Basic information
It has been observed over few years based on different researches that the major cause of loss in poultry farming are diseases. So it is important to know what a disease is. A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure of function of all or part of an organism, and that is not due to any immediate external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that are associated with specific signs and symptoms. It could also be referred to as a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal or plant, especially one that produces specific symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury
The following are the common poultry diseases, their symptoms and treatments poultry farmers should get themselves acquainted of and know how to prevent and tackle them
1. Conjunctivitis
Incidence; common poultry ailment in flocks raised on deep litter, especially in rain /winter season. System/organ affected eyes
Symptoms, rubbing of eyes with wings, reluctance to move, avoidance of sunlight, one or both eyes cloudy, nose and eyes water, blindness
Cause, ammonia fumes from accumulated droppings, vitamin A deficiency and infection
Transmission, it does not spread from birds to birds
Prevention, provide proper nutrition and good ventilation, avoid we litter
Treatment: replacing wet litter or correcting vitamin A deficiency in early stages leads to a recovery in about two months, but will not reverse blindness
2. Dehydration
Symptoms, Unsteady on feet, loss of weight, lethargic
Treatment, Provide fresh clean water, if not drinking use dropper to drip water into her tongue
3. Diarrhea
Symptoms, Runny droppings, dirty feathers around bottom
Treatment, Ensure plenty of clean drinking water is available. Feed only layers pellets or mash, with a little corn if it’s winter, until the problem improves. Do not give greens or kitchen scraps
4. Egg bound
Symptoms, Hen looks like she is straining with her bottom close to the ground
Treatment, Rub vegetable oil or baby oil around the vent, if the egg is broken inside the hen there is severe risk of infection so please see a vet
5. Egg peritonitis
Symptoms, swollen abdomen, loss of weight, laying soft shelled or no eggs, generally looks unwell, if severe can cause respiratory distress (gasping)
Treatment, Antibiotics from a vet
6. Feather pecking
Symptoms, Feathers missing, bloody wound if severe, can occur when new hens are introduced to a flock, if their diet does not have enough protein, I they are over crowded or simply if they are bored
Treatment, Gentian Violet spray for open wounds
Prevention, Anti pecking spray on new hens, prevent hens becoming bored (more space to forage, perches in run, peck blocks etc.)
Most common causes of respiratory tract
1. Mycoplasma
This is found in the environment so all chickens are likely to come into contact with this organism at some point in their life, but it doesn't always cause a problem. Mycoplasma is likely to cause disease when the birds are stressed, have another infection, if there is a lot of dust in the environment or if lots of birds living together are infected. Mycoplasma is hugely infectious so can spread rapidly through a flock once it has taken hold. Once diagnosed by a vet there are a few options for treating mycoplasma, with the easiest being soluble Tyrosine which is added to the drinking water. To prevent disease you need to keep stressors to a minimum, keep the environment clean and dust-free, ensure your chickens are free of other diseases, and there is the potential for a mycoplasma vaccine if you are particularly concerned
2. Infectious Bronchitis
Caused by a highly infectious virus (coronavirus), this causes respiratory signs but also a characteristic drop in egg production. You may also notice that the eggs from affected birds have soft, misshapen or 'crinkled' shells. Mortality rate is higher in young birds. The disease can be diagnosed by post-mortem examination or by taking swabs from the throat to look for the virus. Unfortunately there is no treatment for IB but if you suspect a secondary bacterial infection then antibiotics may help. There are vaccines available which are given to chicks and these may help protect against disease
3. Dust and ammonia
Chickens living for long periods of time in a dusty environment, or if ammonia levels in the air are high, can show significant respiratory disease. The lining of a chicken's airways are particularly sensitive and can therefore become inflamed by dust particles or ammonia. Try to use a bedding that doesn't give off much dust, and provide adequate ventilation to chickens living inside, regularly removing faeces can help keep the ammonia levels down
4. Gapeworm
This disease is caused by the worm Syngamus trachea, with the adult worms living in the chicken's trachea. Earthworms and snails become infected by ingesting the worm eggs dropped on soil in chicken faeces, then chickens acquire the disease by eating infected earthworms snails. The worm larvae cross the intestinal wall and travel to the lungs in the blood-stream, eventually entering the lungs and setting up residence in the trachea. This causes signs like coughing, head shaking and the chicken may present with the characteristic 'gaping' mouth appearance. Young birds up to 8 weeks old are particularly susceptible, however treatment and prevention of gapeworm is easy....just keep up to date with your worming regime! Any licensed poultry wormer should do the trick
Series of products to serve the poultry farm fully, click the name to learn more
1. Steel structure poultry house, opening type for hot countries and close type for cool countries
2. Poultry hatching equipment’s capacity of eggs up to 120,000+ to be hatching house
4. Chicken feed processing equipment from feed crushing and mixing to stock to feeding chicken
6. Egg processing equipment from automatic egg collection to packing egg to trays
7. Chicken slaughtering equipment from slaughter to vacuum package
9. Other poultry farm equipment are coming soon...
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Main points to prevent against respiratory disease in chickens
1. Keep the environment clean and dust-free, and keep stress to a minimum
2. Vaccinate
3. Quarantine any new birds before adding them to the original flock! This lets you check they are healthy before introducing them to your birds
4. If you spot any ill birds, separate them immediately to prevent the spread of infectious disease
Symptoms to know whether chickens have been affected
1. Sneezing
2. Open mouthed breathing
3. Wheezy gurgling breathing sounds
4. Ruffled feathers
5. Discharge around the nostrils and eyes
6. Head shaking
Our services
1. We have long time and rich experience on the products manufacturing. If any machine operation questions after sales, we will reply you within 24 hours with solution. And customers can be rest assured
2. We offer excellent services in all our equipment
3. We give customers detailed information on the product they want to buy
4. We give guideline to our first time customer’s on how to go about their poultry farm
5. After purchasing our poultry equipment, we do follow up on our customers about the equipment they purchased
Frequently ask questions
Q: what is the major causes of loss in poultry farming?
A: Diseases can lead to lots of mortality rate in poultry farming
Q: How do we curb these diseases?
A: Proper management of the birds by giving them drugs at when due, proper poultry house management and lots more
Q: Are you the direct manufacturer or trading company of all your poultry equipment?
A: Yes we are the direct manufacturers of all our poultry equipment and battery cages for the past 20 years
Q: Do you mean the advantages of battery cage cannot be under estimated?
A: Yes, its advantages are just too much to under rate it in poultry business
Q: What is the major difference between the hot and cold galvanized layer cage?
A: The hot galvanized has the best corrosion resistance and will not rust after decades of use while the cold galvanized layer cage has a poor corrosion resistance
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