Should I be feeding Medicated Starter Feed or Non medicated Chick Crumb?

[BantamBabies]

I was told in the store that it the amprolium is out of their system in 4 days, so when their of laying age you can switch to an organic feed and your eggs should still be organic after it’s out of their system. Their good bacteria and immune system take over and you should be good to go.

 

[rehdancer]

I did medicated starter when I first got my chicks, but I switched them to regular food when the first bag was empty. No problems. I may have had beginner's luck, but I've not had any problems with my chickens, healthwise.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I was told in the store that it the amprolium is out of their system in 4 days, so when their of laying age you can switch to an organic feed and your eggs should still be organic after it’s out of their system. Their good bacteria and immune system take over and you should be good to go.

They'd be "organic enough" for most people's home consumption but if you're talking about certified organic (like for retail sale) no you cannot switch to organic feed later and certify the eggs as organic in the US.

 

[Molly Mojo]

I
I used to insist on it for new biddies. But over the last year or so, I've been told that its outlawed now and I can't get it. I don't care what anyone else thinks, I've read all about the pros and cons. But I never lost a chick on it but now I can't get it so I don't. I'm in Texas.

What can you not get in Texas?

im confused.

 

[donddon]

can I get that from a vet I guess? The local TCS doesn’t have it on hand.
Also, could I dig up a handful of dirt from the yard and give it to them to munch on to help build
Their immunity up to it? They’re only 3 weeks old right now. Thanks!

You should be able to buy a medicated starter/grower feed online.

 

[Vicker]

In 15 years of keeping chickens, I've never lost a bird to coccidiosis. (I lost one new chick to pasty butt despite efforts to treat it). I have no idea if the chicks I buy have been vaccinated. I always just buy medicated Start & Grow feed. I clean the brooder often to keep them out of their droppings. When they're old enough to spend time outside, they are gradually exposed to organisms in the ground, which I believe helps boost immunity. I've probably never left them on starter/grower for the recommended 18 weeks. It's too hard to keep the different ages out of each other's food after they integrate into the flock. My chickens don't live on processed feed alone, anyway. They get a lot of their nutrition from free ranging and kitchen scraps. Now, when I had ducks and geese, I definitely fed non-medicated starter as recommended.

 

[Karalyn]

I look at it this way:

They don't get medicated feed when born out in the wild, so why do they need it because they are penned up in my yard? I haven't lost a little one yet to any illness. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Lil TexHens]

can I get that from a vet I guess? The local TCS doesn’t have it on hand.
Also, could I dig up a handful of dirt from the yard and give it to them to munch on to help build
Their immunity up to it? They’re only 3 weeks old right now. Thanks!

Yes, you can get Corid at Tractor Supply or a local feed store. Get the liquid because it is easier to measure out with a syringe than scooping powder Corid. And yes, you need to start adding some dirt to your brooder. A little bit each day. It will give exposure over time and allow them to build up a resistance. All that being said, your chicks may get Coccidiosis, so have the Corid on hand before you start adding dirt. Pay attention to your chicks’ eating, drinking and pooping behaviors, so that you will notice any changes right away.

 

[Lil TexHens]

I look at it this way:

They don't get medicated feed when born out in the wild, so why do they need it because they are penned up in my yard? I haven't lost a little one yet to any illness. But that's just my opinion.

You’re correct in that one doesn’t have to give medicated feed. There are plenty who don’t without issue. But...then there are those that didn’t give medicated and dealt with Cocci. Of course, the same goes with using medicated feed. Giving medicated feed doesn’t guarantee that one’s chicks won’t get Cocci; it can help at least lessen the severity. If one’s chicks are being raised outside with mama, an outside brooder or take them outside daily for short field trips, then they are getting exposure that helps to build up an immunity to Coccidiosis. Whereas chicks raised inside having zero exposure to dirt can’t build up an immunity to something they have never been exposed to. So adding a small amount of dirt, daily, to an indoor brooder is a very important, whether or not one’s chicks get medicated feed.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They don't get medicated feed when born out in the wild, so why do they need it because they are penned up in my yard?

I'll respond this way, I think it is a legitimate comment. If you raise yours with a broody hen and they have access to a fairly large area where she can take them, I totally agree it is very similar to raising them in the wild. It is really rare for a chick raised by a broody hen that has room to work to get Cocci. If that bug is present they start working on that immunity immediately. They get it from Mama. They cover a lot of territory, poop doesn't build up thick. She can take them to drier places. Life is really good.

But a lot of people don't raise them that way. Broody hens and chicks may be penned into smaller areas where the poop can build up. Sometimes these areas stay wet, the hen can't take them to a better place. Or we take the place of the broody, keeping them in brooders or small coops and runs where poop an build up. That's a different situation.

I don't use medicated feed either, my history says I don't need to. If my history included a Cocci problem I'd probably try to figure out why and chance my management practices. Medicated feed might be one of those changes.

We are all different, we all have different conditions and circumstances. What works for me might very well not work for someone else.