How to maintain good healthy poultry birds

Good looking and healthy birds is the joy of all poultry farmers and the best option to be a successful poultry farmer is to have healthy birds.
Here are the list of the amazing things garlic and apple cider vinegar can do to  prevent sickness in your flock.

Garlic Is an Antibacterial Antiviral  Infection preventer Worm preventative, and a treatment 
And an egg laying stimulant Apple Cider Vinegar Is an amazing source of probiotics, a great energy booster , Helpful to their digestion and also an immune system booster , It increases the calcium & other mineral absorption (Meaning they digest minerals better, getting more out of them) And it helps with respiratory problems So what are you waiting for!

This will help your chickens health. And they LOVE it. :-) It may take them a little getting used to it,  but then garlic and apple cider vinegar are a fun treat for them!  Do you know that garlic and apple cider is one of the best homemade food you can give your chicken so as to make them healthy and productive.
Try this two and see the the wonder.

WHAT IS MAREK'S, SIGN OF MAREK'S AND HOW TO PREVENT MAREK'S IN POULTRY BIRDS

My goal in this article is to quickly educate you about the key points of Marek's disease without overwhelming you with superfluous information.

All information I'm providing here has been carefully researched and double checked with a poultry farmers. Although I have made every effort to provide accurate information, some may still be inaccurate. If you have any corrections, please you are free to do so.

1. What is Marek's? 

Marek's disease is a form of herpes virus that can infect domestic poultry and a few wild birds. In chickens, the virus can rapidly cause cancer to grow all through the chicken, most commonly in the nerves, organs, and feather follicles. The virus is spread through chicken dander and is extremely contagious. If one of your chickens has Marek's, you can be certain that the rest have been exposed and are carriers. Wind and wild animals can carry Marek's for miles. Because the disease is so contagious, Marek's is considered ubiquitous worldwide. You should assume that every chicken is infected with Marek's unless it has been raised in a completely biosecure environment--nearly impossible for backyard chicken keepers. Marek's is not contagious to humans and a Marek's infected bird is perfectly safe to eat. In fact, you have probably eaten numerous Marek's chickens already. However, it's still probably not a good idea to eat a chicken that looks sick, since it's possible the chicken has another infection that could make you sick.

2. What are the symptoms of Marek's in birds ?

In many cases, Marek's causes no signs or symptoms. A bird with natural/genetic resistance can live a perfectly healthy life. This is why you must assume that every chicken has Marek's. There's simply no way to tell. However, in unvaccinated birds with no natural resistance, the virus can kill between 60%-100% of a flock. Keep in mind that Marek's symptoms will only begin to show up weeks or months after the bird is infected. Most commonly a hen will begin showing symptoms around the time when she begins laying, with roosters showing signs when they are slightly older. However, if a chicken's immune system becomes compromised, the symptoms may show up later or earlier. In most cases, a chicken who lives at least one year with no symptoms will never show symptoms, even though it is a carrier.
The most common sign of Marek's is a chicken who appears to be paralyzed in one limb, usually one leg. The chicken will likely interact and behave completely normally, except that its leg doesn't work. If your chicken is showing this symptom, it's very likely that it has Marek's. Over time, the paralysis will worsen until the chicken dies of wasting, asphyxiation, or is killed by the rest of the flock. This can be heartbreaking to watch. Other common symptoms include: Ocular degeneration. The iris may lose its color and turn blue, or become misshapen. The bird may become blind. This is probably the second most common form of the disease. General neurological impairment. The chicken may stagger, act dizzy, or generally show signs of weakness or confusion. Poor growth or frequent illness. The disease weakens the chicken's immune system and makes it more susceptible to all diseases. Wasting away. The chicken may begin losing weight rapidly as its organs are consumed by tumors, and may become thin and weak. Tumors on the skin and feather follicles. Note that it is very difficult to diagnose Marek's without a necropsy, since it can mimic other diseases. A blood test is usually not worthwhile, since most chickens will show positive. In my personal opinion, it's generally not worth the money of getting a firm diagnosis; I prefer to diagnose based on symptoms. Others would disagree with me and say that you should at least test the first chicken you lose to make sure it's Marek's and not some other disease that could be treated.

