Organic chick starter versus medicated?

[laseterlass]

I bought the organic as we had chickens growing up and they were just fine. Never lost em to anything but predators. Also never had a brooder. Now a days I have day old healthy hungry Buff Orpingtons under a heat lamp in a bucket in my office. I.E. City Chickens. I did have them vaccinated against Mareks. What is the benefit to the medicated feed?

 

[m_shuman]

See the thread I just started about feed questions.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=507092

 

[lvchicken]

It helps keep them protected against other diseases.

 

[Pele]

I personally am a softie and would be heartbroken if I exposed my babies to Cocci and other diseases in the name of feeding organic. Medicated feed is my feed of choice until they've built up their little immune systems and can range outside.

 

[laseterlass]

Part of my reasoning is that I care for a child with an allergy to commercial eggs. She pukes them right back out.

BUT if one of her own NEVER medicated chickens lays them. She can eat them.

ODD I know, but concerning to me nonetheless.

 

[laseterlass]

All right I give in. Off to the feed store for medicated chick starter. Being in Alaska they will HAVE to be in a brooder till fully feathered so I might as well make sure they will be healthy. UHG.

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

I used medicated my first round with chickens, but purchased the organic the second time around. My chicks did great both times. The other thread mentioned here has some great info, and I just learned A LOT from reading it!

Originally, my feed store told me that the medicated was for respiratory illness (now I know it is NOT) and I was buying chicks in winter, so I bought it. This time I switched to Organic starter because I was raising them in warmer weather, and didn't think the risk of respiratory illness was as great. Now that I know it is Cocci, and not respiratory illness, that the medicated feed helps with, I may rethink that next time.

 

[lindsmurphy]

I also went with the medicated feed, mostly because the feed seller (a local dairy farm) insisted that it would be cruel to allow my chicks to die from a known threat when it was easily treated..

 

[cafarmgirl]

Quote:
Well I have to say I partially agree with that, though they kind of made it sound like it was a given that all chicks will develop coccidiosis if fed unmedicated feed. Plenty of folk's raise chicks carefully on unmedicated feed. I agree with the part about it being an easy way to help the chicks build their immunity to coccidia.

Personally I have always fed medicated chick starter just because I saw no reason not to give them that benefit. Coccidiosis (sp?) is nasty and hard on chicks, if they survive, and I'd personally rather just give them that benefit then have to try to treat them should they pick it up.

Also, you can have them off of it long before they start laying if you are concerned about it being in their system/eggs.

 

[AlbionWood]

If I understand correctly, the medication is a Coccidiostat - it prevents Coccidiosis from killing them while they develop an immunity to it. But this only works if they are exposed to the Cocci while they are on the medicated starter, meaning they have to be outside where they can pick up the disease. It doesn't do any good if they are inside a brooder where they can't get exposed. Is this correct?

This year we are letting broody hens raise chicks, so they are on the ground from the beginning, and from what I've read here they don't need any Coccidiostat when raised this way - they develop the immunity right away. It's only if they are raised off the ground at first and then suddenly exposed that Coccidiosis kills them. Do I have that right?

I need to get organic starter/grower so the whole flock can eat it, laying hens and chicks alike. Otherwise I have to keep the new ones separate for 18 weeks!