Deccox vs. Bovatec for Show Lamb Feeds
Which show lamb feeds list Deccox (decoquinate) or Bovatec (lasalocid), the claim on the tag, and the cautions printed there.
Updated November 2, 2026
Flip over almost any bag of show lamb feed and you’ll find the word MEDICATED across the tag — and one of two drug names under it: decoquinate (Deccox®) or lasalocid (Bovatec®). In our database of show lamb base feeds, the split is lopsided: most brands run Deccox, a meaningful minority run Bovatec, and a few brands use both across their line.
Neither one is there to make lambs grow freakish. Both fight the same enemy: coccidiosis — a parasitic gut infection that thrives exactly where show lambs live (confinement, stress, shared pens) and quietly steals gain even when it doesn’t make a lamb visibly sick. Here’s what each drug is, how they differ, and what it means when your show asks about medicated feed.
Always read and follow the product label directions for use, and consult your veterinarian before using any product.
What the show lamb feed tags record
Penn State Extension’s Feeding Market Lambs for Show says a commercial feed intended to control coccidiosis will indicate that it is medicated with either Bovatec or Deccox. The table is only the drug, the species the page names, the claim, and any caution recorded from the manufacturer page or bag tag for each show lamb feed in this directory. A dash means that source did not print that line. Feeding rates that are not part of the drug line are left off. Follow the tag on the bag you buy.
| Feed | Drug on the tag | Species named | Claim recorded | Caution recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential 330 | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Young show lambs; pelleted creep | Medicated with Deccox | — |
| Essential 417 | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Show lambs or a creep feed | Medicated with Deccox | — |
| Evolution Creep | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Show lambs | 20 g/ton for coccidiosis prevention | Do not feed to animals other than those for which the drug is approved |
| Lamb Grower 2000 | Decoquinate | Sheep and lambs | 23 g/ton to prevent coccidiosis. Feed continuously for at least 28 days during exposure. No withdrawal period | Do not use in feeds containing bentonite. Do not feed to lactating sheep producing milk for food |
| Honor Show Showlamb Grower 15% DX | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Young sheep; growing and finishing show lambs | 0.0017% (7.6 mg/lb), for prevention of coccidiosis in young sheep. Feed for at least 28 days during exposure | Do not feed to sheep or goats producing milk for food |
| Cherry Krave | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Young show and sale lambs | 45.4 g/ton. Feed at least 28 days during coccidiosis exposure | Do not feed to sheep producing milk for food |
| Power Takeoff | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Lambs up to 90 lb | 45.4 g/ton. Feed at least 28 days during coccidiosis exposure | Do not feed to sheep producing milk for food |
| Show Star | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Growing and finishing lambs intended for show | 38.6 g/ton. Medicated for the prevention of coccidiosis in young sheep. Feed at least 28 days during exposure | Do not feed to sheep producing milk for food |
| X-Factor | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Finishing lambs over 100 lb | 38.6 g/ton. Feed at least 28 days during coccidiosis exposure | Do not feed with bentonite-containing feeds. Do not feed to sheep producing milk for food |
| Show Lamb Breeze 45DQ | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Show lambs; starter, creep, or conditioner | Feed at least 28 days during coccidiosis exposure | — |
| Show Lamb Gale Force 18DQ | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Growing and finishing show lambs | Feed at least 28 days during coccidiosis exposure | — |
| Show Lamb Gale Force HE 18DQ | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Growing and finishing show lambs | Feed at least 28 days during coccidiosis exposure | — |
| ShowTec 15.5 Lamb DC | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Finishing show lambs | Medicated with decoquinate for coccidiosis prevention | — |
| Rival Elite Show Lamb | Decoquinate | Sheep and lambs | 45.4 g/ton (22.7 mg/lb). A lamb grower for the prevention of coccidiosis in young sheep caused by Eimeria bakuensis, Eimeria crandallis, Eimeria ovinoidalis, and Eimeria parva. Feed at least 28 days during exposure | Do not feed to sheep producing milk for human consumption. Do not use decoquinate in feeds containing bentonite |
