Showing posts with label poultry care and precautions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poultry care and precautions. Show all posts
How to maintaining A Healthy and successful, safe free ranging birds
HOW TO PREVENT COCCIDIOSIS IN YOUR POULTRY
Coccidiosis in poultry, and livestock is extremely deadly. We will establishing a strong natural preventative plan, solid bio-security measures, and knowing what to offer as a coccidiosis treatment can save the lives of your flock.
Coccidiosis is a single cell microscopic parasite. It enters the chicken’s body when a bird ingests the Coccidia egg. This egg is usually found on the ground or the floor of the coop. The Coccidia parasite begins to colonize and multiply within the lining of the gut. Over time the parasite is shed through the feces of the chicken, and the vicious cycle will continue until bird is treated or dead. At this point, a new hosts can become infected when it accidentally consumes waste which contains the Coccidia parasite. This is the point in which the disease spreads like wildfire. One infected bird can quickly infect many more. Those three then infect 6 birds, and the cycle continues. An entire flock can easily become infected within hours.
The Coccidia parasite thrives in wet, warm conditions, making the coastal part of the Pacific Northwest a petri dish for the breeding parasite.
Learn how to boost the flock’s immune system and establish strong bio-security measures below. Remember, infected poultry is capable of fighting the disease with a strong coccidiosis treatment, in which a natural or chemical protocol can be used. Because the parasite can also be introduced to poultry through wild birds there is no guaranteed method available to prevent your flock from contracting it. However, there are best practices available in order to keep a healthy flock.
Let me preface this with, we have experience a case of Coccidiosis on the property. Having a hen contract coccidiosis was an ultimate surprise, especially since we kept a healthy flock. Coccidiosis in chicken was new to us, and we knew nothing about the disease until it hit one of our hens. It all began fifteen days after moving onto the property. A hen began displaying the telltale signs of being ill. Her rear end and tail feathers were dropped and her head was sunk into her body and her feathers were poofed in order to maintain warmth. Also, her comb and waddles were shrunk and very pale in color, and she looked depressed and lost. As a matter of fact, she was found standing in the corner of the coop displaying all of the signs mentioned above. But the most important symptom of them all was her waste. The feces was runny, yellowy and slightly bubbly with a small amount of blood in it. The course of treatment began immediately, though we were unsure as to when the hen initially became infected. Because we naturally boost the immune system of the chickens and other livestock on the property I truly believe this contributed to her speedy recovery.
Keep a Healthy Flock Naturally
How to keep a healthy flock begins the moment chicks have hatched or brought onto the property. Good animal husbandry means offering the best preventative care for chickens and other livestock. However, even the best preventative care is ineffective against many deadly diseases. For example,
when coccidiosis in chicken occurs. Learning how to identify signs of a sick chicken is necessary for poultry keepers worldwide. Chicken and other poultry are excellent at masking illness. And more than likely, once the signs are identifiable the bird has already taken a turn for the worse.
Naturally preventing coccidiosis is achievable, making the ability to naturally treat coccidiosis also achievable. The Homesteader’s Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook is an excellent and well written book. The information within it will not only guide you to caring for the health of your chicken flock, it provides everything necessary in order to raise chickens naturaly Feed and Waterers The path to feed bowls and waterers are high traffic routes, which mean a lot of waste build up en-route to eating and drinking. Move feed and water bowls daily to minimize the build-up of waste. Keep feed and waterers away from roosting areas to prevent waste getting into the containers. Clean water containers and feed bowls regularly, taking care to remove all fecal dropping immediately. Expose chicks to various strains of Coccidia by leaving slightly soiled bedding in a chick brooder longer.
Move waterer and feed bowl regularly, however, clean bedding week verses daily. Take note to remove severely soiled areas. Brooders, Coops, and Runs Ensure the brooder, coop, and run are of adequate sized for the amount of chickens being kept. Over populated spaces creates a higher risk of the parasite being active. Remove wet or soiled bedding daily. Rotate the run annually, or as often as possible. Allow the soil to rest for one year prior to reintroducing the flock to it. Minimize visitors into the chicken area. Request visitors to wear ‘property specific’ footwear or disposable foot covers. Inspect your chicken’s waste regularly. A white drop pan under the roost will allow the waste to be monitored on a regular basis.
Keep a waste reference chart handy for reviewing questionable droppings. Wild birds are also carriers of the Coccidia parasite. Ensure no wild birds have entry to the run or coop. Covering the run creates a barrier for potential fecal droppings from entering the run. Allowing the flock to free ranging is the most beneficial method for naturally preventing coccidiosis.
The waste is distribute in various locations verses building up within the confides of a run. Quarantine Period Establish a 30 day quarantine period for all new flock members. This allows for any illness or disease to make themselves present.
Naturally ways to Beat Coccidiosis How to beat Coccidiosis begins with a good preventative care action plan. A strong immune system will help combat illnesses and diseases such as this one. Begin by offering a natural regiment of herbs, probiotics and a balanced feed option the moment your chicken flock is brought onto the property. Offer non-vaccinated chicks medicated feed which contains Amprolium, a thiamin blocker. The Coccidia parasite needs thiamin to multiply in the gut of a bird. Please note, Amprolium is not an antibiotic. Build the gut by providing fermented items such as raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar in the waterer every few days. A tablespoon per gallon is efficient. Fermented chicken feed or fermented foods are excellent options to boost the gut of chickens. Offer beneficial fresh or dried herbs such as oregano, thyme, sage, and garlic in the feed or waterer daily. A concoction made of these herbs and raw honey will help boost the immune system. Other natural items consists of oregano essential oil and colloidal silver. One drop of a high grade essential oil in a gallon of water, or 1 cup of colloidal silver in a gallon waterer also helps to combat the Coccidia parasite. Reserve the use of the oregano essential oil to pullet and older birds, offering 2 to 3 times a week.
Coccidiosis Symptoms .
Coccidiosis symptoms in chicken can be easily detected, mainly because with Coccidiosis comes telltale symptoms, if you know what you’re looking for. Infected birds will display one or more of the following symptoms: Infected birds will look lost, depressed, and can often be found standing alone away from other birds. Combs and wattles appear very pale and shrunken in size. Chickens which are heavily infected have no appetite or desire to consume water. The feces droppings may appear runny, yellow, foamy in texture, or even contain blood. Ill birds become lethargic, weak, and listless. In order to maintain body heat the bird will ruffle its feathers, making them appear puffed up. The tail feather area of the bird will often drop towards the ground.
A severely infected chicken may also lay on its side to prevent pressure on the intestinal area. Keep in mind, if any of these symptoms appear a coccidiosis treatment is available.
Coccidiosis Treatment Coccidiosis in chicken is treatable. However, without a proper coccidiosis treatment ready an infected bird will eventually die due to the parasitic overload. However, until it has passed an infected chicken has a fighting chance. Immediately isolate the sick bird from rest of the flock. Set up a temporary ‘hospital’ within the home, garage, or enclosed structure. Do not allow this area to be accessible to other poultry or wild birds. Make a quick, educated decision as to whether the coccidiosis treatment will consists of natural items or with a chemical option.
For precautionary measures make sure to also treat the entire flock. A natural remedy will consists of herbs such as Wormwood, garlic, chicory, and black walnut hulls. These items have antiparasitic and antibacterial properties. Learn more about how to treat common chicken illnesses here. An alternative option would consist of providing Amprolium, also known as Corid, to the infected bird. Remove all bedding from the coop floor and nesting boxes. Burn the bedding to prevent flock members and wild birds access to it. Sanitize the coop, nesting boxes, and roosting bars with an ammonia and water solution; 1 part ammonia to 9 parts water. As a secondary precaution spray everything once again with a Melaneuca (high grade tea tree) or colloidal silver solution. Poultry keepers do everything in their power to keep a healthy flock.