3. Is there any way to prevent Marek's?

There is no any, Sort of! Other than extreme biosecurity measures, there's no way to prevent a chicken from becoming infected. However, vaccination can give your chicks a better chance of surviving when they do become infected--survival in adequately vaccinated and quarantined chickens is approximately 90-95% (although success of the vaccine has been decreasing in recent years as the virus mutates). Vaccination will not expose your existing flock to the disease. The vaccine that's typically used is actually a turkey form of the virus. It does not cause any symptoms in your vaccinated chickens, and will not cause the chickens to spread the virus. It just gives them a better chance of surviving if they are exposed. If a vaccinated bird is exposed, it will become a carrier, even if it shows no symptoms. Vaccination should be done inside the egg or during the chick's first day after hatching for the best protection. This will help build the chick's immunity before it is exposed to the disease. Vaccination starts a race between the chick's immune system and exposure to the virus. After vaccination, it takes anywhere from 10 days to 5 weeks for the chicken to build adequate immunity. In other words, it's important to quarantine your new chicks for no less than 10 days, but preferably 5 or 6 weeks after vaccination. This will allow them to build immunity before being exposed to the virus. During quarantine, it's important to have very good biosecurity. You must keep vaccinated chicks in a separate location that will not become contaminated with any chicken dander. Since chicken dander may stick to your hair, skin, and clothing, it is a good idea to take a shower and change clothing and shoes before interacting with the vaccinated chicks or entering the quarantine area. Now, there may be some good reasons not to vaccinate. For example, a meat bird will likely be butchered before it shows any symptoms of Marek's. So vaccination of meat birds might be overkill. Some people say that the vaccine may cause the chicks to grow slower and smaller, but I don't believe there are any scientific studies that confirm this. In my opinion, it's still worthwhile to have meat chicks vaccinated. Another reason not to vaccinate is if you are intentionally trying to breed a Merek's resistant flock of birds. Some breeders have reported doing this successfully.
This is out of reach for most back yard chicken keepers, since roosters are not allowed in most urban areas. Finally, there is some evidence that the vaccine can cause the virus to mutate into a more virulent (deadly) form over time. I have no opinion on this, as I think the research is not yet clear. Given that Marek's is a horrible cancer and wasting disease that can easily kill most of a flock, I personally believe that vaccination is worthwhile in all but a few special cases. I will make sure all of my future birds are vaccinated.

4. What you should do as a poultry farmer if any of your birds is showing signs of Marek's?

First thing to do,   DO NOT PANIC
2. Acknowledge that you will lose some birds to the disease, perhaps most or all of your birds if your flock is not vaccinated. In most cases, once symptoms show, the disease will only get worse and worse until the chicken starves to death or asphyxiates. In my opinion it is much better to put the chicken out of its misery while it still has a reasonable quality of life. Further, since chickens who are showing symptoms are likely shedding more of the virus, it's probably a good idea to cull sooner rather than later.
3. Decide how you will manage the disease going forward. A Marek's infection doesn't mean the end of your chicken keeping days. For backyard keepers, I recommend continuing business as usual, while keeping an eye out for sick birds and culling when appropriate. I do not recommend culling your whole flock and attempting to disinfect your yard and start over. This requires special virucides, and in most cases a backyard keeper will not be able to adequately disinfect their entire yard. Furthermore, any new flock will likely be contaminated anyway by neighboring chickens, wild birds, or even just the wind. So a mass culling and sterilization would likely not help anything. As a poultry keeper i believe the best approach to managing a Marek's infection in a backyard flock is to (1) cull sick birds as necessary
(2) vaccinate and properly quarantine all birds you acquire in the future, and
(3) never to give or sell your birds without informing the buyer that they are a carrier for Marek's. Finally, please be aware that you may spread the disease to other flocks on your clothing, shoes, hair. Please take adequate precautions to prevent spreading the disease to other flocks or to the other poultry, make sure you wash you hand and others equipment..

TREATMENT ÀND PREVENTION OF CHICKEN LICES

Lice is a common disease in poultry farming. This article will explain the best methods for how to treat chicken lice for beginners. This is my firsthand experience. For starters, poultry or "chicken lice" are specialist parasites and evolve to be very good at feeding on their specific host species—but aren't able to live on other species. So chicken lice can't live on people, and the lice that kids commonly get in grade school can't be shared with their beloved chickens.

Lice are common on many animals, and domesticated poultry have around 50 species of lice. They are all soft-bodied, pale-colored, flattened-bodied insects. These tiny soft-bodied insects have mouthparts used specifically to chew on feathers and scales on the host birds' skin. Severe infestations can make a hen stop laying and even stunt growth in immature birds. If this happens to your flocks, it's crucial to understand how to treat chicken lice and set up preventative methods for a healthier future for your flock.

Handle your birds often or at least on a weekly basis to check for pests, injury and missing feathers. When watching your flock look for strange behaviors that are indicators of poultry health.

