Medicated vs. Unmedicated

[Brooks_]

I use non-medicated and offer soil/sod clumps at an early age to build tolerance.

 

[Tami2]

In the US, "Medicated" chicken feed usually means Amprolium, which is a thiamine antagonist. It disrupt's coccidia's ability to thrive. Think of it like red tide in a chickens gut. Only instead of dinoflagellates always present in the seawater which, when conditions are just right, bloom into massive colonies whose toxins are bad for every living thing nearby; instead its coccidia in a chicken's digestive tract that, when conditions are just right, bloom into a huge colony which is very bad for the host chicken.

Amprolium's operation is really basic, chemically, and coccidia largely have not developed resistance to it, though its been used for decades. There are broad spectrum, and with more chemically complicated means of operation, anti-microbial medications to which coccidia HAVE developed broad resistance - in shorter time frames.

/edit and Amprolium can be rendered functionally ineffective, unknowingly, by people trying to do the "right thing" by giving vitamin supppliments to their coccidia-sick birds. While Aprolium disrupt's coccidia's ability to uptake thiamine, if your greatly increase the thiamine in their environment, its effects can be overcome.

Thank you!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll copy something I wrote a few years back about the life cycle of the bug that causes Coccidiosis. The medicine in Manna Pro Medicated is Amprolium so this applies.

First you need to know what the "medicated" is in the medicated feed. It should be on the label. Usually it is Amprolium, Amprol, some such product, but until you read the label, you really don't know. Most "medicated' feed from major brands for chicks that will be layers uses Amprolium, but there are a few out there mostly for broilers that use other medicines. I'll assume yours is an Amprolium product, but if it is not, then realize everything I say about it may not apply. And it is possible that the "medicated" is Amprolium AND something else.

Amprolium is not an antibiotic. It does not kill anything. It inhibits the protozoa that cause coccidiosis (often called Cocci on this forum) from multiplying in the chicken's system. It does not prevent the protozoa from multiplying; it just slows that multiplication down. There are several different strains of protozoa that can cause Cocci, some more severe than others. Chickens can develop immunity to a specific strain of the protozoa, but that does not give them immunity to all protozoa that cause Cocci.

It is not a big deal for the chicken’s intestines to contain some of the protozoa that cause Cocci. The problem comes in when the number of those protozoa gets huge. The protozoa can multiply in the chicken’s intestines but also in wet manure. For them to reproduce they need some moisture. Slightly damp isn't an issue, soaking wet is. Different protozoa strains have different strengths, but for almost all cases, if you keep the brooder dry, you will not have a problem.

To develop immunity to a specific strain, that protozoa needs to be in the chicks intestines for two or three weeks. The normal sequence is that a chick has the protozoa. It poops and some of the cysts that develop the protozoa come out in the poop. If the poop is slightly damp, those cysts develop and will then develop in the chick's intestines when the chicks eat that poop. This cycle needs go on for a few weeks so all chicks are exposed and they are exposed long enough to develop immunity. A couple of important points here. You do need to watch them to see if they are getting sick. And the key is to keep the brooder dry yet allow some of the poop to stay damp. Not soaking wet, just barely damp. Wet poop can lead to serious problems.

What sometimes happens is that people keep chicks in a brooder and feed them medicated feed while they are in the brooder. Those chicks are never exposed to the Cocci protozoa that lives in the dirt in their run, so they never develop the immunity to it. Then, they are switched to non-medicated feed and put on the ground where they are for the first time exposed to the protozoa. They do not have immunity, they do not have the protection of the medicated feed, so they get sick. Feeding medicated feed while in the brooder was a complete waste.

I do not feed medicated feed. I keep the brooder dry to not allow the protozoa to breed uncontrollably. The third day that they are in the brooder, I take a scoop of dirt from the run and feed it to them so I can introduce the protozoa and they can develop the immunity they need to the strain they need to develop an immunity to. Since I keep my brooder extremely dry and the water clean the protozoa can't reproduce so every three days I give them more dirt from the run so they get more protozoa and can develop immunity. I don't lose chicks to Cocci when they hit the ground.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding medicated feed to chicks, whether the protozoa are present or not. It will not hurt them. They can still develop the immunity they need. But unless the protozoa are present, it also does no good.

If you get your chicks vaccinated for Cocci, do not feed medicated feed. It can negate the vaccinations.

What are the risks and pros with either one?

I don't see it as risks or pros. Medicated feed is simply a tool that, if used right, can help reduce the chances of your chicks developing Coccidiosis. If you don't use it right it does no good.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

and that is why I come to BYC. Excellent post. Still excellent to tenth, twelfth, fifteenth, twentieth time I've read it..

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I'm sorry, I've forgotten what breeds you keep and where you live. Do you have particularly fragile birds and a harsh climate?

I'm fortunate that my chicks have mainly be fast-maturing breeds who feathered out early (brooding outdoors helps with that). There's only one batch that wasn't in the integration pen before 5 weeks -- when I had a couple Langshan cockerels who were slow-feathering and looked seriously naked at 4 weeks when I wanted to take the batch off heat.