Unfortunately, there will be a time when the effort put into saving a flock member is not successful. Always remember, how to beat coccidiosis begin by taking out of the sick birds from others.
How to keep your Chicken Coop (House) clean
If you are owner of some backyard chickens, then I know you will appreciate the ease of using the deep litter method to keep your coop clean. In this article, I will tell you why the deep litter method is not only great for your birds, but also for you and your environment.
WHY YOU MUST CHOOSE THE DEEP LITTER METHOD FOR CHICKEN COOPS ?
The deep litter method is one of the best way to keep your chicken coop clean, without any extra work. It’s the best practices by many homesteaders and poultry farmer like myself. I know it may seem counter-intuitive that cleaning your coop less often is actually healthier for you and your birds, but it truly is and I’ll explain why.
This method for cleaning chicken coops is not only easier, but it takes advantage of natural decomposition to get rid of all the gross things that come along with backyard chickens.
But before we get into the basics of the deep litter method, let’s talk a little about coop sanitation.
You don’t need a pristine coop. If you’re trying to have a picture perfect coop 24/7, then don’t put chickens in there. Chickens make a lot of mess.
On the other hand, your chicken coop should also not stink to high heaven. You’ll know it’s time to add more litter to the coop when you start to notice an odor.
This method works great, but you’ll have less success if your coop isn’t well ventilated. Proper ventilation of chicken coops is essential to the health of your birds.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR CHICKEN COOP CLEAN USING THE DEEP LITTER METHOD
I am a big fan of the deep litter method because you only need to get into your coop to perform a deep cleaning every 4-6 months. In between cleanings, you’ll simply place new bedding material every few days to weeks.
How often you add new material depends on how many chickens you have and how much of a mess they are making. But the idea is just to dump a few inches of fresh bedding on top of the droppings like a cat covering up their mess in a litter box.
When you add fresh bedding, you absolutely must make sure you use enough to provide a fairly thick cover over all the droppings. You can’t add too much, but you can add too little.
HOW TO CLEAN YOUR CHICKEN COOP
Using the deep litter system, you’ll only need to clean out your chicken coop every 4-6 months.
Step 1: Choose a day when the weather is nice and you’ve got your old dirty work clothes on to open up the coop and rake out all the bedding and droppings that have piled up.
If you’ve been adding new litter often enough, this is honestly not as bad as it sounds. Do wear a mask to be safe and be especially mindful if your coop does not have good ventilation because it will get very dusty!
Step 2: With the coop emptied of bedding and any toys, feeders or waterers (if you have them inside), whip out a scrub brush and some warm soapy water to clean all surfaces of the coop, then rinse and let dry.
You’re not trying to sterilize the coop, you just want to clean up any remaining droppings, spills, and whatnot. Let the coop air out and dry for a couple of hours.
Step 3: When the coop is dry, I like to sprinkle the corners and all nooks and crannies with diatomaceous earth. DE helps keep down on fleas, mites, and other bugs in the coop. Why wait till you see them, right?
You want a bit more than a light dusting in there. DE works by slicing the thin skin of soft blooded insects, but they need to be coated in it by walking through the powder.
Be careful of using too much DE, though. The particles will also slice up tender lung tissue, so you don’t want to use so much of it that you’re inhaling it. If you decide to treat your coop with DE, just use your best judgment to protect yourself and your birds from harm.
With the DE in place, it’s time to fill your coop back up with 3-4 inches of fresh bedding. You can also sprinkle any number of dried herbs in your coop bedding. My favorites are lavender, mint, lemon balm, and oregano.
It’s so satisfying to get to this point. I love watching the birds go in and enjoy their fresh clean coop.
MAKING CHICKEN COOP COMPOST
Take all that stuff you just raked out of the chicken coop and put it in your compost bin or set it in a pile at the corner of your property. Let it compost for at least 6 months and then add it to your garden.
The bedding material and the chicken droppings will compost into something that’s very healthy for your garden soil. If you’ve used enough bedding material, your chicken compost pile won’t stink. If it stinks, add more dry materials like straw or dried leaves to balance it out.
DEEP LITTER METHOD DISADVANTAGE
The things you need to watch out for are odor and moisture. If you notice either of those, it’s time to pile on some more bedding. You can quickly remedy any issues with a thick layer of dry material.
The type of bedding you use doesn’t matter as much as making sure you have an absorbent material to cover up the droppings. It’s also fine to layer different types of bedding based on what you have available.
WHY YOU SHOULD USE DIP LITTER METHOD ?
For chickens, the deep litter method helps keep down moisture and the build-up of ammonia in the coop between cleanings. If you weren’t using the deep litter method, you’d need to remove chicken droppings every few days to make sure your flock doesn’t get sick.
Picking up chicken droppings can potentially expose you to harmful pathogens like salmonella. The less often you can risk coming in contact with infectious organisms, the better.
With the deep litter method, you don’t have to handle the droppings but twice a year. The rest of the time you simply toss bedding on top of it. Plus, you can use the chicken litter in your compost to make your garden healthier.
SIMPLE STEPS TO STOP PREDATORS FROM YOUR POULTRY HOUSE
One of the biggest problem of poultry farmer or keeper are predators like Snakes, Rats, cat, and others
It was just another working day here on the on my farm, as I was heading out to feed and give water to the chickens , I immediately noticed something was wrong. My hens were acting strange, staying on the feeders and not crowding the door as usual.
As I looked around I saw one of my prized hens laying under the roost. I went over and to my horror , she was dead. There was nothing really quite as heartbreaking than finding an animal that you work so hard to take care for longtime killed. inside of the henhouse. A place where our chickens supposed to be safe, not hunted.
It was so sad
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After 8 years of raising chickens, this was my first predator attack.
How could I tell my beloved hen was killed by a predator? I could see by the condition of her body.
When a predator such as a weasel, raccoon, or hawk kills a chicken they kill just to kill.
They do not eat…… they just kill it. Usually by biting the head off. If you find a decapitated hen, then you know right then and there you have a predator and you need to take action fast.
Once an animal learns how to get into your henhouse, I promise you they will be back. They will be back to take the eggs and to kill the chickens.
The best advice to give is to set to work immediately taking steps to better protect your backyard chickens from predators. Remember, your animals depend on you to keep them safe and if you have a predator in your coop, don’t beat yourself up. Just take the necessary precautions so it does not happen again.
With winter in full swing, animals are hungry. They are understandably drawn to food such as eggs, chicken feed, and kitchen scraps.
Watch for suspicious tracks in the snow leading from the coop. If you see any, you may want to take action immediately.
Now How can you Stop Backyard Chicken Predators From Attacking your birds again.
Step 1.
Clean Out the Chicken Coop
To stop a repeat visit from an outside animal you first need to find where how they got in. To do that you will need to clean everything out.
You need to get all the bedding out so you can get a good look at the coop. Scrape, sweep, and shovel. Remove every bit of bedding along with the nesting boxes.
Move everything away from the walls. You would be amazed at the small size of the holes that a predator is able to get through if they are determined.
Step 2 .
Inspect everything very well
Once you have the inside of the chicken coop emptied and cleaned out take the time to do a good and thorough inspection.
You will want to look everything over. The walls, the floor, the corners, the door. Everything.
Get down on your knees and get busy. You may not be able to see an opening from a standing position. Use every viewpoint and look up and all around. Don’t make the mistake I did and assume a small opening is too small for an animal to get through.
Once, when I found what I thought was a crack in the way was actually a wide-open door for a dozen birds that would squeeze through every day to gorge on the chicken’s feed.
Let me just say that trying to feed your chickens with a dozen little hungry birds flying around your head really gets this old heart pumping.
Step 3. Seal it Up all the hole damage net,
As you find a crack, space, or hole that you feel backyard chicken predators can gain access seal it up. You can do this with scrap pieces of wood or other material you have lying around.
This is a great way to use up wood scraps you have stashed away around your home. Secure the board down with a few screws or nails.
