Silkies and Medicated Feed

[ourltlflock]

Hi there! I've been raising chickens/chicks for 6 years now and by no means an expert. I've been looking at getting some Silkies and was told by an "expert" that Silkie chicks were NOT to eat medicated chick feed. True or false??

 

[DobieLover]

Hi there! I've been raising chickens/chicks for 6 years now and by no means an expert. I've been looking at getting some Silkies and was told by an "expert" that Silkie chicks were NOT to eat medicated chick feed. True or false??

Why not? Silkies are just as susceptible to coccidiosis as any other chicken not raised in a sterile environment.
What does said "expert" suggest you do should one of your silkies come down with coccidiosis? Wish upon a star?

 

[ourltlflock]

Why not? Silkies are just as susceptible to coccidiosis as any other chicken not raised in a sterile environment.
What does said "expert" suggest you do should one of your silkies come down with coccidiosis? Wish upon a star?

She cannot offer any other info other than that they shouldn't eat it. No reason why either, uugh. She also said 6 vets and 1 breeder gave her this info.

 

[DobieLover]

She cannot offer any other info other than that they shouldn't eat it. No reason why either, uugh. She also said 6 vets and 1 breeder gave her this info.

Okay. I would greet such comments with bald faced skepticism, which you obviously do too or you would not have started the thread.

Incidentally, I didn't feed medicated starter to my non-silkie chicks. I just had the Corid on hand and ready to go at the first sign of trouble. I didn't have any trouble until I integrated 3 new pullets to my 6.5 month old pullets last fall. And I lost no one because I acted immediately.

 

[chickens really]

Many feed Bantam Chicks Turkey starter.I feed an all flock starter and its unmediated too. I never heard The theory that medicated is bad though?..I have Call Ducklings so buy unmediated for them all.

 

[Madd14]

I have heard this too, and the reasoning behind it is the Amprolium blocks the absorption of vitamin B and silkies have an issue with vitamin deficiencies....again, just what I've been told.

 

[Shine_farm]

I have heard this too, and the reasoning behind it is the Amprolium blocks the absorption of vitamin B and silkies have an issue with vitamin deficiencies....again, just what I've been told.

This is correct. Silkies are prone to vitamin deficiency esp vit B (thiamine), E, and selenium. The medicated chick start can cause a thiamine deficiency that leads to wry neck in silkies.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

As others have stated, silkies are prone to B1 deficiencies. Amprolium is structurally very similar thiamine and blocks the absorption of thiamine even in chickens. That is why it works so well on coccidia because they need B1 to reproduce and grow. The amprolium mimics the B1, but instead blocks thiamine receptors preventing absorption causing the coccidia to become malnourished and die.

https://afs.ca.uky.edu/poultry/common-nutrition-related-problems-poultry#:~:text=Vitamin B1 deficiencies result from,takes three weeks to develop.