Behavioral Indicators of Lice Infestation:

Sitting, resting or lying down more often than usual
Social isolation of a smaller group from a larger flock
Repetitive head shaking
Extended periods of dust bathing
Excessive preening
More small feathers in the pen or coop than usual
Oddly folded wings or a scruffy look
Itching with one foot—much like a dog
Decreased diet
Slowed growth in immature birds with more than one of the above behaviors
Less laying in hens with more than one of the above behaviors
Multiple chick deaths naturally hatched by broody hens
It all started when I was walking down the dirt road I live on heading to give a neighbor a rooster. She had pecking order issues in her coop and I thought it may help. Tucked under my arm was Boss Fluff, the biggest silkie rooster you ever laid your eyes on. He clucked with excitement as we strolled along.

Having very recently moved I hadn't spent much quality time observing or handling my birds. We stopped our leisurely walk briefly when another neighbor commented from their yard on the hilarity of us walking our chicken and chihuahua down the road. The rooster flinched twice to shake his head while we talked.

Instinctively, I observed him doing this to see if I could figure out why he was fidgeting. I hang out with chickens a lot and found this to be a little odd. I noticed a tiny insect crawl near his eye. Silkies have dark blue skin making the reddish-orange insect easy to see. I was most of the way to my chicken friend's house and continued walking seeing as she was expecting us. I didn't go near her coop upon reaching the property but instead stopped to inspect my bird by parting the feathers.

After finding several lice in a small area, I told her the issue and showed her what they look like chicken was so infested that the lice were already at all life stages. There were full grown lice, nits, and eggs. He was literally crawling with them. This was my first experience with chicken lice, but not my first time hearing about it or seeing lice on humans.
Lices can make chicken not to grow well, so you must look out for lices in your chicken and make sure you do the needful immediately tot help.the chicken.

TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF COCCIDIOSIS DISEASE IN CHICKEN

Coccidiosis is one of the most deadliest disease in poultry Chicken.    The coccidia organism causes the disease call coccidiosis. Coccidia is a microscopic protozoan parasite that lives in chicken's intestines. Coccidia is prevalent in chickens. Coccidiosis can affect chickens' weight gain and overall health, and it can kill them if left untreated.

There are eight species of coccidia that can infect chickens. Eight species include Eimeria tenella, E. burnetti, E. maxima, E. necatrix, E. praecox, E. acervulina, E. mivati and E. mitis. While other species can get coccidia, including humans, coccidia that infect chickens cannot infect other species, and vice versa. So if you own turkeys, coccidia from your turkeys cannot infect chickens, nor can chicken coccidia infect you or your dog. Depending on what kind of coccidia your chicken is infested with will determine where in the intestine the infestation occurs. The infestation may occur in the duodenal loop, the intestine or the caecum.

SYMPTOMS AND SIGN OF COCCIDIOSIS

Coccidia symptoms include bloody diarrhea, watery diarrhea, ruffled feathers, huddling, weight loss, depression, paleness, lack of appetite and poor weight gain -- but chickens may show no symptoms whatsoever. Most birds are affected between the ages of 3 and 5 weeks old. While it can affect any chicken at any age, most chickens are immune to coccidia by the time they're 14 weeks old. Your veterinarian can diagnose coccidiosis by looking for oocysts or protozoan eggs in a bird's fecal sample under a microscope.

         TREATMENT

You can treat coccidia outbreaks either with medication prescribed by your veterinarian or with anticoccidial medications available at feed stores and from poultry suppliers. Follow the medication's directions for treating chickens.

               PREVENTION

Many chick foods come pre-medicated to prevent coccidiosis outbreaks. When fed to chicks, it helps build the young chicks' immunity to the parasite by allowing some oocysts to make it through. You can prevent coccidiosis by eliminating wet litter and use an ammonia-type pine cleaner to disinfect the areas. Keeping the brooder (House) clean will keep your Chicken away from coccidia, also keep it under control.

CHICKEN COMMON DISEASES AND HOW TO TREAT THEM. EVERY CHICKEN OWNER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IT

As a chicken owner or farmer, part of raising chickens is understanding how to recognize and treat some of chicken illnesses. Some of the common illnesses of chicken will be discussed and analyzed on this page.

1. Fowl Pox:

If you notice that your chickens begin to have white spots on their skin, scabby sores on their combs, white ulcers in their mouth or trachea, and their laying stops then you should grow concerned that your chickens are developing Fowl Pox. These are what to do when you discovered Fowl Pox in your chicken. There are treatment options for Fowl Pox. You can feed them soft food and give them a warm and dry place to try and recoup. With adequate care, there is a great chance that your birds can survive this illness. Go to nearby Vet store and get drug for fowl pox. If you would like to remove the odds of your birds even contracting this disease there is a vaccine available. If not, know that they can contact this disease from other contaminated chickens, mosquitos, and it is a virus so it can be contracted by air as well.