You will also want to check any fencing you use as well. Remember, it doesn’t have to look pretty, just be effective!
Step 4. Keep your poultry feeds in a save place
Want to stop some of your unwanted visitors, then you need to remove the food source. Keep all of your animal’s feed, scratch, and treats inside of totes or metal cans with good tight-fitting lids. You can also go one step further and place a brick on the lid to prevent a chicken predator from gaining access.
Another tip is to do most of your feeding during daylight hours. This will give your animals plenty of time to not only eat but enough to clean up any food they drop during feeding time.
Backyard chicken predators such as skunks, weasels, and raccoons come out mainly at night so make sure any heavy feeding is done early enough so your chickens are able to clean it all up before dusk.
Step 5.
Train Your Hens to Come When Called.
Get into the habit of locking your chickens up safely before dusk or earlier if you already have a predator problem.
Since most backyard chicken predators prowl at night, get a head start and put your hens on lockdown early.
To help you can train your chicken flock to come to you when you call. Training your chickens is easier than you think. Each time you put your hens away give a quick “Chick-Chick” call and reward the flock with a sprinkle of scratch once back inside of the coop.
Each time you do this routine your hens will associate that call and your voice with the treat and come running. This is a great tool to have on evenings that you might be running late and need to get your hens to safety fast.
Step 6.
Purchase a Little Extra Help
Get a predator light. Yes, this actually good in keep predators away from your poultry
I just recently read about these small sensor lights and I am happy to say they work great! The work as a deterrent for any small rodents keeping them away from the coop. Once it becomes dark outside the sensor turns the light on and a red flashing light continues until daylight. I was a bit skeptical at first, but since installing one at the front of our chicken coop and the other at the back we have remove almost all of the footprints that I normally see each morning.
Step 7.
Eliminate the Problem
If you have already done the tips listed so far and you find yourself still with a problem, you may need to take things one step further.
Once a predator knows where the flock is and they have gotten the “taste” of your chickens and/or their eggs, it may be difficult to stop them. This means you will have to remove the problem instead.
We prefer to use live traps. The reason is when using poison you run the risk of hurting maybe even killing your own animals. Most animals are very curious and there is just no way to ensure they will leave any poison you have out alone.
For this reason, we prefer to use live traps to catch and remove any uninvited animals.
We put the trap out only from dusk to dawn. This just ensures our pets are protected.
Remember, raising animals comes with a great deal of responsibility.
Our animals rely on us for food, water, shelter, and also for protection. If you lose a chicken to an attack from backyard chicken predators, don’t beat yourself up.
Follow these tips and do what you can to protect your animals and hopefully your birds will be happy , safe.and productive.
Predators are enemy which we must put and end to as a poultry keeper. Follow these steps and you will keep predators out from your poultry. Thanks for reading.
HOW TO KNOW INFECTIONS BY THE LOOKS OF POULTRY BIRDS POOP (POULTRY DROPPING)
There are many infections and deasese that can affect your bird growth and general health. These infections can be easily detected in many ways , if diseases or infections are detected earlier it will reduce lost in your farm.
Chicken poops ( poultry dropping) is one of the important and quick way to detect infections and diseases in your farm.
The types of poultry dropping, they are normal and abnormal poops. Although, the chicken droppings (poops) can vary in shapes, colours, textures and even odour. The Main factor that contribute to that may be as a result of diet in their feeds or diseases/infections. The atmospheric conditions may be a collaborating factor as chicken drink more water in hot weather which can make their droppings watery.
By close observation, one will be able to determine if there is health problem among the birds. This may not be 100% accurate but it majorly gives insight of necessary steps to take in poultry health management. This article will be helpful in analysis of normal droppings according to the diet and other factors for you not worry unnecessarily.
Normal poultry dropping is of shade of brown, solid with a small covered white on top. The solid part is the feaces while the white part is the uric acid (urine). Other colours of droppings may range from brown to green, yellow, black, blue, orange, watery white or even red.
Below are the common colours and problems to observe in your chicken droppings (poops)
1. Yellow poop; this can possibly be caused by Coccidiosis, intestinal worms, or kidneys disease. It is most likely to be caused by intakes flowers, strawberries or tomatoes and feed that's highly rich with corn. If the symptoms persist after changing their feed, one can treat coccidiosis and deworm the birds. Read more on Poultry Medication And Vaccination.
2. Greenish poop, This is possibly cause by intestinal worms of Marek's disease or avian flu but the most likely causes are diet rich in vegetables, herbs, grass, weeds and plants of all kinds, if not from that, one need to treat viral infection.
3. Black dropping is possibly caused by internal bleeding while the most likely cause: Ingestion of charcoal, wood ash, dark berries. Droppings can be of blue colour due to a diet rich in red cabbage or beet. You just need to ensure that you treat your birds with coccidiostat as at when due.
4. Highly liquid white manure could be caused by fungal Infection of the Cloaca, wind gleet, kidney damage due to a too high-protein diet, stress, internal disease while most likely cause is drinking of excess water due to hot weather or eating large amounts of fruit like watermelon.
5. The possible cause of Liquid Brown droppings are Infection of e. coli or respiratory system infections such as bronchitis, so the consistency of faeces will look more of a pudding and this can occur at a frequency of once every 7-8 filing of droppings, which is quite normal. If continue for long time than normal, go for treatment of viral infections.
6. Big pile of Brown droppings occurs when a hen hatches her eggs during a long period (brooding), rather than drop a dozen of droppings per day, she will hold them off until she leaves the nest and drop a few large droppings a day. Also, the first droppings in the morning can have this look right out of the dorm. This type of dropping is completely normal.
7. Orange droppings is possibly caused by coccidiosis or lead poisoning. The probable cause is inflammation of the intestinal wall. The Orange particles are sometimes confused for blood. This situation is quite normal on occasion and subsides naturally over small period of time.
On usual occasion, there is nothing to worry about the colour and texture of poultry droppings, especially if you can identify the cause. On the other hand, there are events that you will never want to see like blood in the stool which is a clear sign of coccidiosis and/or serious intestinal illness. If you suspect this, start anticoccidiosis treatment or consult you vet doctor immediately. Other one is seeing worms in the droppings which is a serious parasite disease of the intestine. Read more on Poultry Worms.
As a farmer you should be able to know and noticed all these poops sign and able to determine what kind of treatment you quickly give to your birds.
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What to do when introducing new chickens to your flock
It is joy of all chicken owners oor farmers when his flock is growing, and adding new chicken is one of the way in making flock growing
Introducing new chickens to an already established flock can be stressful for both the birds and you. The new flock will need to establish a new pecking order, which can be brutal for everyone involved.
Through much experimentation over the years, we’ve developed a great strategy for new flock initiation. This strategy allows the birds to get used to each other gradually, so there’s less stress.
There are plenty of good ways to go about introducing new chickens to an established flock. But when we’re introducing chicks to the flock (or pullets) this is the method that works for us every time.
Introducing New Chickens to the Flock
Step One:
Quarantine
All new flock members must be quarantined before being added to an established flock.
Quarantine is done to ensure that the new flock members aren’t bringing in diseases or pests to your flock. They’ll need to be examined daily to look for signs of mites and lice, as well as common poultry diseases. Quarantine should last for at least a week.
To quarantine new chickens, keep them in an isolated area where they aren’t sharing space with the existing flock. A dog cage inside the house or garage will work well. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly in between handling new birds and the rest of the flock.
After the quarantine period is up and you’re absolutely sure your new flock members aren’t introducing any diseases or pests, you can begin introducing new chickens to the rest of the flock.
Step Two: Cage Inside of Coop
Place the new birds in a large animal cage inside the coop. If you don’t have a cage, fence off a corner of the coop for the new birds, making sure they’re protected on all sides.
Placing the cage in a corner is a good idea, so only two walls of the cage are exposed to the rest of the flock.
