I was at the feed store today checking out feed for my roaster chicks. I asked if the had a non-medicated chick starter for broilers. They said they did not. In fact, the clerk went on further to say there was no such thing as un-medicated broiler chick feed or just chick feed in general. It was all medicated. Well I know thats not true. What do you use to feed your boilers? Im sick of dealing with these local yolkals! Ill drive if I need to. I want these birds to turn out well.
Country Acres makes an unmedicated feed. I'm pretty certain that Purina SunFresh starter is unmedicated. I know their flock raiser is, and they say you can feed it from 0 weeks old. Anywhere I ask for non-medicated feed, I have to really over-enunciate, even then they sometimes give me medicated. After you make them load then unload your truck, they remember what non-medicated means.
I fed both my groups of Cornish X's Dumor 20% Chick Starter from Tractor Supply Store and never lost one. When they were 7 weeks old I switched to their 15% Finisher Crumbles. The USDA inspector at the processing plant said they were the finest chickens he had ever seen! I never use medicated feeds! but mine were vaccinated for coccidia at the hatchery.
We use "Meat Maker" from...some company I'm forgetting right now. It's non-medicated and can be used for our poults, goslings, ducklings and quail. It's starting to get too expensive to use - last I checked it was getting very close to $14 for a 50lb bag. It's why I want to say bugger it and raise my own feed. They may be saying that because an unmedicated feed is unavailable to them. Different feed stores carry different brands, which means they sometimes can't get everything. One feed store out here doesn't carry Purina while another does. If I want any Purina feed I have to drive across town.
Quote:I use 22% gamebird starter....the protien content isn't too high, and it's unmedicated....since they're in their final 2 weeks I've been mixing cracked corn into their feed about 1 part corn to 2 parts feed to put a little more fat on their bodies. So far they're all doing fine, and they're going on 10 weeks