| Fundamental Sheep 14% D22.7 | Decoquinate | Flushing ewes, growing lambs, and conditioning rams | 22.7 mg per 100 lb of body weight daily, for coccidiosis prevention. Feed at least 28 days during exposure | Do not feed to sheep producing milk for human consumption. Do not combine with bentonite-containing feeds |
| NewCo Lamb Creep D22.7 | Decoquinate | Lambs. Do not feed to other species | 45.4 g/ton for coccidiosis prevention. Feed at least 28 days | Do not feed to lactating dairy sheep. Do not combine with bentonite-containing feeds |
| NewCo Lamb Feed D22.7 | Decoquinate | Lambs. Do not feed to other species | 45.4 g/ton for coccidiosis prevention. Feed at least 28 days | Do not feed to lactating dairy sheep. Do not combine with bentonite-containing feeds |
| Umbarger Lamb Creep 18% | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Young show lambs | 27.2 g/ton for coccidiosis prevention | — |
| Umbarger Lamb Creep 19% | Decoquinate (Deccox) | Young show lambs | 27.2 g/ton for coccidiosis prevention | — |
| Evolution HI-PRO | Lasalocid (Bovatec) | Show lambs | 25 g/ton for coccidiosis prevention | — |
| Evolution LO-PRO | Lasalocid (Bovatec) | Show lambs | 30 g/ton for coccidiosis prevention | — |
| Umbarger Lamb 16% Hi-Energy | Lasalocid (Bovatec) | Show lambs | 30 g/ton for coccidiosis prevention. The manufacturer notes say to use it for short periods to add condition quickly | — |
| Umbarger Lamb 17% with Barley | Lasalocid (Bovatec) | Show lambs | 30 g/ton for coccidiosis prevention | — |
| Umbarger Lamb 19% | Lasalocid (Bovatec) | Show lambs. The notes say not for other species | 30 g/ton for coccidiosis prevention in confined sheep | — |
| UpNext Lamb 16 BT | Lasalocid (Bovatec) | Show lambs | For prevention of coccidiosis. Directions say to feed 1 to 4 2/3 lb per head per day by body weight, or to mix the ration so it provides 15 to 70 mg of lasalocid per head per day and the complete ration contains 20 to 30 grams per ton | — |
| ShowTec 18 Elite Lamb | Lasalocid (Bovatec) on SKU 11317AM, or decoquinate (Deccox) on SKU 80939MPS | Show lambs | The page lists both drugs, by SKU | — |
Sunglo Show Lamb does not list decoquinate or lasalocid on its page. Hi-Pro 18% Lamb Starter Pellet is documented as drug-free from the Canadian formulation on file, so read the U.S. tag before you treat a bag as the same. Show-Rite Lamb Nutribase 800 does not list a medication, and it is a mix rather than a complete feed.
The disease they’re both fighting
Coccidia are single-celled parasites that damage the intestinal lining. Lambs pick them up from contaminated pens and water. Stress (weaning, hauling, heat) turns low-level infection into scours, rough coats, and lost condition. By the time you see bloody scours, the gut damage that costs gain has already happened — which is why show feeds medicate preventively rather than waiting to treat.
Deccox (decoquinate): the specialist
- What it is: a non-antibiotic coccidiostat — it does one job, stopping coccidia early in their life cycle, and does nothing else.
- Coverage: active against the parasite across most of its developmental window, which is why it’s the standard in creep feeds and starters — protection starts from the first bite.
- How it’s fed: continuously in feed during exposure. Many of the tags in the table say to feed for at least 28 days during coccidiosis exposure. The inclusion level is the one on that row, and on your bag.
- Withdrawal: none required when fed per label — but note the tag language you’ll see on many bags: do not feed to sheep producing milk for food.
- In our database: the majority medication. The table names each one: Show-Rite, Kent, Kalmbach, MoorMan’s Deccox lines, Hi-Pro Lamb Grower 2000, Umbarger’s creeps, and the others that print decoquinate.
Bovatec (lasalocid): the ionophore
- What it is: an ionophore antibiotic — a class of drug that disrupts the parasite’s cell membranes. Ionophores also shift rumen fermentation, so Bovatec brings a side benefit Deccox doesn’t: modestly better feed efficiency.
- Coverage: hits coccidia in a narrower, later window of the life cycle than decoquinate.
- How it’s fed: FDA-approved for confined sheep. The lasalocid levels recorded on these tags are in the table. UpNext’s directions also describe 15 to 70 mg of lasalocid per head per day when that feed is mixed.