The existing flock members will come to investigate the new additions, but won’t be able to get too close. This will allow everyone to adjust to each other gradually.
Keep the new flock members inside the cage for the first 3-7 days. If it seems everyone is getting along well after three days, move onto step three. If there is still a lot of pecking going on through the cage, keep them in there for a few more days.
Step Three:
Free-Range Time
When step two is complete and the birds are all comfortable with each others presence, it’s time to let them free range together.
Let the old birds and the new birds out to free-range together for at least a few hours a day. This will give them time to interact with each other, and space to get some privacy if they need it. If you don’t free range your flock, let the new chickens out of their cage and into the run for a few hours a day.
If the new birds don’t rush out of the cage the first time you open it, give them time. They may be frightened of the newfound space, but they will come out when they’re ready.
When the birds aren’t free-ranging together, keep the new flock members in the cage, including at night.
Continue letting the flock free-range together for a week or so. Timing is different for everyone, so when all seems well, move onto step four.
Step Four: Cage Door Open
After a week of free-ranging together, open the door to the cage and leave it open. The new flock members can come and go from the cage as they please. It will still be a safe place for them to go when they need, and they’ll likely still sleep there at night. The entire flock can now mingle together whenever they please. Continue letting them out to free range together.
Don’t be alarmed if your new chickens still get pecked at once in awhile. This is totally natural and necessary as the flock adjusts.
Remember that chickens aren’t the same as people, and their social order works in a different way. This method is meant to make this transition easier for everyone, but there will still be some adjustment before the birds are all comfortable with each other.
Add a second roost in the coop if necessary. The new birds may get pecked when they start trying to roost. Give some extra room so everyone can roost comfortably.
Provide places for new flock members to get some privacy. Placing roosting bars high up in the run can allow a safe place. Another option is to leave covered spaces inside the coop for birds to retreat to if they’re getting picked on.
Keep an eye on the new birds and look for signs that they’re getting pecked too much. Missing feathers, wounds, or bleeding are a bad sign and those birds will need a little extra time and TLC to get established.
If you’re introducing chicks to a flock of adult birds, wait until they’re at least six weeks old, but eight weeks is better. The chicks can get killed by the bigger birds if they aren’t big enough to defend themselves.
If these above steps were taking you will have a save and diesease free flocks.
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FOWL POX DISEASE, PREVENTION, DETECTION AND TREATMENT IN POULTRY BIRDS
Fowl pox may also be spread by mosquitoes. The rapidity of its spread and virulence in a flock varies considerably with different flocks. In acute cases, the disease may spread through the flock in two or three weeks, while in the chronic form it may take several months. Fowl pox is much more common and serious with chickens than turkeys.
Fowl pox is a poultry disease caused by a virus. This viral disease affects the skin of chickens and turkeys, especially areas that have no feathers.
Signs of Fowl Pox
Small blister-like growths of a yellowish color appear on the comb, wattles or skin of the head. Later these sores become crusty and dry and are covered with dark brown scabs.
There is inactivity, sneezing and coughing.
The eyes are watery and, as the disease progresses, the eyelids may become stuck together or very much enlarged.
The sinuses become infected, causing the face to swell.
Diarrhea is frequently present.
Nasal discharge.
The bird has no inclination, or cannot see, to eat.
Death is frequently caused by a stoppage of the windpipe due to the inflammation and mucus which collects there. The lesions that are formed in the throat can develop to the extent of blocking the throat and it could eventually lead to death as a result of suffocation.
The disease may appear in three forms. Cankers may be present on the inside linings of the mouth without any pox sores on the head, or the sores may come on the head without the cankers on the inside, or both may be present. It starts developing in any break found in the skin of the host.
How to Prevent fowl pox disease
As soon as an outbreak of the disease is noticed all affected birds should be isolated and the remaining birds vaccinated. Preventive vaccination is advisable in regions where the disease commonly occurs. This may be accomplished by vaccinating all the young birds each year with fowl pox vaccine following an outbreak which has made the old birds immune.
If there has been no previous outbreak in the flock both young and old stock must be vaccinated the first year. The best time to vaccinate young birds is when they are 6 to 10 weeks of age. Unless all the young birds are vaccinated at the same time strict segregation of the vaccinated birds should be maintained until all the birds have been handled. Only strong healthy birds should be vaccinated.
Heavy mortality may result where birds are weakened by disease or infestations of parasites. Old birds vaccinated with fowl pox vaccine should be out of production; otherwise, the mortality may be high.
The mechanical carriers of fowl pox are mosquitoes. So it is advisable to reduce the mosquitoes around your farm or environment. Ordinary sanitation and management practices will not avert this disease, so vaccination is often the solution. It is recommended to vaccinate chickens and turkeys such as breeders, egg layers, and those that are highly susceptible to fowl pox. Live fowl pox vaccine is administered in the wing web of birds within age 6 and 10 weeks. If aggressive pecking is controlled among birds, skin damage which fowl pox causes is reduced.
How to Administer Fowl Pox Vaccine
Fowl Pox vaccine produces immunity for life, but, used on laying birds, is quite likely to throw them out of production and cause some deaths. Pigeon-pox vaccine causes a mild reaction which does not affect egg production but produces only a temporary immunity (about six months).
Fowl pox vaccine consists of powdered fowl pox scabs mixed with distilled water. The scabs are secured from cockerels that have been inoculated on the comb with fowl pox virus. The scabs which are formed over the inoculated area are removed, dried and ground. The scab material is added to the liquid just before vaccinating, for once mixed it loses its potency rapidly if not kept in a cool place. Direct exposure to the sun is particularly harmful. The dry powdered scabs will keep for months without deterioration if kept in a cool place.
Fowl pox vaccine is applied using two sewing machine needles are fastened ¼ of an inch apart in a small handle about 3 inches long. The vaccination is made by dipping the needles in the vaccine and then puncturing the wing web. This breaks the skin and introduces the vaccine. Care should be taken to find a place free of feathers. Also, the large blood vessel should be avoided.
How to treat fowl pox disease
Since this is a viral disease, there is no exact drug. However, you should remove the necrotic membrane from affected chickens’ mouth and larynx. Remove the brown scabs on the head and apply iodine solution on the area. You can stimulate appetite with wet feed (mash) and add antibiotics and multivitamins to their drinking water. As long as a diseased bird is eating and drinking, it will recover from the disease in about 2 to 3 weeks or more with low mortality rate. When a bird recovers successfully from fowl pox, it is immune to the disease permanently, all.these above will help you to deal with Fowl Pox.
EFFECTIVE WAYS TO PREVENT SOLDIER ANTS FROM YOUR POULTRY FARM
Soldier Ants
From experience, soldier ants are capable of killing hundreds of chicks overnight. Since these small organisms are a threat to your animals, they must be kept away from your farm and animals. Adhere to the 5 tips below to keep soldier ants away from your poultry farms:
1.Farmers must remove everything that serves as an attractant to these ants from poultry pens. These include dead birds, sweeteners, foods, feeds etc. All dead birds or animals must be disposed of as soon as they are found. Additionally, feed and water remnants must not be disposed or poured on the floors around pens.
2. Limit the quantity of feed and water that falls on litters and ensure that feeds are not kept in the pens. The feed must be kept in a store with screens to prevent ants, rodents and other pests from infiltrating.
3. All feed ingredients such as amino acids, GNC, SBM and PKC must not be stored or kept in the rearing pens.Ensure the height of the foundation of your pen is far above the ground level and concrete cement must be used for construction and flooring. Cracks on walls and floors must be sealed off.
4. Ensure the height of the foundation of your pen is far above the ground level and concrete cement must be used for construction and flooring. Cracks on walls and floors must be sealed off.
5. If you discover areas or pens that are prone to infestation of soldier ants, ensure that you spray insecticides around the pens once in two weeks. Identify the colony of these ants and attack them right there using a very strong or powerful insecticide.
