MEDICATED STARTER - STILL CAN GET COCCI?

[tdgill]

I am feeding medicated chick starter, my chicks are a month old, i think they are thin in the breast, off and on foamy poo, sometimes only half of the dropping is runny, other half normal. Thinking cocci or worms but i have been feeding med feed. They have had a box of dirt to dust in, and eaten earth worms.

Isnt medicated feed to avoid cocci??

 

[walkswithdog]

While medication often prevents cocci it's not a guarantee. I'd head over to the injuries and illness thread and check out how to treat them for it.

Even with meds it does happen. Depends on the breeds, the chicks, the environment, all kinds of things.

Good luck.

 

[sussexgal]

Yes... the medicated feed has a coccidiostat - should help prevent cocci infection. Are your birds active and running about? Cocci infection - the birds are lethargic, kinda ruffled looking like they are cold, and their wings droop. Someone else with more knowledge can chime in here about worms and when to worm them....

 

[Bullwinkle]

Quote:
Almost all chickens will have Cocci because it is almost everywhere (but not all will have an infection to a degree that is noticable or detrimental to the chicks).
The medications are not meant to 'wipe-out' the Cocci but to slow their growth down to a manageable level. Allowing some level of Cocci in the chickens intestines will allow the chicken over time to develop a stronger and stronger resistance to the protozoa that causes it. I believe I remember reading that the pattern of infection and reinfection must take place through 3 cycles to develop resistance. The medicated feed just gives the chickens a 'fighting chance' by keeping the cocci level in check in their intestines.

Each brand of medicated chick starter uses different ingrediates it seems, though most will have at least Amprolium. Some feeds I've looked at have two or three medications. Part of the problem is that over the years some of the strains of Cocci have developed resistance to the meds. I haven't tried it, but if you think your chicks may have cocci, you might check the medications that are in the bag, then try a different brand that has a different set of medications to see if that will do the trick. If you start getting blood in the poo though you might want to go with something a little stronger.

 

[tdgill]

thank you all so much...