2. Fowl Cholera:

You should be suspicious of this disease if you see your birds begin to have a greenish or yellowish poo , when they are struggling to breathe, and have a darkened head or wattle. Fowl Cholera is a bacterial disease that can be contracted from wild animals or food and water that has been contaminated by this bacteria. But the downside to your chicken developing this disease is there is no real treatment. If by some chance your chicken survives, it will still always be a carrier of the disease. So it is usually better to put them down and destroy their carcass so it will not be passed. But there is a vaccine for your chickens to prevent the disease from ever taking hold.

3. Bronchitis

This disease hits close to home because it wiped out half of our flock when we were new to raising chickens. You’ll recognize this disease when you begin to hear your chickens sneezing, snoring, and coughing. And then the drainage will begin to secrete from their nose and eyes. When this illness comes the chicken laying will cease . But the good news is that is also a vaccine you can get to stop this disease.

4. Marek’s Disease

Marek disease is more common in younger chickens that are usually under the age of 20 weeks. So you will know that this disease has struck your baby chicks if you begin to see tumors growing inside or outside of your chick. Their iris will turn gray and they will no longer respond to light. And they will become paralyzed. Unfortunately, this disease is very easy for them to catch. It is a virus which means it is super easy to transmit from bird to bird. They actually obtain the virus by breathing in pieces of shed skin and feather from an infected chick. And sadly, if your chick gets this disease it needs to be put down. It will remain a carrier of the disease for life if it survives. There is also a vaccine for marek and it is usually given to day old chicks.

5. Air Sac Disease

Air Sac disease first appears in the form of poor laying skills and a weak chicken. As it progresses, you will notice coughing, sneezing, breathing problems, swollen joints, and possibly death. Now, there is a vaccine for this illness, and it can be treated with an antibiotic from the vet. But it can be picked up from other birds, it can be transferred from a hen that has it to her chick through the egg. So just keep an eye out for any of these symptoms so it can be treated quickly and effectively.

6. Newcastle Disease

Newcastle disease is one the most common disease in chicken, it also appears through the respiratory system. You will begin to see breathing problems, discharge from their nose, their eyes will begin to look murky, and their laying will stop. Also, it is common that the bird’s legs and wings will become paralyzed as well as their necks twisted. This disease is carried by other birds including wild birds. That is how it is usually contracted. But if you touch an infected bird you can pass it on from your clothes, shoes, and other items. The good news is that older birds usually will recover and they are not carriers afterward. But most baby birds will die from the disease. There is also a vaccine for the disease .

7. Mush chicks

This disease obviously will impact chicks. It usually shows up in newly hatched chicks that have a midsection that is enlarged, inflamed, and blue tinted. The chick will have an unpleasant scent and will appear to be drowsy. Naturally, the chick will also be weak. So this disease doesn’t have a vaccine. It usually is transmitted from chick to chick or from a dirty surface where an infected chick was. And usually, it is contracted from an unclean area where a chick with a weak immune system contracts the bacteria. There is no vaccine for this disease, although sometimes antibiotics will work. But usually, when you come in contact with this disease you will need to immediately separate your healthy chicks from the sick ones.

8. Avian Influenza

Avian Influenza is most commonly known as the bird flu. It was one of my initial fears of owning chickens because all you hear about on the news is how people get sick with bird flu from their chickens. However, after knowing the symptoms you’ll be able to put that fear to rest. You need to know how to act quickly if you are afraid your backyard birds have come in contact with it. So the signs you will notice will include respiratory troubles. Your chickens will quit laying. They will probably develop diarrhea. You may notice swelling in your chicken’s face and that their comb and wattle are discolored or have turned blue. And they may even develop dark red spots on their legs and combs. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine and the chickens infected will always be carriers. When treating this disease please use great caution because this disease can be transfer to humans .

9. Bumble foot

This is a disease that you’ll know exactly what you’re looking at when you see it. It begins by your chicken accidentally cutting its foot on something. It can happen when they are digging in the garden, scratching around in mulch, and so many other ways. But then the cut gets infected. And the chicken’s foot will begin to swell. It can even swell up the leg. So you can treat it by performing surgery , the infection will eventually take over the chicken and claim its life. Obviously, bumblefoot can happen very easily and there isn’t much you can do to prevent besides just keep a close eye on your chickens’ feet. If you notice they have a cut then be sure to wash and disinfect it. These are the most Commons chicken diseases that you should know as a chicken owner and as a farmer. If you also has any other diseases that not mentioned here please share. Thanks.