The measures listed above are very effective in preventing and/or controlling soldier ants in your farm. So if you have the problems of soldier ants invading your farm, make use of the above tips to keep them away from this farmer enemy.
9 WAYS TO STOP HIGH MORTALITY RATE IN POULTRY
1. Always wash drinkers and replace the leftover water.
Make sure you wash the drinkers or drinking trough of your birds every morning and replace the water with clean and cool one. Don’t use chlorinated water or water from a stream or river that you don’t know its source. Also, ensure that you rinse off the drinkers to avoid re-contaminating the fresh water with soaps or detergents. Note: Please don’t ever discard leftover water around the pens. If you do, you’re signaling to soldier ants to pay your birds a visit. So discard leftover feeds and water far away from the production pens
2. Serve water before feeds Birds are different from humans or other animals. You must always serve them water before you serve them feeds, especially if you’re on a deep-litter system. This is to avoid stampeding as the chickens struggle for feeds at the same point. ALSO READ: Reasons for Keeping or Raising Animals
3. Avoid serving moldy feeds It is dangerous and risky to serve moldy feeds to your birds. Don’t do it. It is just like giving them poison. Moldy feeds can make your birds to become sick or have disease(s).
4. Strictly follow medication and vaccination schedule strictly.
You need to get the right vaccination and medication schedule of the poultry species you’re raising. This helps in immunizing your birds against some poultry killer diseases like Newcastle Diseases (ND), Fowl Pox, Fowl Typhoid, Gumboro Disease, Avian encephalomyelitis (AE or Epidemic Tremor), Marek’s Disease, etc. Medication such as dewormer and antibiotics are very important to the health of your chickens and other poultry species.
5. Collect and raise healthy chicks Most of the health problems faced by birds are as a result of a poor genetic background or early life. Some chickens are the product of poor parents. Some egg hatcheries are not reputable as they raise poor parent stocks to produce fertile eggs, or they buy eggs from bad and problematic parent stock farms. There are some poultry farmers who never make any attempts to know the source of eggs of a particular hatchery they are buying chicks from, hence they collect and raise problematic chicks.
6. Prevent ammonia build up When the litter in the poultry pen is left for a very long time, it gives rooms for increased production of ammonium gas, which will definitely choke your chickens, turkey, quail, etc. to death. So always remove wet or caked litters from pens and replace with new litters as soon as possible to avoid birds’ mortality due to choking or other respiratory problems. ALSO READ: Feed Formula Sample for Chick Mash There are hatcheries who don’t administer all the necessary vaccines such as Marek’s Disease Vaccine, Infectious Bronchitis vaccine (IBV) before distributing chicks to customers, thus exposing the future of those chicks to danger. Note: Always purchase your chicks from a very reputable hatchery. It is very important that you ask the officer in charge if they have given the chicks the necessary vaccines with proofs.
7. Build a predator-proof poultry The pen houses of your chickens should not be accessible to predators like foxes, hyenas, wild cats, rats and mice, snakes, hawks, etc. Make sure you install strong iron mesh nets round the pens and apply predator repellents. If you allow these predators to penetrate into your flock, they will kill and/or eat the number of birds they are capable of doing justice to.
8. Maintain proper hygiene and sanitation This is a somewhat wide topic, but the most important thing is that you should maintain proper hygiene and sanitation in and around your poultry farm. You should also take biosecurity serious as this is one thing most livestock farmers don’t take seriously until diseases are introduced into their farm. Click to read more about Health management and biosecurity
9. Supply sufficient feed to your birds I haven’t read or heard it anywhere that underfed animals grow well and produce excellently. Underfed birds are closer to their graves because they will always have low body weights and poor immune responses, and such birds will die sooner. So ensure you give enough feed and avoid overfeeding, which could lead to another problem.
THESE ARE DISEASES THAT RAMPANT IN COLD OR WET SEASON IN POULTRY BIRD
Some diseases in poultry has their season, I mean those diseases do rampant in a certain season.
Poultry birds and poultry production are generally affected by seasonal climatic or weather changes. For instance, in the wet or cold season, chickens eat more feed, drink less water and huddle together to generate heat and keep themselves warm. On the other hand, chickens and other livestock birds consume less feed and drink more water in the hot season or weather in order to cool their body. Don’t be surprised that these changes affect the production of birds, most especially laying birds, as the egg production is reduced in extremely cold or hot weather.
This reduction in egg production occurs because when there are extreme cold or hot conditions, these birds are stressed, and their ability to withstand diseases or immune system is seriously affected. Some certain poultry diseases are rampant in the wet, rainy or cold seasons. That is, the onset of rain favors the propagation and spread of the causative organisms of these diseases and parasites. Hence, most poultry farmers experience high morbidity and mortality rate during this period. We’re going to discuss some of the poultry diseases that are highly prevalent or rampant in the wet, cold or rainy season.
1. Gumboro Disease or Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD)
Gumboro disease is a virulent disease that affects chicks and young birds of between 3-18 weeks of age. The causative virus attacks the bursal of a bird thereby suppressing or weakening the immune system and predisposing the birds to secondary infections. Signs of Gumboro diseases or IBD
1. Severe prostration
2. Watery diarrhoea
3. Incoordination
4. Inflammation of the cloaca
5. Soiled vent feathers
6. Vent picking
Treatment, Prevention and Control for Gumboro
Gumboro disease is highly contagious and a flock owner should expect as high as 100% morbidity rate and 20% mortality rate. This disease has no cure or treatment but it can be prevented through vaccination of birds before an outbreak occur. In a situation where the disease has already occurred within a flock, the flock should be culled and the pens should be disinfected. Gumboro Infectious bursal disease vaccine (IBDV) should be administered to chickens at their 2nd week and 4th week of age
. 2. Fowl Pox
Fowl pox is a highly contagious disease that affects poultry birds at any age. It is caused by pox virus transmitted by mostly mosquitoes and other blood sucking insects. The reason why fowl pox is prevalent during the wet season is that mosquitoes, being the vector, breed well in this season due to the abundance of stagnant water. Signs of Fowl pox The disease affects the skin, respiratory tract and upper alimentary tract, leading to the formation of wounds which later develop to thick scabs. Loss of appetite Weakness and emaciation of the body Difficulty in breathing and swallowing Stringy discharge from the nostrils Pox lesions on comb, wattles and legs Swollen eyelids Soiled feathers Treatment, Prevention and Control Fowl pox cannot be treated but the infected birds can be given antibiotics and water. The mash or feed can be mixed with water to make swallowing quite comfortable. Healthy birds must be vaccinated around their 9th week of age to provide them lifetime immunity. Isolate or cull infected birds from the flock. Also, Get rid of stagnant water or bush around the farm to control the vectors like mosquitoes. Read more information about fowl pox
3. Fowl Cholera
Fowl Cholera is a bacterial disease that affects birds of age 6 week old and above. The bacterium responsible for this is Pasteurella multocida. It is highly contagious and mortality in acute cases is high. Signs of Fowl Cholera In acute cases, birds that appear healthy die suddenly while in chronic cases the affected birds show the following: Yellow, green or grey diarrhoea Loss of appetite Laboured breathing Drooped wings and tail feathers Ruffled feathers Swelling of the leg joints, sinuses, wattle and foot pad Twisting of the neck (torticolis) Discharge from the nostril or beak Note: The above signs are also similar to those of fowl typhoid. Treatment, Prevention and Control Fowl cholera can be treated using sulfa drugs, tetracycline and erythromycin. Poultry birds can vaccinated against Fowl cholera by administering a fowl cholera vaccine. Maintain proper hygiene and sanitation. Practice a high level of biosecurity and prevent rodents, wild birds and other animals.
