Question about whether medicated starter feed is really necessary for chicks

Honestly, I've been going back and forth on this for months. I've got a batch of 12 chicks right now, and my buddy swears by medicated feed to prevent coccidiosis, but I read that it can mess with their natural immune system development if they're not actually exposed to the disease. My flock is pretty small and I keep my coop super clean in Austin, so I'm leaning towards non-medicated this time. But I also don't want to lose a bird to something preventable. Has anyone else taken the risk with non-medicated starter and seen issues, or is it overkill for backyard setups?

2 comments

2 Comments

juliaa2520d ago

Yeah my friend out in Colorado tried non-medicated with her first batch of 10 chicks last spring. She was super careful about cleaning but still lost two to coccidiosis before she could get them treated. Now she swears by medicated starter, says the peace of mind alone is worth it for a backyard flock.

thea24620d ago

Medicated starter saved me a lot of grief early on.