05/11/2022
COMMON RAINY SEASON POULTRY DISEASES TO BE AWARE OF. AND HOW YOU CAN IDENTIFY AND TREAT THEM.
Rain season comes with its own challenges and a poultry farmer you need to have the knowledge. Chatu Multipurpose cooperative society limited-CMCSL Is here help you learn and increase your knowledge as a poultry farmer. Below are some common diseases you will encounter in Rain season;
1.Fowl Pox
Fowl pox is a highly contagious disease that affects poultry birds at any age. It is caused by poxvirus 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. Also, the incidence of wet litter becomes apparent when poultry houses are not adequately shielded from rain. This leads to the development of wet liter which then predisposes to fly problems in the pen.
How to Recognize Fowl Pox in Chickens
There are some visible things you will notice, which are proofs that your chickens or turkeys have come down with fowlpox disease. Fowl pox leads to the development of round lesions with scabby centers on the skin of the birds. The majority of the skin lesions are located on the wattle, face, comb, and some are occasionally located on the legs. This disease also affects the mouth and windpipe linings. 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. Lesions on the face can extend to the eyes, causing temporary or permanent blindness of the affected bird.
How to Prevent Fowlpox in Chickens
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 fowlpox 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 Treat Fowlpox in Chickens
Unfortunately, fowlpox has no treatment once the fowlpox virus has affected a bird. But as long as a diseased bird is eating and drinking, it will recover from the disease in about two weeks or more with low mortality rate. When a bird recovers successfully from fowlpox, it is immune to the disease permanently.
2.Coccidiosis
Coccidiosis is caused by protozoan Eimeria sp in poultry, most species infect various sites in the intestine. The infectious process is rapid (4–7 days) and is characterized by parasite replication in host cells with extensive damage to the intestinal mucosa. Poultry coccidia are generally host-specific, and the different species parasitize specific parts of the intestine. However, in game birds, including quail, the coccidia may parasitize the entire intestinal tract. Coccidia are distributed worldwide in poultry, game birds reared in captivity, and wild birds.
The wet litter and the hot pen temperature commonly observed in the rainy season favours the sporulation of the coccidian oocyst and therefore, the outbreak of coccidiosis.
How to Recognize Coccidiosis in Chickens
Clinically, bloody faeces, ruffled feathers, anaemia, and somnolence are observed. Other signs of coccidiosis range from decreased growth rate to a high percentage of visibly sick birds, severe diarrhea, and high mortality. Feed and water consumption are depressed. Weight loss, development of culls, decreased egg production, and increased mortality may accompany outbreaks. Mild infections of intestinal species, which would otherwise be classed as subclinical, may cause depigmentation and potentially lead to secondary infection, particularly Clostridium spp infection. Survivors of severe infections recover in 10–14 days but may never recover lost performance.
The lesions are almost entirely in the intestinal tract and often have a distinctive location and appearance that is useful in diagnosis.
How to Prevent Coccidiosis in Chickens
Basic hygiene is your first step for prevention. It is good to ensure that the poultry house is generally clean and dry.
Ensure water is clean and fresh. Keep feeding areas clean and dry.
Ensure the birds have enough space i.e. overcrowding should be prevented as it is a predisposing factor for coccidiosis. Chickens need an average of a square meter for 3-5 birds.
If your chicks have not been vaccinated against coccidiosis, provide medicated starter feed for them. Anticoccidial medication should be given to the chicks at around 12 days of age (this might vary depending on the vaccination schedule being followed).
An all-in all-out method should be employed on the farm in order to prevent a horizontal transfer of infection. If this method is not feasible, keep the new batch quarantined for a minimum of two weeks, for the protection of the current stock.
How to Treat Coccidiosis in Chickens
Once coccidiosis is diagnosed in a flock, all the birds need to be treated. Also, the litter needs to be changed so that birds do not pick up the sporulated oocyst from the droppings of affected birds. Common anticoccidial drugs include; Amprolium, toltrazuril, sulfaquinoxaline etc.
3.Fowl Cholera
Fowl Cholera is a bacterial disease that affects birds of age 6 weeks old and above. The bacterium responsible for this is Pasteurella multocida. It is highly contagious and mortality in acute cases is high. The causative organism is spread readily during the rainy season because wet liter serves as an abode of numerous microorganisms.
How to Recognize Fowl Cholera in Chickens
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.
How to Treat, Prevent, and Control Fowl Cholera in Chickens
Fowl cholera can be treated using sulfa drugs, tetracycline, and erythromycin. Poultry birds can be 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.
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