4. Salmonellosis, Escherichia coli, Pullorum Disease (Bacillary White Diarrhoea) These bacterial diseases affect birds of all ages. They are endemic in farms or pens with poor sanitation. They affect the digestive system of the infected birds. Signs of Salmonellosis, Escherichia coli, Pullorum Severe diarrhoea Loss of appetite Depression and emaciation Chicks suffer omphalitis White pasty diarrhoea in pullorum disease Huddle together and laboured breathing Treatment, Prevention and Control Salmonellosis, E. coli and Pullorum diseases can be treated by administering a broad-spectrum antibiotic to the infected bed and all the flock. High-level farm/pen hygiene and sanitation must be maintained. Biosecurity measures should be in place. Avoid feeding birds with contaminated feeds.
5. Aspergillosis
Aspergillosis is the general name given to diseases caused by Aspergillus. Due to the high humidity during the cold season, feeds or litter dampens, thus creating a favourable environment for fungus to grow and thrive. The birds also inhale aspergillus spores and these spores develop into lesions filling the lungs causing respiratory problems or discomforts. Birds under intensive management systems would experience high disease spread if the stocking density is high and ventilation is inadequate or poor. How to Manage Poultry Birds Optimally in the Cold or Rainy Season To manage poultry such as chickens, turkeys, quails, duck and pheasants during cold or rainy periods, poultry farmers have to do the following: Add oil or fat to the diet of the birds or reduce the level of nutrients that are not required by the birds to generate heat. This is necessary to avoid wastage and reduce feed production costs, since birds consume more feed to generate heat. Install electric bulbs or heater in the pen to serve as a secondary source of heat for the birds. This would help the birds drink enough water and stay warm without getting the reserved energy used up in the process. Though very rare in an intensive system but rampant in a free-range system, birds drink from the stagnant water around, thus pick up eggs of parasitic organisms such as intestinal worms. That is why it is important to deworm poultry birdseye bi-monthly with effective dewormers such as piperazine. A broad-spectrum antibiotic like oxytetracycline should be administered to the birds every month. Construct a generous roof overhang over the entrance and sides of pens to prevent rainwater from getting into the pen whenever it rains. Construct a foot dip at the entrances of the pens and a strong disinfectant solution should be in the foot dip always. If you followed all the above explanation , you can tackle and takecare of your birds during wet season. Thanks
WAYS AND HOW TO VACCINATE POULTRY BIRDS
In getting your birds strong and healthy, vaccination is one of the best way to be a good poultry farmer.
Vaccines have contributed immensely to the prevention and control of major diseases of poultry, which were previously incurable or difficult to cure. Most commercial poultry farmers, therefore, follow a vaccination program aimed at controlling these diseases. However, inexperienced poultry farmers do not know how to vaccinate their birds. Vaccines can be administered through various routes such as through:
1. Eye
2. Nostril
3. Oral route
4. Wing web
5. Vent
6. Subcutaneous
7. Intramuscular
Methods of Administering Vaccines
As the flock strength increased and commercialization of poultry keeping became the order of the day, vaccination by these conventional methods became tedious, time-consuming, labour intensive and a source of undesirable stress on the birds of the flock. Alternative routes of mass administration of vaccines were therefore explored. Some of the important points in this regard are:
Generally, mass vaccination methods result in reduced labour costs, time and stress.
A spray vaccination is more invasive and may give better results than an oral vaccination.
A fine spray is more immunogenic than a coarse spray, as it allows the vaccine to penetrate more deeply into the respiratory tract. However, a strong vaccination may be observed.
1. Drinking Water Method
It is becoming more popular these days. Vaccination against Newcastle disease, Infectious bronchitis, Avian encephalomyelitis etc. is carried out by this method. The vaccine to be used by this method is first reconstituted in distilled water in a small volume. It is then added to the water troughs or drinkers kept in the pen. The birds consume the vaccine mixed water and gain immunity. The birds have to be deprived of normal water supply for 1-2 hours, so that they are eager and quick to consume the water fortified with the vaccine.
When using this method, it must be ensured that the water consumption of the birds is adequate. It also can be ensured that only such quantity of water should be in the drinker, which would be fully consumed by the birds within 30-60 minutes.
The water meant to be used should be cool and not warm because warm water inactivates the vaccine. The water must not contain any amount of chlorine or other chemicals. The addition of skim milk to water at the rate of 500 ml of skim milk to 10 litres of water is recommended. The addition of skim milk to vaccine water is purposely for improving the viability of the vaccine by neutralizing the chlorine or any other chemical present in the water.
2. Subcutaneous and/or intramuscular route
In these methods, the vaccine is pushed into the body tissues either under the skin or into the muscle with the help of needle and syringe. These methods are still used till today. When a vaccine is used subcutaneously or intramuscularly, care has to be taken to make sure that the quantity of vaccine is kept as small as may be feasible. The ideal quantity is 0.1 ml to 0.2 ml. The maximum permissible amount is 0.5 ml. If it exceeds 0.5 ml, it will results in tissue damage at the site of vaccination and also causes unnecessary stress.
3. Scarification method
This is also an old method of vaccination into the tissues of the skin by causing superficial scarification of the epidermis. This method was originally used for carrying out vaccination against fowl pox, but this route has also been used now for protecting birds against infectious laryngotracheitis.
4. Intraocular method
In this method, the vaccine is reconstituted in a small amount and used for dropping in the eyes of birds. An ink dropper is used to apply this in drops. Once the vaccine drops into the eyes, it is absorbed and starts the immune response protecting them against the particular disease.
5. Intranasal method
In this method, the reconstituted vaccine is deposited at the two nasal openings of the birds while the birds inhale the vaccine. It is absorbed through the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract and immunizes the birds.
These are all vaccination system you can use as a poultry birds keeper.
EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF POULTRY BIRDS , DO YOU KNOW THAT NOISE AFFECT THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR BIRDS ?
There are many things many farmer or poultry keepers don't take note or observed. Have you ever tried to find out if the performance of poultry birds like broilers, layers, turkeys, quails, geese etc is affected by environmental noise ? Well, the truth is that the noise produced within or outside your poultry farm has an impact on the performances of your birds. These effects include:
1. Reduction in feed intake or consumption
Reduction in feed conversion efficiency
2. Reduction in adrenal activities
3. Reduction in intestinal relaxation
4. Internal injuries sustained when frightened by sudden noise.
All the effects mentioned above are all directly or indirectly affect the birds’ performances in terms of growth performance, egg-laying performance and livability. So, to avoid all these from happening to your birds, avoid building your poultry pens near a feed mill house, generator plant, busy road, and other sources or situations that produce heavy noise. Ensure that your poultry is in a quiet place where there is silent every time in order for your birds to perform well and brings out best and profitable performance.
All poultry farmer should take note of this simple thing which can affects the performance of your birds.
11 COMMON DISEASES IN POULTRY BIRDS AND HOW TO DEAL WITH IT
Many poultry farmers love to see their chickens doing fine every day. As a chicken farmer, how do you feel whenever you enter the pen of your chickens are you see them doing fine and coming closer to welcome you? A fascinating and memorable feeling, right? You will also love it when your chickens lay eggs regularly as a reward for your hard work on them.
Did you know that the happy feeling above would change if the situations are different and negative? When your chickens come down with diseases, their performances are negatively impacted and because they look unhappy because of their poor state of health, you will also be unhappy.
There are some common poultry diseases that you need to know about as well as how to treat them. They are as follows:
1. Marek’s Disease
This Disease (MD) is a viral disease that affects chickens and it causes tumor. This disease affects only female chickens and occurs in chickens between 6 to 20 weeks of age. Marek’s disease is highly contagious and can be transmitted from an infected bird to uninfected birds or through the air.
These are Signs and symptoms of marek: Paralysis of the legs and wings. In the classical form of Marek’s disease, the affected chickens lie on their side with one leg stretched backward and the other leg stretched forward. In the acute form, many chickens die suddenly without showing any sign of illness while some chickens show paralytic symptoms and appear depressed before dying. Other signs include paleness, loss of weight, shrunken comb and diarrhea.