- Withdrawal: the current U.S. label requires no withdrawal when fed as directed — but always confirm from the actual tag on your bag, because formulations and label versions differ.
- In our database: Umbarger Lamb 19%, Lamb 17% with Barley, and Lamb 16% Hi-Energy list lasalocid at 30 g/ton. Evolution HI-PRO lists 25 g/ton and Evolution LO-PRO lists 30 g/ton. UpNext Lamb 16 BT lists lasalocid. 18 Elite Lamb lists lasalocid or decoquinate, depending on the SKU.
The safety line every barn needs to know
Ionophores are the reason mixed-species barns need discipline:
- Lasalocid is potentially fatal to horses. Never let equines reach Bovatec feed. Dogs shouldn’t get into it either.
- Monensin (Rumensin) — a different ionophore found in some cattle and goat feeds — can be toxic to sheep if it is not mixed properly, and it is not labeled for sheep. Belstra lists Evolution Revolt and Evolution Prime with its goat feeds, not its lamb feeds. Both list monensin at 20 g/ton. They are not sheep feeds. If a bag wasn’t formulated for sheep, don’t improvise.
- Deccox, by contrast, is the boring one — non-antibiotic, wide species tolerance, no meaningful cross-species drama. There’s a reason it dominates creep feeds.
What “medicated” means for your show
This is where feed choice becomes a paperwork question:
- Read your show’s rules first. Some shows and jackpots require a drug-free declaration. Others only care about substances with withdrawal requirements, and most drug tests target things like ractopamine and painkillers rather than coccidiostats. The rules vary by show — never assume.
- “Medicated” ≠ “will fail a drug test.” Both Deccox and Bovatec are FDA-approved for sheep with no-withdrawal labels when fed as directed. But if your show’s form asks whether the animal received any medicated feed, the honest answer on nearly every commercial show ration is yes.
- The tag is the truth. Same brand, same product family, different medications — Umbarger’s base feeds run Bovatec while their creeps run Deccox. Our product pages flag the medication on every base feed we’ve documented, but the bag in your barn is the final word.
- Truly drug-free rations exist — they’re just rarer, and you take on the coccidiosis risk yourself. That means immaculate pen hygiene, clean water, and watching close during stress windows.
Bottom line
Deccox is the pure preventer — broad coverage, no side effects, no cross-species worries, the default in most show lines. Bovatec is the dual-purpose tool — coccidiosis control plus a feed-efficiency nudge — at the cost of ionophore handling discipline in the barn. Neither should scare you off a good feed. Both should make you read two things carefully: the feed tag and your show’s rule book.
Every base feed in our feeds directory lists its medication status and inclusion rate, so you can filter for what your program — and your show — requires.
Sources
The drug line in the table comes from the manufacturer page or bag-tag text already recorded for that feed. Penn State is the extension note on how a coccidiosis feed is labeled.
- Penn State Extension, Feeding Market Lambs for Show
- Essential Show Feeds lamb products (Essential 330 and Essential 417)
- Evolution Creep, Evolution HI-PRO, and Evolution LO-PRO
- Hi-Pro Lamb Grower 2000
- Purina Honor Show Showlamb Grower 15% DX
- Kalmbach Cherry Krave, Power Takeoff, Show Star, and X-Factor
- Kent Show Lamb Breeze 45DQ, Gale Force 18DQ, and Gale Force HE 18DQ
- ADM ShowTec show lamb growing and finishing page, UpNext Lamb 16 BT. The 15.5 Lamb DC and 18 Elite Lamb notes use dealer pages because that ADM page did not return their product text: 15.5 Lamb DC and 18 Elite Lamb
- Rival Elite Show Lamb bag-tag text on Tom’s Hay Farm; Rival files the feed under sheep feed
- Show-Rite Fundamental Sheep, NewCo Lamb Creep D22.7, and NewCo Lamb Feed D22.7
- Umbarger Lamb Creep 18%, Lamb Creep 19%, Lamb 16% Hi-Energy, Lamb 17% with Barley, and Lamb 19%
- Sunglo Show Lamb, which does not list either drug
- Hi-Pro 18% Lamb Starter Pellet, the Canadian formulation recorded as drug-free
- Show-Rite Lamb Nutribase 800, which does not list a medication
Always read and follow the product label directions for use, and consult your veterinarian before using any product.