Quarantine Question

[Angiebubs]

I hatched out some Salmon Faverolles chicks and of course its looking like mostly males. I was at our county fair and decided to buy some nice quality pullets to offer pairs with my cockerels.
I plan on keeping them seperated for a month, treating with Eprinex for mites/lice/worms. I need to find out if they have been on medicated feed as we have had Cocci in the past and my flock is clean now but concerned if its still around on the ground. The pullets are 5.5 months old-since my flock is currently on medicated feed, if I put them on medicated feed during quarintine period will these give them some immunity if they haven't been on it in the past?

Any other advise on quarantine?

 

[Judy]

What gives them immunity is either the vaccine, or actually having a low level infestation of cocci, to which the body builds immunity over time. The purpose of medicated feed is to control the volume of cocci in the bird, to keep it at a low enough level that the body can fight it off with its immune system, acquiring immunity gradually in the process.

It's a pretty safe bet that if your birds have had cocci in the past, it is still in your soil.

 

[Angiebubs]

So would giving the new birds medicated feed while in quarantine help build up needed immunity at this age?

 

[Judy]

The cocci do that. The medicated (with amprolium) feed, or a dose of Corid, would help prevent the cocci from overwhelming the birds. Corid is a brand of amprolium. the birds get a much higher dose if you give Corid. See esp. post #3 here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/879239/cocci-prevention/0_20#post_13364390

 

[Angiebubs]

great info thank you! My chicks in my flock are almost 4 wks old I may add a preventative dosage of Corid to the water for a few weeks. Plus the quarantined 5 month old chicks as well. Is there any concern of them building up a resistance to Corid like they can to antibiotics? I want to avoid this.

 

[Judy]

No, no resistance. It works by ihibiting the uptake of thiamine in the cocci themselves, completely different from the way antibiotics work.