Treatment: Marek’s disease has no treatment, but to avoid the incidence of MD, day-old chicks must be vaccinated against the disease.
2. Newcastle Disease
Newcastle disease (also known as Ranikhet disease) is a viral disease that is caused by paramyxoviruses. These viruses are of various types. There are the very harmful type, moderately harmful type and mildly harmful type. This disease can be transmitted through the air, feed, water and carrier birds.
Signs and symptoms: With very harmful paramyxoviruses, the first sign is sudden death. Other signs like weakness, depression, greenish diarrhea, lying down, swelling of the face and nervous signs will also be observed. Torticollis (twisting of the neck), leg paralysis, arching of the body are some other indications of Newcastle disease. In layers, laying of soft-shelled or shell-less eggs is an early sign, followed by totally halting of egg laying. Moderately harmful paramyxoviruses are responsible for severe respiratory problems. In adult chickens, there is usually obvious decline in egg production for many months. However, the mortality rate is low. The mildly harmful paramyxoviruses may not cause any disease or just a mild respiratory problem.
Treatment: Newcastle Diseases has no treatment, but can be prevented through vaccination, maintaining a high level of farm hygiene, good management and biosecurity measures.
Also Read: Poultry Diseases that are Rampant in the Cold or Wet Season
3. Infectious Bronchitis
This is a rapid, sudden and high contagious viral poultry disease. It’s caused by a coronavirus and could be transmitted through the air, contaminated materials and carrier hosts.
Signs and symptoms: Abnormal respiratory sounds, snoring, gasping, sneezing and coughing, watery nasal discharge, ocular discharge and swelling of the face. Reduced egg production and poor eggshell quality.
Treatment: Infectious bronchitis has no specific treatment, but you can administer antibiotics in mixed infections. You should also take affected chickens to a warm, dry place to recover. Some farmers have tried warm herb tea and fresh herbs, and they claimed they worked.
To prevent Infectious Bronchitis, vaccinate your chickens against the disease and maintain proper ventilation of chicks.
4. Fowl Pox
Fowl pox is a viral disease that could be transmitted through body wounds or scratches, a vector carrying the virus (e.g., mosquitos) and through the air.
Signs and symptoms: If you notice something like pox lesions on wattles, comb and/or legs, discharge from nostrils, white ulcers or cheesy membrane in mouth, loss of appetite, decline in egg production, foamy materials in corners of eyes or white spots on the skin, your chickens are undoubtedly developing or already down with Fowl Pox.
Treatment: Since this is a viral disease, there is no exact drug. However, you should remove the necrotic membrane from affected chickens’ mouth and larynx. You can stimulate appetite with wet feed (mash) and add antibiotics and multivitamins to their drinking water. Ensure that you use good disinfectant during the outbreak of the disease.
To prevent Fowl Pox, you need to vaccinate your chickens with Fowl Pox vaccine and control mosquitoes in and around the chicken coop or pen.
5. Botulism
This is a serious disease caused by the botulism toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The disease affects the nervous system of chickens, causing body weakness and paralysis. Chickens can pick up the disease when they drink water or eat feed that has been contaminated with botulism toxin.
Signs and symptoms: If you notice that your chickens have progressing tremor that later develops into a paralysis of the body and breathing difficulty. The feathers pull out easily and the affected chickens die within a few hours.
Treatment: Administer an expensive botulism antitoxin from a vet drug store. If you’re able to diagnose or detect the disease early, mix one (1) teaspoon of Epsom salts with 3 cl of warm water. Administer the solution to the affected chickens once a day.
To prevent botulism, always maintain good farm hygiene and sanitation. Avoid feed and water contamination and all dead carcasses should be buried far from the chickens’ pen or environment.
6. Fowl Cholera or Avian Pasteurellosis
Fowl Cholera is a highly contagious bacterial disease that affects poultry birds. It is caused by Pasteurella multocida and could be transmitted through ingestion of contaminated food and water or from a carrier host chicken.
Signs and symptoms: Yellowish or greenish diarrhoea, difficulty in breathing, swollen joint, purple comb and wattle, oral, nasal and ocular discharges, ruffled feathers and loss of appetite.
Treatment: Fowl cholera can be treated with penicillin, streptomycin, erythromycin, tetracyclines and sulphonamides. You will need to administer drugs for long-term because the disease usually returns after stopping medication.
To prevent Fowl Cholera, administer F. Cholera vaccine and maintain a high level of farm hygiene and sanitation. Prevent rodents, cats and wild birds from gaining access to the pen.
Also Read: How to Vaccinate Poultry Birds
7. Infectious Coryza
Infectious Coryza or Fowl Coryza is a severe respiratory disease that affects chicken and it could be sudden. This disease is common in layers and broilers and it is caused by Haemophilus paragallinarum. It could be transmitted water contaminated with nose discharges, through the air, or through direct contact with an infected chicken.
Signs and symptoms: Swelling of the head (comb, wattle and eyes), sneezing, stringy discharge from the nose and eyes, conjunctivitis with closed eyes, difficulty in breathing and moisture under the wings. Other symptoms of infectious coryza include reduced feed and water consumption and huge drop or halt in egg production.
Treatment: Infectious Coryza can be treated with antibiotics and sulpha drugs. Oxytetracycline, enrofloxacin, trimethoprim and sulpha drug can be combined to treat infectious coryza.
Chickens can be protected from infectious coryza through vaccination. Dispose all infected chickens or those that had recovered. Sanitation and hygiene and avoid keeping chickens of different ages together.
8. Thrush
The thrush in chickens is similar to baby’s thrush. It can be contracted by chickens that eat feed or food that has grown moldy; that is, moldy feed or food. They can also contract the disease by drinking contaminated water.
Signs and symptoms: White oozy substance inside the crop of infected chickens. Increased appetite than normal. Lethargic appearance, crusty vent and ruffled feathers.
Treatment: Thrush can be treated by administering an antifungal drug. To avoid future occurrence or reinfection, discard bad or moldy feed or food and contaminated water.
9.Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD)
CRD is a mycoplasmal disease caused by Mycoplasma gallisepticum, and it affects the respiratory tracts (including air sacs) of chickens and other birds. CRD can be transmitted through hatching eggs, direct contact with carrier birds and through inhalation of contaminated droplets, dust or feathers.
Signs and symptoms: Abnormal respiratory sounds, sneezing, nasal discharge, coughing and sneezing. Reduced feed consumption, loss of body weight and decreased egg production.
Treatment: Chronic Respiratory Disease can be treated with several antibiotics. Tylosin, oxytetracycline, streptomycin, neomycin, chlortetracycline, gentamicin, tiamulin, enrofloxacin, lincomycin, erythromycin and other related drugs can be used to treat CRD.
10. Pullorum Disease (Salmonellosis)
Pullorum disease is a bacterial disease that is caused by a bacterium called Salmonella pullorum. The disease is highly contagious and affects the blood of chickens, but characterized by white diarrhoea. This is the reason why pullorum disease is also called Bacilliary White Disease (BWD). It can be transmitted through the eggs, contaminated feed, water, litter and faeces.
Signs and symptoms: Depression and unusual huddling together, respiratory distress, white and sticky faecal droppings, loss of appetite, pale, shrunken combs with ruffled feathers and decline in egg production.
Treatment: Several antibiotics can be used to treat pullorum disease. However, furazolidone is recommended. Pullorum disease can be controlled by good biosecurity measures and ensure you procure your chicks from a reputable hatchery.
11. Bumblefoot
Bumblefoot is an infection that is caused by staphylococcus bacteria and it is usually the aftereffect when your chickens get their injured foot infected by this bacteria. The foot of the affected chicken swells up because of infection. The cut or injury to the foot could occur when the chicken is scratching the floor or a sharp object.
