Question of meat bird with medicated feed

[bbking83]

I had all my chicks on medicated feed this spring. We ended up with a couple roosters out of the batch we hatched. How long do they need to be off of medicated feed before they are safe for consumption? I tried looking on the feed bag but could not find anything. Thanks for any help.

 

[lcertuche]

My personal opinion is that if they can run around the yard and scratch they don't need chick starter, medicated or otherwise. My chicks free range and I don't feed them much except kitchen scraps and an occasional handful of grain. In the winter I try to use multi-grains and corn but I usually don't feed any formulated feed after they are free-ranging good.

 

[bbking83]

My personal opinion is that if they can run around the yard and scratch they don't need chick starter, medicated or otherwise. My chicks free range and I don't feed them much except kitchen scraps and an occasional handful of grain. In the winter I try to use multi-grains and corn but I usually don't feed any formulated feed after they are free-ranging good.

This was our first time raising chicks and definitely an interesting experience! We had them in a "brooder" and then took them outside. Although they were not kept confined to a coup they were inside a small fence so I kept food in there for them. I have taken them off of medicated feed already. When would they be safe for consumption?

 

[lcertuche]

I really don't know how long. I've heard different ages for the medicated feed. This is the first time I ever used chick starter since I'd always just let Mama Bird decide what her little peeps needed. If you buy organic chicken that means they are not given any chemical products. Instead they use methods like oregano in the water. I'm pretty sure most commercial poultry houses use medicated feed in their houses so if you've ate regular (not organic) chicken, you've probably ate a medicated chicken.

I can't say my chicks were any healthier with the chick starter than my one raised by real mama birds. I have a little leftover if I get some more chicks but otherwise I feed mixed grains (occasionally) and leftover kitchen scraps to my birds. I think from now on I will try to find non-medicated feed because one of the reasons I raise my own birds is to know my meat and eggs is non-medicated. My chickens are always running by with a frog, bug, small snake, mouse, etc. in their mouth and eat grasses and seeds from grasses. I'm sure they are healthy and I know they are happy chickens.

They also free-range during the day-light hours. I do give my birds more grain in the winter and they free-range much less. I've been lucky not to have any sick birds. One died of old age, I gave a lot away when I got too many. Maybe you can find a middle ground for example: one month of medicated chick starter or even buy non-medicated kind.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Withdrawal period for Amporlium is 4 days for broilers.

I don't recommend feeding only grains and free range to your birds. It can and is exactly how chickens were raised on the farms only back a century ago and since time forgotten. The reason we stopped is for better utility of the birds. More eggs of larger size and better meat quality of birds. By all means a person can raise poultry like the settlers did but I wouldn't settle for that.