Medicated vs Non-medicated

[KatiPc]

Hey everyone, just wanted to grab some opinions on this topic if I could. I'm raising chicks and ducklings at the same time and due to an error with my eggs hatching I ended up with just one baby duck so she stayed with the chicks, all on non-medicated food, until I could go buy another duckling for her. Once I got the second duckling I put a divider in my brooder and switched the chicks over to the medicated feed and kept the ducklings on the non-medicated. However they're all very attached to one another and were so upset at being separated that I wondering just how terrible it would be to remove the divider and just feed the chicks the non-medicated food. I know the medicated is to help prevent coccidiosis and with the ducklings being their usual gross messy selves and drenching everything in their brooder I'm afraid the chicks are therefore at higher risk because of the constant mess. I clean it out once a day but even that doesn't seem enough with ducklings. Opinions please? Should I just keep them separated on the different foods or will they do ok together on the non-medicated?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I don't feed medicated. I believe your chicks need to be in contact with the ground to pick it up. Some area are more prone to coccidiosis, mainly places that are more damp or wet. The feed doesn't prevent them from getting coccidiosis, it helps build their immunity to it, that's my understanding of it. I'm low risk here so I don't worry about it.

As far as keeping the ducks and chicks together, the biggest concern is keeping the brooder dry for the chicks, as well as mold free. So if you are willing to clean more I don't see the harm. I personally would separate the ducklings out. The complaining should stop after a few days.

Another reason to brood them separately is so they don't grow up thinking they are all the same species, which can become a problem as they sexually mature and drakes try to mate chickens.

 

[chickens really]

Keep doing as you have been...I would keep them separate too....Ducks grow faster than Chicks..Chicks do not do well if they get wet and cold...You never want a Drake to breed a Chicken....

 

[chickens really]

Keep doing as you have been...I would keep them separate too....Ducks grow faster than Chicks..Chicks do not do well if they get wet and cold...You never want a Drake to breed a Chicken....

 

[lazy gardener]

Agreed with PP regarding separation. No good thing can come from a sloppy big duck mucking up the chick brooder, and a drake can kill a hen if he tries to breed her. Juvenile males are notorious for trying to breed anything that moves.

As for using medicated feed: I've never used it, and have never had issues with cocci.

 

[Folly's place]

I agree that you should keep them separate for the sake of the chicks, and then can you find a couple of ducklings for your lonely baby? Some of us have low enough levels of coccidia in our flocks and their environment that non-medicated feed is fine; other places aren't so fortunate. It's safer to feed chicks the medicated feed until after they have been exposed to your ground, so they build up resistance and don't become overwhelmed and sick. Mary

 

[nikkers390]

I live in hot, humid, wet FL. High risk for coccidiosis. My chicks are on medicated feed till they start laying. By that time, their immune systems are more able to resist coccidiosis.
When I had ducks, they were fed the same feed (mixed with a lot of greens). I read that medicated feed is toxic to them, I never had any problems. I did regulate the protein by supplementing with fresh greens and thawed frozen peas until they feathered out. I was concerned about angel wing. My ducklings grew to be healthy ducks.
Keeping chicks and ducklings together is problematic because they have different water rquirement, but their feed was the same in my case.
Good luck with your babies.

 

[KatiPc]

Thank you everyone, I appreciate it! I will keep them separated. It certainly makes the cleaning easier since I can just spot clean the chicks side daily and only do a complete change twice a week instead of everyday. Man ducklings are gross! I vowed to never get any again lol yet here I am! And since it's summer they might just go outside sooner rather than later so my house won't stink for as long.