Switch from medicated to non-med feed right before going outside?

[BellaLulaFarm]

When we picked up our new back of chick food from the feed store yesterday, we were inadvertently switch from 20% medicated chick starter to 18% unmedicated chick grower. I'm planning on moving the chicks outside at the end of the week. I don't know if I have coccidio around here (the medicated feed was because that was all the feed store had at the time, but hearing people's stories I'm not sad that the chicks got the protection), but the chicks are going to be across the fence from my current flock of hens.

I'm thinking that this is a bad time to switch them off the Amprol--what do people think?

Thanks!

 

[silkiechicken]

Medicated feed helps chicks get immunity by preventing cocci from reproducing in the chick. For it to work, they need to be exposed to the cocci early. Let them play in the dirt before switching off the feed.

 

[BellaLulaFarm]

I've been giving them a pan of dirt from various parts of the yard every couple days for a couple of weeks now--would that be sufficient? If not, I'll just go get more medicated feed and save the other stuff till later.

 

[silkiechicken]

Should be fine. Just toss em out and let them have at life. If you do suspect cocci to be strongly present in the soil, just have some sulmet or corid on hand and you can treat it as soon as symptoms show up. however, I doubt you'll have an issue. I've only had cocci once and that was a bunch of birds who were never exposed to soil till a warm wet august week. Warm and wet soil = cocci oocyst preservation media.