Using medicated feed

StoneyRidge

In the Brooder
10 Years
Mar 16, 2009
44
4
34
Bloomington, Indiana
I went to the feed store and all they carry is medicated feed for chicks. I bought and hatched some chicks and feeding them this medicated chick starter. Is this a good idea?

I have been loosing chicks for what seems to be no reason. They have plenty of water and feed. The heat lamp is on and high enough so not to cook them or chill them.

What seems to happen is a chick becomes less active as compared to the others. It may or may not show some wagging of the head from side to side. In a say or two I find them dead.

I have bought vitamins and electrolites and added it to my water for one or two days then switch back to plain water.

Could the medicated feed be causing problems with my chicks?
 
I would notify the hatchery or whatever place of origin you purchased them from. Also, do you know if they were vaccinated for Marek's and New Castle's disease?
I have my chicks on medicated feed for the past 2 springs and no problems.
 
I ordered 20 chicks and specified to have them vacinated for Marek's. I have only 5 chicks left out of those 20. I have talked with the hatchery and they replaced some of my losses and said the vacination could have caused some to die.

I had a second order with the same hatchery and made sure they would not be vacinated. I got 25 chicks and a few has died but they are far more active than the first group. Of this group I have lost 6.

The ones I hatched have not been vacinated and I have lost several of them. It seems the smaller ones die first. Over all they are doing fine.
 
So sorry.....with they way almost all feed companies have change how they label feed and will change from batch to batch what they add it might be really good to try some other feed.

So many deaths lately of everything from Horses on down from mistakes in feed preparation.
 
I use a sugar water solution for new chicks for energy boost the first 2 days even if I have to hold them and feed with a syringe.
Soryy about the losses.
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I am sorry you are going though that with your chicks. It is not easy to watch them die for unknown reasons.

I also had my chicks vaccinated at the hatchery for Merek's disease. I lost about 15 out of 50 in the first batch back in February. 5 DOA, about 8 of those within the first day, and the remaining by 3 days. They were in transit from a Wed to Sat. I think it was stress from transit and lack of water and food more than the vaccination because the 15 replacements took a day and a half to get here and none died. The second batch had the Merek's vac. as well.

Maybe try hand feeding plain yogurt to the weak ones. I hope the rest start doing better for you.
 
i actually had to buy the Medicated Chick feed this time also, I never have before.. but now my Feed Store only carries medicated chick starter..


what is the difference in Medicated and non-medicated?
 
I don't know the difference. All I know if my kids are healthy they don't need medication. So I figure if the chicks are healthy they don't need medication either.
 
The medication in medicated feed is usually Amprolium and it helps to prevent coccidiosis, a protozoan parasitic disease caused by oocysts. Medicated feed doesn't treat other health issues.

If you don't use medicated feed it is extremely important to keep the bedding and areas where droppings may accumulate really clean until the chicks reach adulthood.
 
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