The chicks would be Wyandotte, d'uccle, bantam cochin, speckled Sussex, serama, and polish silkie cross. It's VERY hot where I live but I plan these chicks in early September which.....will still be hot

 

[MysteryChicken]

I don't feed Medicated Feed, but I do keep Corid on had just in case I have chicks that end up getting Coccidiosis. This year I haven't needed to treat chicks so far, which is interesting. Usually I deal with Coccidiosis like maybe once, or twice a year.

Hopefully this year continues, like this.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I'll copy something I wrote a few years back about the life cycle of the bug that causes Coccidiosis. The medicine in Manna Pro Medicated is Amprolium so this applies.

First you need to know what the "medicated" is in the medicated feed. It should be on the label. Usually it is Amprolium, Amprol, some such product, but until you read the label, you really don't know. Most "medicated' feed from major brands for chicks that will be layers uses Amprolium, but there are a few out there mostly for broilers that use other medicines. I'll assume yours is an Amprolium product, but if it is not, then realize everything I say about it may not apply. And it is possible that the "medicated" is Amprolium AND something else.

Amprolium is not an antibiotic. It does not kill anything. It inhibits the protozoa that cause coccidiosis (often called Cocci on this forum) from multiplying in the chicken's system. It does not prevent the protozoa from multiplying; it just slows that multiplication down. There are several different strains of protozoa that can cause Cocci, some more severe than others. Chickens can develop immunity to a specific strain of the protozoa, but that does not give them immunity to all protozoa that cause Cocci.

It is not a big deal for the chicken’s intestines to contain some of the protozoa that cause Cocci. The problem comes in when the number of those protozoa gets huge. The protozoa can multiply in the chicken’s intestines but also in wet manure. For them to reproduce they need some moisture. Slightly damp isn't an issue, soaking wet is. Different protozoa strains have different strengths, but for almost all cases, if you keep the brooder dry, you will not have a problem.

To develop immunity to a specific strain, that protozoa needs to be in the chicks intestines for two or three weeks. The normal sequence is that a chick has the protozoa. It poops and some of the cysts that develop the protozoa come out in the poop. If the poop is slightly damp, those cysts develop and will then develop in the chick's intestines when the chicks eat that poop. This cycle needs go on for a few weeks so all chicks are exposed and they are exposed long enough to develop immunity. A couple of important points here. You do need to watch them to see if they are getting sick. And the key is to keep the brooder dry yet allow some of the poop to stay damp. Not soaking wet, just barely damp. Wet poop can lead to serious problems.

What sometimes happens is that people keep chicks in a brooder and feed them medicated feed while they are in the brooder. Those chicks are never exposed to the Cocci protozoa that lives in the dirt in their run, so they never develop the immunity to it. Then, they are switched to non-medicated feed and put on the ground where they are for the first time exposed to the protozoa. They do not have immunity, they do not have the protection of the medicated feed, so they get sick. Feeding medicated feed while in the brooder was a complete waste.

I do not feed medicated feed. I keep the brooder dry to not allow the protozoa to breed uncontrollably. The third day that they are in the brooder, I take a scoop of dirt from the run and feed it to them so I can introduce the protozoa and they can develop the immunity they need to the strain they need to develop an immunity to. Since I keep my brooder extremely dry and the water clean the protozoa can't reproduce so every three days I give them more dirt from the run so they get more protozoa and can develop immunity. I don't lose chicks to Cocci when they hit the ground.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding medicated feed to chicks, whether the protozoa are present or not. It will not hurt them. They can still develop the immunity they need. But unless the protozoa are present, it also does no good.

If you get your chicks vaccinated for Cocci, do not feed medicated feed. It can negate the vaccinations.


I don't see it as risks or pros. Medicated feed is simply a tool that, if used right, can help reduce the chances of your chicks developing Coccidiosis. If you don't use it right it does no good.

This was VERY helpful. I learned a lot by reading this and may have made my decision (although I would like to see suggestions keep coming). I will feed unmedicated feed in the brooder and possibly bring some sand or dirt from the run for exposure and dust bathes then when I take them outside for the first time I will mix medicated and unmedicated and slowly wean off that mix to adult food when they are of age this way they are still slightly protected when they go out but still have the immunity they need to thrive.
Thanks, you helped very much

 

[rosemarythyme]

then when I take them outside for the first time I will mix medicated and unmedicated and slowly wean off that mix to adult food when they are of age this way they are still slightly protected when they go out but still have the immunity they need to thrive.

I wouldn't mix medicated and unmedicated. Medicated feed has a very low dose of amprolium and by diluting it, you may be building up resistance in any coccidiosis in their system while dropping down the "medication" to the point where it's not doing anything at all.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I use it when chicks are little till integrated. It's a lot more fun to prevent than treat once sick IMO. This was so educational article from all. I also give dust bath dirt out of run dirt. You can keep brooder clean and dry but those little buggars POOP on everything including their feeders.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I use it when chicks are little till integrated. It's a lot more fun to prevent than treat once sick IMO. This was so educational article from all. I also give dust bath dirt out of run dirt. You can keep brooder clean and dry but those little buggars POOP on everything including their feeders.

I agree especially since by the time you see a birds sick you will or have already lost a few