Medicated vs unmedicated

[citalk2much]

Quote:
I plan to check the local grain mills to see what they have to offer. Also it looks like the organic layer cost less the chick feed

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

Quote:
I plan to check the local grain mills to see what they have to offer. Also it looks like the organic layer cost less the chick feed

if you would like my recipe PM me I'll get it to you, I can even use it on my broilers and turkeys and they do great, plus my broilers don't smell.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Hi,

The short answer is, "No, you do not HAVE TO feed your chicks medicated chick starter."

The folks above are correct in that medicated feed is primarily for coccidiosis. It contains amprolium. However, your birds will be long off of the medicated chick starter before they start laying eggs for you to be concerned about eating their eggs.

Moreover, the amount of amprolium is not such that it is used to "prevent" coccidiosis but rather to manage it and help the chicks establish a natural resistance to the disease.

Whether or not to use medicated chick starter is really an individual choice. If your birds are going to be contained to an area where they are likely to come into contact with increasing amount of their own feces, then I would recommend it. The chicks will have cocci in their intestines and it is then transmitted in their feces. The most those feces build up and the more they come into contact with it, the more likely they are to get an excess amount of cocci which then becomes problematic and can blossom into an outbreak of Coccidiosis which can then lead to death.

Hope that helps.

God Bless,