Don't medicate unless needed, but please stop spreading the old myths!! Ignorance and unwilingness to believe new research is killing a lot of birds. You can safely use certain medicated feeds with waterfowl.
Stop believing old wives' tales and start saving your poultry from coccidiosis. As an herbalist, I have tried many natural alternatives, but nothing has been as effective at stopping it as quickly as the medicated feeds. Coccidiosis kills birds FAST. I educated myself on the best way to handle it because I care about the lives of my birds.
Coccidiosis is a devastating disease. Ampolium is safe for all birds.
http://www.amprol.com/Phibro/Company/Safety.html
http://www.amprol.com/Phibro/Company/Safety.html
"They found research that had been done here in the United States and abroad on the effect of these four drugs on waterfowl. As Dr. McDougal said “Not one of these papers described any harmful effects to waterfowl except where the normal dosage was significantly overdosed.”... “Frequently publications pertaining to waterfowl state that medicated feeds should not be fed to ducklings and goslings. In some localities, producers and hobbyists who raise a small number of ducklings and goslings can only purchase medicated chick, turkey or game bird starter and grower feeds. Because of the lack of documented information on this subject and the numerous requests for advice on this matter, anticoccidial drugs zoalene, sulfaquinoxaline and amprolium were mixed in mash feed and fed to ducks up to four weeks of age.”Therefore, it appears research shows these drugs do not harm waterfowl if used at the rates commonly used with chickens and turkeys. Have there been coccidiostats used in the past that were harmful to waterfowl? Probably and that is why the myth began. But those drugs are no longer allowed or no longer used in the United States. What if you have the choice of medicated or non-medicated starter feed of equal nutritional value? My recommendation would be to use the non-medicated feed. There is no point in feeding medication when it is not needed. HOWEVER, if the choice is nutritionally correct medicated starter feed or non-medicated feed that does not meet the nutritional needs of the ducklings and goslings, I would definitely recommend the nutritionally correct, medicated starter feed. Research shows the medication will not harm the waterfowl.