The only way to treat Bumblefoot is by performing surgery. It involves using a biopsy or scalpel to cut out the scab and removing the underlying infected core. After removing the core, drain the pus and soak the infected foot in warm water and Epsom Salts. Dry the foot with a clean bath towel and apply honey or any microbial and Vetericyn VF. Cover the area up with gauze and wrap with vet wrap to lock the bandage.
If bumblefoot infection is left untreated, the affected chicken may become completely lame and could also die after other tissues in the body are affected.
The best way to prevent bumblefoot is to keep a close watch on the feet of your chickens. If you observed that there is a cut on either of the feet, don’t hesitate to wash and disinfect the foot to prevent it from becoming septic or infected with staphylococcus bacteria.
COMMON PROBLEMS IN RAISING CHICKEN CHICKS
When preparing to bring in new chicken chicks, there are some things you need to know, there are some common problems in chicks you need to put in consideration.
Chick season is upon us and just about everyone I know has hatched or bought new chicks for their flocks! By now your baby chicks are running around their brooder happily doing their cute little chick things. Whether you decide to buy or hatch your chicks, nothing can make the fun come to a halt faster than a sick chick can. I have spent more than my fair share of time worrying about the little feather balls, so I know how worried you must be!
It can be pretty upsetting when you don't know what's wrong with your chick. Luckily there aren't too many illnesses chicks can get so it's usually pretty easy to figure out what's wrong with your chicks
First of all relax, most chick issues are not your fault! Many are caused by genetics or nutritional deficiencies in the breeding stock.
The first thing you need to do when you notice a sick chick is to make sure they have everything they need in their brooder (Special house). You'll want to make sure chicks are not too hot or too cold. If your chicks are a week old the brooder temperature should be around 95° at chick level, right under their heat source. You'll want to decrease this temperature by 5° a week as they grow.
Make sure their water is clean and not contaminated with food, bedding or chick poo. Make sure the food is dry and free from chick droppings also.
Common Chick Illnesses
Pasty butt: when diarrhea like poop clogs up the chicks vent and prevents her from pooping its called pasty butt. This can be fatal. Clean the chicks butt off under warm water. Do not pick off the dry poop clump as you will definitely pull out the feathers and might cause her delicate bum skin to tear. Soak it off gently. Dry, then apply olive oil to vent and bum to prevent poop from smelling.
Check that the brooder is an appropriate temperature. You should add probiotics to the chicks feed or give small amounts of plain yogurt with active cultures. Keep watch the next few days as it often takes a few days to go away.
Coccidiosis: a parasitic infection of the digestive tract. Contagious. Can be fatal. Often indicated by reddish or bloody poop. Many people give medicated chick starter to avoid this problem. If you choose to not feed medicated feed (I don't) add a little ACV to the chicks water to help prevent coccidiosis.
If you suspect your chick has coccidiosis separate the affected chicks into a different brooder. Give chicks plain yogurt with active cultures along with their chick feed and ACV in their water.
Shipping stress:You can add Sav-A-Chick to the chicks water when you first get them to give them an electrolyte and vitamin boost. Or add a little sugar or molasses to their water when you first get the chicks to give them a little calorie boost.
Make sure they're warm and comfortable and don't handle them much in the first few days till they get used to their new home and environment.
Make sure you get the right feed for your chicks, they right feed for chicks from day old to 4 or 6 weeks is Starters feed.
7 BENEFITS OF RAISING BACKYARD CHICKEN AND TURKEY
Backyard chickens! Backyard chicken are often not in the backyard always. Sometimes they’re in the side yard, the front yard, even inside the house. Wherever you keep your chicken, they are so much fun to have around and have so many wonderful uses and benefits, I can’t imagine my homestead without a flock of backyard chickens and turkey.
When I first got chickens I was so scared that I would mess up. What I realized was that I was definitely going to mess up, but anything I could do with good intentions would be better for the chickens than a life in a factory farm. So I learned as I went and am so glad I gave it a try because there are so many amazing benefits in having backyard chickens!
These are 7 reasons you should also have backyard chickens and turkey.
1. Production fresh and healthy meat
Getting fresh and healthy meat is one of the good side of having backyard chickens and turkey, we all eat meat and most of us love eating chicken meat, when you have your backyard chickens, it make it possible and easy to get your fresh and healthy meat from your chicken and turkey.
2. Production of fresh eggs.
Eggs are a cheap form of protein especially when they are fresh from your healthy flock, they are even more nutritious (and delicious!). A study found that the vitamin A, E, and fatty acid (like omega-3) content of pastured eggs was much higher than conventional eggs.
But at $6 a dozen for pastured chicken eggs you’re better off growing your own, especially if you find creative ways to feed your flock for less (or zero).
3. Educating your children
There’s something profound about a child fully understanding where their food comes from. I think it’s funny when adults assume that I don’t let my kids know that chicken does indeed come from chickens. I mean, I do get it, that may have been me a number of years ago, worried that the truth would scar them.
However, we decided that if we were going to have livestock we would not hide what that means from our kids. If we are going to eat it, it’s important that we know where it comes from. I want my kids to be grateful for their food, and I feel that gratitude begins by knowing that it doesn’t just come from a shelf at the store.
It’s also really great to watch your kids learn through farming. OG knows so much about science just by observing her backyard chickens. She knows that baby chicks come from eggs, but baby people don’t come from eggs. She knows that they stay warm because of their feathers. She knows that foxes like to eat chickens! It’s amazing what they can learn through immersion.
She also learns about responsibility and what it means to care for someone or something else.
4. Helping in cleaning of your garden
Chickens are excellent help in the garden. I’ve let my backyard chickens run through the garden at different times of the season for different kinds of help.
I don’t let them in the garden when new plants are growing because they’ll decimate them, but I have let them in the garden once the plants are large enough to not be killed easily. The chickens may take a few bites of kale but they’ll also eat the bugs that might otherwise eat the garden.
You do have to be careful doing this because you’ll be surprised what your chickens will eat. If you’re concerned they’ll eat too much, you can just let them into the garden at the beginning and end of the growing season to get bugs and pests at that time. I’ve done it this way too and found it very helpful in keeping pests down.
Chickens will also help till. If you put your chickens into the garden just before planting they can help loosen the top layer of soil. They can also till in any soil amendments you need added to your soil.
Their manure helps fertilize the garden and they can eat weeds, so the garden gets manured and weeded whilebackyard chickens get fed, win-win!
5. Free Fertilizer
No need to go and buy manure for your garden, just head to the compost pile! In our current coop we use the deep litter method, which means the manure decomposes in the coop and we add more bedding to continue the decomposition as needed. In the spring we remove the bedding and manure to a compost pile to continue decomposing.
I don’t typically do a hot compost because it takes some attention to get it right (monitoring temperature and water), but a hot compost system would create finished manure in just a few weeks. I usually just let the manure sit until the fall and then throw it on the garden for the following spring.
Additionally, you can let your chickens into the garden to eat bugs and weeds. While they’re at it they’ll manure the garden too!
6. Chicken TV
When you have chickens you don’t need TV! They are so stinkin’ fun to watch. I really can’t explain it, but it’s true. Everyone who has come to visit has mentioned how fun the chickens are to watch. My kids like trying to hold them and pet them too. I think OG feels especially proud when she’s able to catch one, so there’s another benefit!
7 Self Sustainability
With chickens and eggs right in your backyard you can theoretically keep yourself in chicken and eggs indefinitely. Not to mention you’re eliminating the fossil fuels needed to transport chicken and eggs to the grocery store for you.
I always like knowing that if we’re snowed in, or there’s a flood or something else that keeps us from leaving our home, we at least have eggs (and usually much more via the garden).
These benefits are many but these are 6 we can discuss for now, you too can try to raise backyard chickens in your compound, is so fun and profitable.
WHAT PRECAUTIONS YOU SHOULD PUT IN PLACE AS A POULTRY FARMER ?
As a chicken farmer, there are some precautionary actions you must take to make your chickens and yourself healthy. Some of chicken diseases can be transfer to human
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