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- #251
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This list was not meant to address every little thing, only an overall management philosophy.
Cocci is relatively a minor thing, mainly in chicks only, though adults can get it. I do feed medicated feed, but that does not prevent cocci in the soupy south U.S., certainly not on my property. Broody raised chicks never get cocci since they develop immunity from Day One, without medicated feed, by eating tiny bits on range and by pecking in mom's poop (she's already immune). Medicated feed is not a guarantee against coccidiosis if you live in an area where the oocysts in the soil are rampant.
Chicks raised in a brooder who never touch dirt, even with medicated feed, can be hit with cocci within a week of being put on soil if you've kept them in a brooder for the usual 4-5 weeks. If I could get non-medicated feed, I'd use it, but in my area, it's not really available. A better preventative than medicated feed is to give them a pan with some of your soil in it from their first week of life right in the brooder. That way they develop immunity naturally.
I don't consider coccidiosis nearly as dangerous as respiratory disease, though it certainly can kill if symptoms are missed. It is usually easy to treat and they don't remain "carriers" as they do with many respiratory illnesses.
This list was not meant to address every little thing, only an overall management philosophy.
Cocci is relatively a minor thing, mainly in chicks only, though adults can get it. I do feed medicated feed, but that does not prevent cocci in the soupy south U.S., certainly not on my property. Broody raised chicks never get cocci since they develop immunity from Day One, without medicated feed, by eating tiny bits on range and by pecking in mom's poop (she's already immune). Medicated feed is not a guarantee against coccidiosis if you live in an area where the oocysts in the soil are rampant.
Chicks raised in a brooder who never touch dirt, even with medicated feed, can be hit with cocci within a week of being put on soil if you've kept them in a brooder for the usual 4-5 weeks. If I could get non-medicated feed, I'd use it, but in my area, it's not really available. A better preventative than medicated feed is to give them a pan with some of your soil in it from their first week of life right in the brooder. That way they develop immunity naturally.
I don't consider coccidiosis nearly as dangerous as respiratory disease, though it certainly can kill if symptoms are missed. It is usually easy to treat and they don't remain "carriers" as they do with many respiratory illnesses.
