Starter Feed with Antibiotics

[.:Rusalka:.]

I agree with some of what you've said. You are correct that many (most?) chicks/chickens survive just fine without being raised consuming medicated feed, as they have throughout the centuries. But. There are also Countless threads in the Emergencies and Disease forum re people treating for coccidiosis. The Corid medication is an added expense, & treatment requires an extended period of days. Worse, many chicks & some adults are too sick before treatment begins, & they dont survive.

I try to learn from the mistakes of others, & not make the same mistakes myself. Amprolium is neither an antibiotic nor a "poison". The FDA requires no withdrawal period before eating eggs from laying hens. As others have stated, amprolllium Can cause a thiamine deficiency. But that is far less common than coccidiosis.

I think everyone participating in this thread discussion has valid points. The varying viewpoints allow each individual to make their own decision. But the main point, which everyone here surely agrees on, is that "medicated chick starter" refers to an anti-coccidistat ingredient, NOT an antibiotic..

I agree with you completely. It can make a big thing if it start to spread thats sure, but I feel it very unlikely to happen in my experience. It doesn't mean others can't have situations where it can help. We are organic farmers, so medicated or no, not organic food of shops is out of consideration. But I have a lesson learnt.
One year I had only 14 chicks hatching because of the cheap incubator I repurposed already as the turner of the new I had years ago. They grew up nice until 5 weeks and already was in the run that was empty that time, as the bigs were free in the yard. They were sleeping in an other spot because that time I had no coop to the run yet. There came a heavy rain for days, and we didn't transfer them to the run in the morning, as it wasn't covered, and I didn't feel them ready for such rain so they stayed in there, got fed and watered there for some days. That was enough for coccidiosis to show up, killing the half of them and getting two weeks of antibiotics for everyone. In the end only some of the smalls died, and I could react fast enough, but it was my fault from the start, and wouldn't happen if I open that door and let them out inside the building at least, where their sleeping spot was. Never made that mistake again, and this year I reached the level I wanted and brooding chicks completely outside in a run I built for that. Before this they were in the storage building in the first weeks before going in the run, but I had 2-3 unexplained deaths day by day of the 50 the last year, so when I saw it alarming, and thought it couldnt be chicks stepped on or something I moved them outside, and the deaths didn't occur ever again. I still don't know what happened with those, still can be that others stepped on them, because they were the smaller ones, but I see that chicks growing up outside as natural as it can be have to have no fear of coccidiosis. Also had no problem inside or in the storage building until I made that one mistake, so coccidiosis is not on my list of dangers at all. I think everyone have to decide on their own situation if they need or not the food, maybe even breeds make difference, I have no experiences on that, having only old hungarians and transylvanian x hungarian mixes.