medicated or not?

[Fred's Hens]

Nice replies. Very nice. Love the civility.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have used medicated and unmedicated chick starter.

When I used the medicated and made the switch to my homemixed feed, instantly they got cocciodiosis.

Ugh. I treated that flock of course with Corid. Twice. And they grew up (lost one).

Then the next batch I said heck with that...I'm just going organic and so now I feed organic unmedicated chick starter until 6 weeks. No coccidiosis. That is what I am happy with.

I have raised several batches this way and am satisfied.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Yeah, I forgot to mention (or maybe I did on another post) I feed medicated starter to brooder raised chicks. The medication, the amprolium, is what is standing between them and the heavily cocci infested soil we have here in SW Arkansas (one call to our local agricultural extension office was all that was needed to confirm that). With the broody raised chicks, not necessary IMO. The broody hen herself is acting as the chicks "innoculation" by doing what chickens do best, pooping.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Yeah, I forgot to mention (or maybe I did on another post) I feed medicated starter to brooder raised chicks. The medication, the amprolium, is what is standing between them and the heavily cocci infested soil we have here in SW Arkansas (one call to our local agricultural extension office was all that was needed to confirm that). With the broody raised chicks, not necessary IMO. The broody hen herself is acting as the chicks "innoculation" by doing what chickens do best, pooping.

So does the broody poo being ingested by the chicks give them some form of immunity? I have only had one broody that I let raise chicks. Fed them organic too.

I don't understand...help me?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Yeah, I forgot to mention (or maybe I did on another post) I feed medicated starter to brooder raised chicks. The medication, the amprolium, is what is standing between them and the heavily cocci infested soil we have here in SW Arkansas (one call to our local agricultural extension office was all that was needed to confirm that). With the broody raised chicks, not necessary IMO. The broody hen herself is acting as the chicks "innoculation" by doing what chickens do best, pooping.

So does the broody poo being ingested by the chicks give them some form of immunity? I have only had one broody that I let raise chicks. Fed them organic too.

I don't understand...help me?

My understanding of it is this - chicks are going to get into their mama's poo. Fact of life. Even while she is still getting off the nest to do her once-a-day, stinks-to-high-heaven broody poo. For the longest time I thought broody poo stopped after the chicks hatched...it doesn't.

Anyhow, so they are walking in her poo, pecking at her poo (sorry I refuse to be proper and say droppings amongst friends). They are getting the immunity through her and her poo. Also, through the rest of the flock once they rejoin them. Kinda the same way that a breastfeeding mother passes on temporary immunity or resistence to her child. It's only a temporary thing, but lasts long enough for the chicks own immune system to kick in and start building its own. It's not fool-proof, but then again neither is medicated chick starter. Chicks have died from coccidiosis while eating the medicated food.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
So does the broody poo being ingested by the chicks give them some form of immunity? I have only had one broody that I let raise chicks. Fed them organic too.

I don't understand...help me?

My understanding of it is this - chicks are going to get into their mama's poo. Fact of life. Even while she is still getting off the nest to do her once-a-day, stinks-to-high-heaven broody poo. For the longest time I thought broody poo stopped after the chicks hatched...it doesn't.

Anyhow, so they are walking in her poo, pecking at her poo (sorry I refuse to be proper and say droppings amongst friends). They are getting the immunity through her and her poo. Also, through the rest of the flock once they rejoin them. Kinda the same way that a breastfeeding mother passes on temporary immunity or resistence to her child. It's only a temporary thing, but lasts long enough for the chicks own immune system to kick in and start building its own. It's not fool-proof, but then again neither is medicated chick starter. Chicks have died from coccidiosis while eating the medicated food.

TY