the cocci protozoa live as well.

Well, I've been just ripping the grass out of the ground by hand but if it's better I can dig up a little dirt attached to the root too.

 

[MeepBeep]

I did their first bag medicated and non medicated after that.

A lot of people do the same, but it's honestly not he best practice in many cases... It's not a bad way if the chicks are hatched by a broody hen and start life in the coop area, as they will get their heavy dose of cocci instantly and they can build up that immunity right away... But if they are hatched in an incubator and housed in an isolated brooder, they likely won't get much if any exposure to cocci initially thus the medicated feed isn't doing much good at the early age and if they have been cut off from the medication prior to being introduced to the outside environment it can actually be detrimental...

The highest exposure to cocci is generally when the chicks are introduced to the outside coop area or to close proximity to other birds, this is when medicated feed benefits most...

I've never had a chick with coccidiosis.  They all start with fermented feed, and are exposed to the soil organisms within the first few days of life, so they develop a healthy gut and a natural immunity to the coccidiosis that is common to my soil.

I'm sure all your chicks had cocci (almost every bird does) they just didn't and don't show symptoms as their immune system was keeping the cocci to a low count, the same can't be said in all situations, some areas have higher concentrations or exposure risk, it all depends on your situation... Even when you use Amprolium, they still build up the healthy immunity to cocci over time, it just allows for a slower build up and gives the chick more time to build up that immunity with a lower risk of breakout...

 

[kdolly87]

A lot of people do the same, but it's honestly not he best practice in many cases... It's not a bad way if the chicks are hatched by a broody hen and start life in the coop area, as they will get their heavy dose of cocci instantly and they can build up that immunity right away... But if they are hatched in an incubator and housed in an isolated brooder, they likely won't get much if any exposure to cocci initially thus the medicated feed isn't doing much good at the early age and if they have been cut off from the medication prior to being introduced to the outside environment it can actually be detrimental...

The highest exposure to cocci is generally when the chicks are introduced to the outside coop area or to close proximity to other birds, this is when medicated feed benefits most...
I'm sure all your chicks had cocci (almost every bird does) they just didn't and don't show symptoms as their immune system was keeping the cocci to a low count, the same can't be said in all situations, some areas have higher concentrations or exposure risk, it all depends on your situation... Even when you use Amprolium, they still build up the healthy immunity to cocci over time, it just allows for a slower build up and gives the chick more time to build up that immunity with a lower risk of breakout...

How would I determine the risk factor in my area?

 

[lazy gardener]

That's a really good plan!! I've been giving just regular grass to eat along with their food so they get some natural as well.

i cut a piece of sod, flip it over and put it directly in the brooder. I've read that the chick's antibodies are highest in the first 2 weeks of life. In a natural broody situation, Mama broody would have those babies scratching around in the barnyard within several days of hatching. They'd also ingest some of her feces, which would also help with their immunity. There have been studies done which show that chicks brooded on litter which has had previous broods on it, or litter from the coop have healthier immune systems, much higher survival rates. And, yes, Meep Beep, I can assure you that my chicks do have cocci in their guts, as most likely all birds do, as well as a lot of animals. But a healthy immune system keeps the flora in the gut balanced so the bad guys don't outnumber the good guys. There is no one right or wrong way to raise chicks, the important thing is to make informed decisions.

 

[kdolly87]

i cut a piece of sod, flip it over and put it directly in the brooder.  I've read that the chick's antibodies are highest in the first 2 weeks of life.  In a natural broody situation, Mama broody would have those babies scratching around in the barnyard within several days of hatching.  They'd also ingest some of her feces, which would also help with their immunity.  There have been studies done which show that chicks brooded on litter which has had previous broods on it, or litter from the coop have healthier immune systems, much higher survival rates.  And, yes, Meep Beep, I can assure you that my chicks do have cocci in their guts, as most likely all birds do, as well as a lot of animals.  But a healthy immune system keeps the flora in the gut balanced so the bad guys don't outnumber the good guys.  There is no one right or wrong way to raise chicks, the important thing is to make informed decisions. 

I just put a couple small clumps of grass with dirt in tact and they went nuts over it! Thanks for the info!

 

[kdolly87]

Are you talking about cut grass?  Or clumps of dirt with grass still attached?  The clumps are fine, they pick off bite sized pieces but cut grass can be a problem since they tend to just swallow down the whole piece.  If they gobble up to much they can end up with an impacted crop.  It is in the soil where the cocci protozoa live as well.

I just tried a couple clumps and they are having a blast! Thanks for the info

 

[MeepBeep]

How would I determine the risk factor in my area?

It's not a formula, but there are some things that weigh heavy... If you are living in a rural area where there are a lot of wild birds especially fowl like geese and ducks, or in a rural area where poultry has been bred and raised your risk are exponentially higher then say in an urban area with little wildlife and lawns that are regularly treated with chemicals... Also if you are new chicken keeper and don't have existing chickens your risk are lower then if you have an existing flock that the chicks will be introduced to...

I raise peafowl, for me cocci is always a HUGE concern and high risk as peafowl have an utterly horrible immune system compared to chickens and many other domestic fowls... Peafowl are highly susceptible to cocci and in peafowl you generally don't even have time to react to signs of the disease and medicated before the pea is near death or dead already... I also have quite a big flock of existing birds on the property as well as it having been a working farm for decades even prior to me moving in...

Weigh your options and decide what is best for your, little if any harm will happen even if you use medicated feed up until the birds are of laying age or slaughter age, as long as you observe the withdrawal period of 24 hours...

 

[kdolly87]

It's not a formula, but there are some things that weigh heavy... If you are living in a rural area where there are a lot of wild birds especially fowl like geese and ducks, or in a rural area where poultry has been bred and raised your risk are exponentially higher then say in an urban area with little wildlife and lawns that are regularly treated with chemicals... Also if you are new chicken keeper and don't have existing chickens your risk are lower then if you have an existing flock that the chicks will be introduced to...

I raise peafowl, for me cocci is always a HUGE concern and high risk as peafowl have an utterly horrible immune system compared to chickens and many other domestic fowls... Peafowl are highly susceptible to cocci and in peafowl you generally don't even have time to react to signs of the disease and medicated before the pea is near death or dead already... I also have quite a big flock of existing birds on the property as well as it having been a working farm for decades even prior to me moving in...

Weigh your options and decide what is best for your, little if any harm will happen even if you use medicated feed up until the birds are of laying age or slaughter age, as long as you observe the withdrawal period of 24 hours...

We live in a very urban area with zero ducks geese or chickens ever having been in my yard! Thanks for the advice I'll definitely take it into consideration