Common Poultry Diseases and Causes I Mshindo Media

Introduction

Disease can be defined as any change or impairment of normal body function that affects the chickens’ ability to survive, grow or reproduce.  

An understanding of the cause of a disease and its method of spread (transmission) will assist in controlling it. Knowledge of the clinical signs of a disease and the characteristics of lesions found at Post-mortem will help in its diagnosis and instituting preventative measures.

                             

• Unhealthy Birds/Sick Birds
• Tired and lifeless
• Dull eyes and comb
• Sit or lie down
• Eat and drink less
• Lay less or stop laying eggs
• Ruffled and loose feathers
• Wet droppings with blood or worms, diarrhea
• Cough, sneeze and breathe noisily
  

Common Poultry Diseases and Causes

Infectious diseases are caused by organisms that can be transmitted from one bird to another. 

Such organisms include;

•  viruses,
•  bacteria, 
• fungi and 
• protozoans.                                                                                                                              Other infectious organisms are external (lice, fleas and ticks) or internal (roundworms, tapeworms, flukes) parasites.

In many cases, disease results from a combination of factors such as, 

• Nutrition, 
• Environmental factors
•  Flock management.

 All these have a direct and important influence on the health and productivity of chickens.

General condition

Age

Stress

Inherited characteristics

Susceptibility to disease

Environment

Climate (temperature, rain, wind)

Housing Conditions

Availability of water and feed

Feed Quality

Air Quality

Infectious Agents

Viruses

Bacteria

Mycoplasmas

Fungi

Parasites

Costs Associated with Disease

Mortality

Morbidity

Reduced productivity- weight gain/egg production

Downgrading at processing

Treatment

Vaccination

Surveillance and monitoring

Loss of market

Public health control

Welfare perceptions

Rules of Disease Prevention

Give access to the right feed and clean water, particularly for small chicks

Build shelters against wind and rain

Clean houses regularly and disinfect the floor and walls

Provide dry litter regularly where applicable

Do not put too many birds Vaccination

Surveillance and monitoring

Loss of market

Public health control

Welfare perceptions

together

Different species of poultry for example hens, turkeys, pigeons, ducks and guinea fowls should be kept separate

Separate chicks from adult birds except from the mother hen

Vaccinate chicks against the most important diseases and revaccinate where necessary

Isolate and treat sick birds – if medication is not available then kill the sick birds

Burn or bury killed birds

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