medicated water vs medicated feed

[weeders n feeders]

I have to chime in here. I think some of the problem may be the word "medicated". There is a tendency when we hear that word to think antibiotic. But it's my understanding that medicated feed contains a thiamine blocker. Please tell me if I am wrong. We haven't had antibiotics in our house since my daughter ws a baby and constantly getting ear infections and the DR. Wanted to put her on maintenance antibiotics but since I saw that she was always having trouble with the antibiotics we refused and I started digging into natural and homeopathic remedies. Within a short period all ear infections gone. ACV and alcohol was all it really took. That was 15 years ago. I'm not saying all antibiotics are bad but they should not be a first resort and never a preventative. Used the way they are now days they cause germs to be worse than they should be and then we start a cycle of needing stronger meds and higher doses. Our goal should be to build healthy immune systems and only use antibiotics when absolutely necessary. This goes for my animals as well as my family.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
No, they need nothing but good quality chick starter, medicated or not, and fresh water, period. In your everyday world, you know that antibiotics treat illnesses caused by bacteria, not viruses or protozoans like giardia, correct? That doesn't change because they are chickens. If they are healthy, they do not need that. I'm sure the feed stores would love to continually sell Terramycin or other antibiotic to you every single week, but healthy chicks do not need that, trust me!

Meds we're talking about are to help them build immunity to coccidiosis, not actually treat illness, not at the minor concentration in the feeds. The medication is a thiamine blocker/analog that starves the oocycts that cause cocci so they do not overwhelm the systems of the babies before they develop immunity. Oocycsts are in the soil and the gut of the chicken. And they can still get cocci, even on medicated feed, if the oocycts are rampant in your soil or they are allowed to poop too much in the water without proper cleanout.

 

[macadam8157]

Medicated starter feed!! I've read that putting stuff in water can deter them from drinking as much as they should. But different strokes for different folks. I have 14 and they are all on the medicated starter feed and growing up big and healthy!

 

[schellie69]

I wish people would stop using antibiotics for everything this just ends up making a super bug. I used medicated chick starter for the chicks I raised but allowed my broody hen and her chick to have flock raiser no problems with that chick. A lot of the people at farm stores don't know anything about raising chicks. I know some at our local tractor supply don't the other farm store there are some that have their own chickens so they do know what they are talking about. Please listen to speckled hen she knows what she is talking about. I have followed her advice many times and my chickens are happy and healthy. Here is a great post that I follow. (#3 I do my chickens not so much.

)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=129278

 

[CCourson05]

As a bio/pharmacy major, feeding your chicks constant antibiotics kills gut flora, which has already been mentioned, and further puts risk on your chickens later in life due to what the antibodies are creating. They are creating antibody-resistant bacteria, which then turn into incurable diseases... please stop, because if ever a disease that is human contractible comes about and it is antibody-resistant, you will be in a world of crap...

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Absolutely wrong, sorry. Antibiotics don't stave off illness. Why treat healthy birds for weeks with antibiotics that will mess up their good gut flora? That is the worst thing you can do to a healthy bird, the worst. Antibiotics will not stop coccidiosis, which is not caused by bacteria, but a protozoan. Do you take antibiotics on a daily basis to keep from getting sick? Think about it-does that even make sense, really?

Antibiotics given to birds when they are at the age to most likely get cocci, which ravages the intestines like antibiotics do, could actually kill the chicks! Antibiotics treat bacteria, not viruses, not protozoans, same as with humans.

And TSC is doing harm with that ridiculous recommendation. The reason you haven't lost any chicks is because they were healthy in the first place, not because of unnecessary antibiotics--I don't lose chicks, either, and I never, ever give antibiotics to them, not ever.

Please, please stop the antibiotics, folks. The information you were given was flat-out wrong.

Amen! Standing ovation!​

 

[sonjab314]

Hey Speckledhen, I have a ? for you. I have been using medicated feed and I still got cocci in my chicks that I am treating with Sulmet. What is up with that? They are in a grow out pen by themselves although my big chickens run by them all the time. I did note that one of my big roos had blood in his poo so I treated them too. But, how likely is it that the chicks get cocci while on the medicated food? (Purina medicated chick starter btw)

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll chime in. I do not give mine antibiotics nor do I give them medicated feed. I don't get them vaccinated for coccidiosis either. I go out of my way to expose them to the strains of coccidiosis that lives in my soil. It is a whole lot easier for them to develop immunity to those strains of coccidiosis protazoa when they are babies and it is a whole lot easier for me to watch them very closely for signs of problems when they are in the brooder.

On their third day in the brooder, after they have learned what their main food is, I scoop some sandy dirt out of my run and feed it to them, partially for grit and partially to get those protazoa in their system. I keep a very dry brooder (wire bottom) but put a piece of plywood in there so some of their poop can build up enough so that protazoa can get recycled enough for them to build up the immunity. The poop on the plywood needs to be slightly damp but certainly not wet. Wet is your enemy.

Some strains of coccidiosis are stronger than others and you may have a very good reason to feed medicated feed. With the stronger strains, medicated feed may not prevent the problem, especially if the brooder is wet. Even if you don't have a specific reason to medicate there is no real reason not to feed medicated feed as long as laying hens are not eating it. The chicks can still develop the immunity they need. But I just don't see any benefit to medicated or doctoring chickens if you don't have a specific reason to.

If you get your chicks vaccinated for coccidiosis, do not feed medicated feed. It can wipe out the benefits of the vaccination.

 

[speckledhen]

They still get it because the dosage of amprolium in medicated feed is only a tiny boost and you probably have all sorts of stuff in your soil, as I do. I can only get medicated feed here, unless I'm willing to pay more for non-medicated Home Grown at the Purina store, which is basically powder, not crumble.

When chicks are raised by a broody here, they don't get coccidiosis, probably from picking in mom's poop, which is sort of like an inoculation; plus, they are on the ground by a week old, getting it in small doses, unlike when you raise them in a brooder and they don't hit the ground until maybe 4-5 weeks of age. My brooder raised chicks always must be treated for coccidiosis, medicated feed or not, so I keep Corid on hand all the time. Contrary to some information passed around, just because they get cocci doesn't mean they are not kept in sanitary conditions. Mine sure are, as sanitary as chicks can get without following them around with a pooper scooper under their bums.

My two week old chicks in the coop have a dust bath with soil from my property, just like Ridgerunner does. I never used to do that, but lately, with the last few batches, I have and it has helped tremendously.

 

[sonjab314]

Thank you guys a lot for your help. I have some chicks due to hatch in the next few days so I will try giving them dirt from my yard. That is a wonderful idea. I have not lost any chicks and they all appear to be healthy eating drinking carrying on but I was about to get frustrated. I had a hard time dealing with it last year too and that was my first year with chickens period. And now that I reflect back, my first batch of chicks I bought got cocci while inside the house but only after I had taken them outside to play. It all makes sense now. You guys are life savers