Was dead against medicated starter feed... until this spring

I've been raising chicks for 4 years and always swore by non-medicated feed. Didn't want to pump them full of stuff. But then I lost 2 of my 6 Barred Rocks to coccidiosis back in March. My vet in Eugene tested them and confirmed it. She said for my damp Pacific Northwest setup I should really reconsider. So I switched to medicated starter for this year's batch of 8 Wyandottes and they are thriving at 5 weeks old. Anyone else change their mind about something they were set against?

2 comments

2 Comments

noahs8221d agoTop Commenter

Ha! You just described my entire chicken journey in one post. I was the same way, swore I'd never use medicated feed, thought it was some big conspiracy by Big Chicken or whatever. Then last year I lost three Buff Orpingtons in one week to coccidiosis. That'll change your tune real quick. Now I'm over here buying the medicated stuff like it's going out of style and my birds are actually making it past 4 weeks without looking like they're about to keel over. I still feel kinda bad about it though, like I failed some kind of chicken hipster test.

wyatt_ross2721d ago

My first batch of chicks back in 2019 was a complete disaster for the same reason. I went all in on the non medicated feed, thought I was doing the natural thing. Lost two Wyandottes and a Rhode Island Red before I even knew what coccidiosis was. Now I use the medicated stuff for the first 8 weeks and then switch over to regular feed. It worked for me and I don't feel bad about it anymore. The way I see it, those birds are living a way better life than any grocery store chicken ever will, even with a little medicine in their starter feed.