What exactly is "medicated" chicken feed?

[BastyPutt]

Thank you so much! So would you recommend getting medicated feed or do you personally prefer to stick to non-medicated?

Consider this - and this has all been generally touched on, but I will summarize in hopes that it helps.

the main debate advocating for medicated feed is the prevention of cocci.

The way a chick or chicken fends off cocci is a naturally occuring bacteria in their gut. A chick isn't born with any said bacteria, and their bodies only develop it in response to exposure to the parasite. What the amproluim is thought to do is weaken the parasite, allowing the chick a better chance at generating the healthy bacteria.

It is safe to assume these bacteria are everywhere, because we know there are millions of chickens living cocci free.

With that said, I've learned on BYC to allow everyone to come to their own conclusion based on their flocks circumstances.

For me, I believe practicing good husbandry and brooder cleanliness (and especially hygiene after handling the grown flock to the babies) allows the chicks exposure to the right amount of the parasite and they develop a healthy amount of bacteria. We have never fed medicated feed and ever have had a cocci incident.

If you chose to feed medicated, that is fine, but there are two things to consider.
1. It is recommend that you titrate the feed off 10% each day, over 10 days before putting the chicks outside. The idea of course is that their naturally immunity will begin to fill in the gap left from the medication.

2. If your chicks happen to have the cocci vaccine, the amproluim will negate it as the vaccine will for the amproluim. So nether will doing anything for your chick. The cocci vax is getting more and more rare, and usually only available from a hatchery if requested, but you never know about the feed store bins.

Hope this helps, sorry if it was redundant.

 

[BastyPutt]

Chris, I've only seen amprolium in chick starter rations at the fee stores; never lasalocid. And I wouldn't see the need for feeding antibiotics to chicks in the small backyard flock situations most of us have. That's why I grow my own birds, to avoid that huge commercial broiler house environment. Corid works great as treatment for coccidia, but only if needed, IMO. So far I've not had coccidiosis here, and I'd love that to continue. I use ivermectin as a general wormer once a year or so; it's easy and so far no tapeworm issues here either.

Mary

Amen.

Generational breeding can lead to a parasite resistant bird since it is so location specific. We are in the same boat.

Congrats on a solid flock.

 

[Kiki]

Consider this - and this has all been generally touched on, but I will summarize in hopes that it helps.

the main debate advocating for medicated feed is the prevention of cocci.

The way a chick or chicken fends off cocci is a naturally occuring bacteria in their gut. A chick isn't born with any said bacteria, and their bodies only develop it in response to exposure to the parasite. What the amproluim is thought to do is weaken the parasite, allowing the chick a better chance at generating the healthy bacteria.

It is safe to assume these bacteria are everywhere, because we know there are millions of chickens living cocci free.

With that said, I've learned on BYC to allow everyone to come to their own conclusion based on their flocks circumstances.

For me, I believe practicing good husbandry and brooder cleanliness (and especially hygiene after handling the grown flock to the babies) allows the chicks exposure to the right amount of the parasite and they develop a healthy amount of bacteria. We have never fed medicated feed and ever have had a cocci incident.

If you chose to feed medicated, that is fine, but there are two things to consider.
1. It is recommend that you titrate the feed off 10% each day, over 10 days before putting the chicks outside. The idea of course is that their naturally immunity will begin to fill in the gap left from the medication.

2. If your chicks happen to have the cocci vaccine, the amproluim will negate it as the vaccine will for the amproluim. So nether will doing anything for your chick. The cocci vax is getting more and more rare, and usually only available from a hatchery if requested, but you never know about the feed store bins.

Hope this helps, sorry if it was redundant.

Amprolium treats the protozoa not a bacteria.

Please read this.
Thread 'Just a friendly reminder on coccidiosis vs cocci' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/just-a-friendly-reminder-on-coccidiosis-vs-cocci.1190998/

 

[BastyPutt]

Amprolium treats the protozoa not a bacteria

Yes, this is correct - but not what I had said.

The naturally occuring bacteria in the chicks gut is what stops the coccidia parasite - which is the basis of most gut system health in the animal kingdom.

The amproluim weakens the parasite, allowing the chick more of an opportunity to develop the bacteria - thus stopping the virus.

Good Gut bacteria is generated as a result of exposure of whatever it is intended to stop. Id the amproluim completely wiped out the parasite, and then you out the then pullet into the flock, it would almost certainly catch cocci and die because it no longer has any defense against it.

 

[BastyPutt]

Amprolium treats the protozoa not a bacteria.

Please read this.
Thread 'Just a friendly reminder on coccidiosis vs cocci' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/just-a-friendly-reminder-on-coccidiosis-vs-cocci.1190998/

Amprolium treats the protozoa not a bacteria.

Please read this.
Thread 'Just a friendly reminder on coccidiosis vs cocci' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/just-a-friendly-reminder-on-coccidiosis-vs-cocci.1190998/

Oh and in response to this thread - correct - but medicated food isn't a treatment, it's a prevention measure. I don't know anything about cell composition, but I know all these start somewhere, which is what the amproluim is intended to stop.

I've always just abbreviated it as cocci because I misspell it every time and I am certainly not of the most intelligent nature. I won't do that anymore.