What’s the point of medicated chick starter?

[Roofus]

Thank you

 

[Ridgerunner]

Sorry, I was not bashing anyone. I just wanted to know if I should use the medicated starter/grower to have a less chance of problems. If that has good results for other growers. Just wondering if that worked best for them.

I understand and consider it a good question. To me the answer is not real simple.

There is some good information on Amprolium above. Coccidiosis is caused by the number of protozoa that can cause Cocci reaching very high numbers in their digestive system. There are different varieties of these protozoa that attack different parts of their digestive system. Some are a lot more dangerous than others.

These protozoa typically thrive in wet conditions. That can be a water dish with poop in it. It can be a wet brooder, coop, or run. The life cycle is such that if you dump the dirty water every two days the "eggs" (oocysts) will not mature to the point they are a risk. Housing that stays wet is a problem.

Not everyone has all or even any of these protozoa strains that are pretty common in soils. After two to three weeks of low level exposure to any one of these types the chicken develops an immunity to that specific type but not to the other types. A low level exposure is good so they can develop that immunity. If the numbers get high they can die.

Amprolium works by reducing the reproductive ability of the protozoa. It helps keep the numbers low enough that they develop immunity, not get sick or die. But it is not a guarantee. If conditions are bad (wet) and it is a strong strain they can still get sick and die. So you still need to pay attention.

Some people believe that a chicken with Cocci will poop blood. That is not necessarily true. Some will, but some won't. The symptoms I watch for are that they get lethargic, stop eating and drinking, and stand in one place all puffed up. These symptoms could mean something else but if I saw them I'd start treatment immediately.

As mentioned above, the drug only works if the protozoa is present. It will not hurt them but does no good if they are not there. What some people experience is that they feed medicated feed while the chicks are in the brooder and have not been exposed to the protozoa and when the chicks hit the ground and are first exposed they stop the medicated feed. The chicks get sick and they think the medicated feed did not work.

The way I manage it is to keep things as dry as I reasonably can, change their drinking water regularly, and feed them some dirt from the run every three or four days while they are in the brooder. That way they are exposed to the protozoa and develop immunity to the specific strain they are exposed to.

If people have a history with Cocci medicated feed makes a lot of sense. Nothing wrong with using it as long as it is used correctly.

Good luck!