The more I read, starting to think non-med....

[MakNat]

Seems like its wrong to start drugging them right out of the egg.. My 1st year raising chickens (3 ago) I just let the hens do there thing and no med food. Alot of the older chicks started dropping dead... The next year, I tried to make sure the chicks got at least some med food, and they did better. Now on all med food, they are getting to about 6 - 10 weeks and getting sick on me... I'm thinking of going all natural again...

 

[bigdawg]

i have been using amprolium medicated starter for the last three years without any problems. the only ones i loose are a day or two old. after that, no problems.

 

[speckledhen]

Amprolium is only a thiamine blocker, not an antibiotic, but you can certainly use non-medicated and treat cocci if it arises.

 

[Uzuri]

Before you give up on (or turn back to) medicated feed, try to figure out what they have. The stuff in the medicated feed doesn't solve every problem. You might have a localized issue that needs specific treatment.

 

[speckledhen]

I doubt it had anything to do with the feed unless there was mold in it. That will kill birds quickly.

 

[MakNat]

Does the AVC and garlic I hear about so much 'really' help boost their immune systems? I've given it to them before and you would think I was handing out gold! I know, I just can't tell whats going on. All birds here were raised here, I mean hen hatched, incubated or hatchery day olds, not shipped or store bought. Mt healthy hatchery is close, I drive ther to get them. I have only gotten a few so they don't inbreed. So no outside bad stuff... Like from farms or swaps ect.. Not saying that is bad, but no quaratining that might have went bad. I still have the original hen and roo. They have to be 5 by now as they were adults when we got them.. Maybe its just the luck of the draw...

 

[mrbstephens]

 

[Bullwinkle]

Quote:
The medication in the feed is only for Coccidisiosis (a soil borne protozoa). The medication is not an antibiotic and does not protect against Marek's or any other disease.

I think it would be more important to find out what disease or issue is causing their death. What are the symptoms? Is there any diarrhea, blood in their poo, paralysis? Has anything else changed between the 6th to 10th week? (i.e. housing, free ranging, exposure to older chickens...) Please give more details.

 

[prairiepearls]

And remember that going by going "all natural," it is "natural" for birds to get sick and die.

 

[MakNat]

I've have one group of mixed bantams that have been nothing but heart breaking culls. Hen hatched them in late fall. They were in a cage in the barn with the hen for the first 4 weeks then I put a light in with them and moved the hen. At 6 weeks I started opening the cage during the day and they would play free in the barn all during the day. All the big chickens hang in there all day too. They always had, around the cage too. I think it started with Mareks. A couple just dropped dead and a couple more got crippled and just laid around, not long..... So now I'm down to 5. They were fine for a couple more weeks then out of nowhere, there is sneezing, gurgling, snot and foaming eyes..... Swollen faces.... So a couple more have been culled.... Now I have 2 left. A though little hen that has No symptom and never had and a roo that has had duramycin-10 but is still congested sounding.... All my other age groups younger and older are fine. All these birds were bred and raised here. I just don't get it. If I have to cull anymore, I'm just going to get out of chickens period...