Diseases of Chickens
If one of your chickens might be ill, immediately separate it from the flock. This will help prevent any disease from spreading.
When you feed and water your chickens, you should also make a daily visual inspection of them. Look for dirty feathers around the anus (this could mean diarrhea) and look at their eyes and nostrils for drainage. Be aware of hens that are reluctant to get up and walk. Decreased food and water intake or a slow down in egg production can also be symptoms of sickness.
Prevention
There are four things to consider to prevent sickness in poultry.
Have your chicks vaccinated before shipping; in most hatcheries this is normal procedure or incurs only a nominal charge. These vaccinations can often save you a search for an avian veterinarian and exorbitant costs.
Keep the chicken’s cages, food and water containers, and nesting areas clean. Regular cleaning keeps illness at bay.
Bacterial infections are often controlled with chicken feeds that include low dose antibiotics.
Keep a variety in your chicken’s feed so they get a balance of vitamins, minerals, protein and carbohydrates. When you are supplementing with veggies, do not forget to include peelings from citrus fruits for vitamin C.
These preventions will not keep everything at bay, but they will go a long way towards the health of your flock.
Some Common Chicken Diseases
Bronchitis will cause the chicken difficulty breathing (gasping), discharge from eyes and ears, and an avoidance of food and water. Increase the chicken’s ambient temperature by 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and give wide spectrum antibiotics.
Avian Flu will have symptoms such as respiratory distress, diarrhea, and a lack of interest in food along with decreased egg laying. Like flu in humans, this disease will permeate a flock quickly. Antibiotics are about all you can try. Broad spectrum antibiotics may help if the bird’s immune system was strong before the illness. The vaccine for this is hard to come by, as it’s only for qualifying flocks.
Infectious Sinusitis is a chronic sinus infection. Symptoms include sneezing, swollen nares, and discharge from the nares and eyes. Antibiotics given in food and water can be very effective for this.
Bird Pox is sometimes called Chicken Pox but it is not the same as the human disease of the same name. Chickens will have congestion and some flesh bumps that looks like raw warts. The most obvious will be on the legs. Once sick with the disease, there is no available treatment, but there is a vaccine.
Eye Worms is a species of roundworm that your chickens can get from earthworms, crickets, flies or anything that has eaten the larva. Swollen eyes and a white discharge from mouth and eyes are symptoms. The white chunks of discharge are the larvae of the worm. This is prevented with a broad spectrum wormer. If the larval symptom appears, thoroughly clean and disinfect the coop and pens. Failure to kill the larvae means the cycle continues.
Remember that prevention is always better than cure. Simply keep your chickens and their pens clean and give them nutritious food and clean water.
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