Thanks - I didn't know that the medicated feed only slows down the progression. I thought it treated it. Shortly after I moved the coop from inside to outside, I had one chick that was not doing well, and had loose stools, so I removed the starter feed from the feeder, and used only the medicated feed until the entire bag was used up. The chick improved, none of the other chicks (I have 6) ever got diarrhea or appeared ill, but thought I should treat them all at the same time, as I felt it one got it, the others would soon follow! I now have normal looking stools in the coop, and never treated with Corid, because I haven't been able to find it locally. I am going to call a vet tomorrow to see if they sell it just so I will have it on hand if this happens again. My chicks are 9 weeks old, healthy, and growing leaps and bounds!
But I have another question that I hope someone can help me with. I have been letting my chickens free range during the day. Do I need to give them grits if they are still on starter crumbles, but now also eating whatever the heck they want all day long (I have 30 acres so they have a world of opportunity to eat whatever they want! It's funny though that near evening when I put them back in the coop, which is open all day - they could go in there anytime if they wanted to - that they all descend on the feeder when I put them in the coop like they are starved. I don't get that, because they go in and out of the coop during the day, so they could eat the crumbles anytime they wanted. Does this mean anything? I see them eating grasses and clover, bugs, etc. all day long, but they do go in and out of the coop on their own during the day also, and I always keep the crumbles inside the coop.
