Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Most Common Poultry Diseases and Their Symptoms


Diseases are something does not affect humans alone but can affect any living organism. And if you have a poultry farm of your own then the most serious diseases that you should be cautious of are poultry diseases. The poultry in your farm is easily susceptible to various microorganisms like viruses and bacteria that lead to sickness. If you read the internet or other sources about poultry you will find out that chicken in particular have quite a faster metabolism system than other house pets. This is why diseases hit chickens and other birds quite easily and when it does it hits them pretty hard and fast. These diseases spread very easily into the entire body of chickens within no time at all. This is why it is of utmost importance to all poultry farm owners that they have a vet who checks out his chickens on a regular basis to ensure no diseases affect them.

Poultry diseases affect chickens and birds in various ways. First of all the biggest threat that these diseases pose to farm owners is that they have the tendency of spreading very easily from one chicken to another and if these are not detected in a timely manner they can affect entire flocks. These diseases instantly affect the immune system of the birds. There are some very serious and common diseases that you should be aware of so that you can easily detect its symptoms as soon as they begin to appear and thus take timely action to refrain from any serious long term damage.

Among all diseases Colibacillosis is the one which is the most widespread of all poultry related diseases found in chickens according to the country's Poultry Information Center. This disease is bacterial in nature and is caused by strains of E. coli which is found in the intestine of chickens and immediately affects their respiratory system. The symptoms for these diseases all differ but this one can be detected by noticing runny noses, trouble breathing, watery eyes, diarrhea, and coughing in poultry. Another way of detecting these diseases is to keep checking your flock of chicken to make sure they are still energetic and do not have any ruffled feathers.

Among the viral category of diseases found in chicken and most other birds the Newcastle disease is quite widespread and affects both the respiratory and the gastro-intestinal systems of birds. To detect these diseases in a timely manner look out for symptoms like a reduction in the egg production rate, a green colored diarrhea, loss of appetite, depression, trouble breathing, and paralysis of the leg and wings. As soon as you detect any of these symptoms in your chicken you should get them immediately checked by a vet to start treatment for diseases that might be affecting them. These diseases spread quite quickly and the only way you can protect your flock from it is by giving them vaccination.

Among other diseases another one that has to be closely monitored is the Avian Pox. This disease is caused by a pox virus and develops quite slowly in the chicken. To detect these diseases you should look out for symptoms like bumps on the featherless areas of your chicken which resemble warts. The area's most affected by poultry diseases is their legs, feet, or beaks. Other signs for these diseases are trouble breathing, exhaustion, and weight loss. Again you should have a vet regularly check your flock of chicken to ensure no such symptoms of these diseases is affecting your chicken to keep them in top shape all the time.

No comments:

Post a Comment