Currently, where we can find more poultry is in the meat industry or in the egg production industry. Here, illnesses are a major problem since, living mainly crowded in small places, pathogens can quickly affect all birds. In addition, the number of birds is so great that by the time a disease is detected it is already too late.
Fortunately, this has changed and more and more people are choosing to consume products from free-range chickens and even have their own pen of happy birds. If you want to know the main poultry diseases, we invite you to read this article on our site.
Avian infectious bronchitis
infectious bronchitis is one of the diseases that most affects poultry. This ailment is caused by a virus of the coronavirus family.
Affected birds especially show respiratory distress, either through panting, sneezing or a crackling sound in the lungs when trying to breathe. They also produce a lot of mucus that is released from the nasal openings, mouth or eyes. In addition, the animal will suddenly stop eating.
This disease is very contagious, it is transmitted through the air over long distances, but we can also spread it ourselves through our clothes or other objects if we come into contact with affected birds. It is important to know that is not transmitted to humans
Mortality from bronchitis is very low in adult animals, but more than half of young individuals who become infected may die. To avoid this, it is best to vaccinate the birds, since the disease does not have a specific treatment.
Avian cholera
fowl cholera is caused by a bacterium of the family of the Pasteurellaceas, called Pasteurella multocida. This microorganism lives saprophytically (depending on another organism) in the nasopharyngeal region of birds, but when the population of this bacterium is out of control, it can cause various diseases, including avian cholera.
The disease is transmitted through any object or animal contaminated with droppings from a sick bird. This bacterium has the ability to survive for long periods of time in the medium, between one and three months.
The disease can occur in several forms:
- Acute form: spreads rapidly over the entire body of the bird. They stop eating and drinking, yellow diarrhea appears and the extremities can become inflamed, producing paralysis. Mortality is very high.
- Superacute form: In this form, the disease progresses so rapidly that it causes sudden death, leaving no room for action.
- Chronic form: the disease is located in the face and barbel area of birds, causing severe inflammation.
To combat cholera, various types of antibiotics must be used for a long time. In addition, we must be aware that avian cholera is one of the diseases that birds transmit to humans.
Avian infectious coryza
avian infectious coryza is a disease produced by bacteriaof the Pasteurellacea family, Haemophilus gallinarum. It can be transmitted through various routes, such as direct contact with the fluids exuded by sick birds, through the air or through drinking water.
Affected birds have a striking eye inflammation that expel a kind of foam, they can even lose them. Their eyelids and chin may also become inflamed, they expel a purulent discharge from the nose that smells very bad and they have difficulty eating, so they lose weight and become weak.
The mortality rate is not as important as the fact that the disease does not have a specific treatment and, even if an animal appears to have cured, it will carry the pathogen indefinitely.
Image from: zoovetesmipasion.com
Avian encephalomyelitis
Avian encephalomyelitis is caused by an enterovirus of the group of picomaviruses. It is transmitted through the eggs, so young individuals will be born with this disease.
The chicks will begin to walk in an undefined way, they will not coordinate well and will end up producing a partial or total paralysis of the legs. This is because part of the brain is necrosing (cells are dying). Mortality is relatively low. Death is not caused by the disease itself, but by problems derived from it.
Encephalomyelitis has no cure, so parent vaccination is a priority. The female will transmit immunity to her offspring through the eggs. Euthanasia of affected chicks is recommended in the vast majority of cases.
Marek's disease
The pathogen that causes Marek's disease is a herpesvirus. It is transmitted through the scales that come off the roots of the feathers that travel from one place to another through the air.
The main symptoms of affected birds are weakness, feather loss and weight loss One of the most striking characteristics of this disease is the position that the diseased bird acquires, one leg forward, one back and one wing extended towards the ground.
In this way, little by little, they lie down until they die of starvation. On the other hand, the eyes suffer discoloration and the pupils are no longer reactive to light. Mortality is greater than fifty percent. There is no cure or treatment, it can only be prevented by vaccinating newborn chicks.
Internal parasites
There are many internal parasites that affect birds, but we are mainly talking about coccidia, roundworms and tapeworms These parasites live in the intestine of the birds, causing a malabsorption of nutrients, frequent diarrhea and even death due to hyperparasitism (excess of parasites in the intestines that can cause perforations). Other parasites can localize in the respiratory system, leading to death by suffocation if left untreated.
External parasites
External parasites that infect birds feed mainly on skin scales or feathers, such as liceOthers feed on blood, such as ticks, mites or fleas Both to combat external and internal parasites, it is essential to keep the dewormed birds
