Why chickens can die

The question of why chickens die is worried not only by a novice farmer, but also by an experienced poultry farmer who provides his birds with the necessary and high-quality content and feeding. It would seem like a bird that does not need anything and does not look sick can die? It turns out that many factors can affect the mortality rate.

Why do chickens die

What is the reason for the death of chickens?

To determine the approaching death of hens, it is necessary to closely monitor their behavior life and life activity.Often, not a single visible symptom speaks of danger.The main distinguishing feature may be a decreased activity of birds or loss of appetite.However, sometimes such signs can indicate a mild illness or the state of stress in which the chickens are. If, together with the above symptoms, the crest begins to darken sharply, and the weight of the bird decreases to the minimum mark, most likely it will not work to stop the death.

Sometimes the cause of death lies in insufficient attention to adults, while juveniles receive more good nutrition and quality care. A dangerous infectious disease can easily affect both chickens and laying hens.Despite the fact that adult chickens die of the disease much less often, one should not neglect competent care and the choice of good food.

Pathology

A disease that can affect birds does not always directly connected with the farmer and the conditions provided to him. There are times when an ailment catches a house and feathered by surprise. The most famous and dangerous diseases that affect both laying hens and young animals are the following:

• ascariasis;
• abdominal dropsy;
• lack of vitamins;
• bronchopneumonia;
• Newcastle disease.

Ascaridosis

This is one of the most serious diseases among birds. The danger lies in parasites that settle in the intestines of chickens and parasitize in the internal organs. The worm can reach a length of 12 cm. Roundworms penetrate the body through feed and liquid and have a sufficiently high fertility, as a result of which a single infection develops into a similar disease of the entire brood.

Worms can not only lead to anemia, spreading over whole body toxins, but also affect the nervous system of the bird. After this, a blockage or, most dangerous, rupture of the internal organs can be observed. The main danger of worms can be seen in the video, and only a doctor can find methods to get rid of parasites.

Abdominal dropsy

Dropsy is a non-communicable disease and can affect birds of any age.Untimely treatment leads to a violation of the water-salt balance, stagnation of venous blood and the accumulation in the abdomen of an excessive copious amount of fluid. Sometimes dropsy is affected by heart or kidney failure. In order to detect an ailment, a thorough examination is not needed: diseased hens sharply and clearly lose activity.

For the treatment of abdominal dropsy, it is necessary to pump out all excess fluid from the abdominal cavity, and then review what the bird feeds by adding more greens and vitamins.

Lack of vitamins

Many farmers forget how important it is for all hens to get the right amount of vitamins and minerals to develop their immune system and protect organism. Having not received a certain amount of vital substances, feathered, and in particular, laying hens in the cells, are exposed to other serious diseases .

To understand that the bird is concerned specifically with vitamin deficiency, you should pay attention to the defining signs: birds lose weight, weaken, lose their plumage. If you do not get rid of deviations in time, more serious consequences will arise. To eliminate vitamin deficiency in the first stage, it is enough to diversify the diet with grass, cereals and other vitamins.

Bronchopneumonia

The reason for its occurrence lies in severe hypothermia.At first glance, it may seem that in this case there is no mortal risk, however, not taking appropriate measures on time, it can lead to the death of not only several representatives, but also a whole brood. To determine the disease, you need to follow the changes in the life of birds. Layers begin to sneeze, it is difficult to breathe, wheeze and cough. As the disease develops, the bird loses its appetite and becomes lethargic, is in a state of constant fatigue.

To get rid of pneumonia, you will need to drink a course of antibiotics , which the doctor will prescribe.

NewCasle’s disease

Perhaps the main ailment due to which laying hens and young chickens die. The disease is dangerous due to damage to the digestive tract, respiratory and nervous system. Pseudo-plague, as the disease is sometimes called, leads to death in 100% of cases. Chickens can catch it through the use of contaminated feed, water, or through droppings of other birds. It is dangerous that pseudo-plague is easily transmitted among the entire population.

A chicken who has an illness, stands out among other obvious signs. So, the fever rises in temperature, mucus appears from the nose and mouth, and coordination of movements (for example, a sudden unnatural movement of the head and turning it around) can be disturbed. Mostly the crest turns blue and a violation occurs in the swallowing reflexes.Unfortunately, no medications or methods are capable of eliminating the disease, therefore, if the listed symptoms are found in one chicken, it is necessary to immediately remove it from the livestock so that it does not die with the carrier in 2-3 days. Often, the entire population is sent for slaughter.

Other ailments

Chicken diseases are diverse, and therefore it is almost impossible to describe each of them. Among others, gastroenteritis and coccidiosis are distinguished, in the manifestation of which urgent measures are necessary to protect birds from further complications and death. Having identified an illness in one individual, there is a chance to save the livestock from total death.

How to diagnose a problem

Regardless of what the reason lies in the death of birds, it is important to detect in time her and go to a consultation with a veterinarian. The best option that can prevent mass death is a veterinary examination of birds when even the smallest and insignificant, on the one hand, symptoms are detected. It is worth following: perhaps the layers do not sleep well, eat, move unusually and limp. Sometimes problems may not indicate a fatal disease, but precaution will not hurt.

What will the veterinarian do when examined? Often, a doctor only needs a stool test to determine what the true reason for the deterioration of the chickens is.The main disadvantage of veterinary services is their cost, but the death of the entire livestock will bring much more loss than a one-time trip to the house. Important advantages of a veterinary examination are that only with the help of a specialist can you determine the presence of serious infectious ailments that are under development. It is not difficult to independently notice how the crest or the behavior of the birds has changed, however, only a professional can tell what to do next.

After making a diagnosis, it is important to follow all the recommendations of the doctor, without depriving attention of young animals or adult chickens. Sometimes the most minor symptoms are sometimes the harbingers of a serious disaster, so you should not hesitate. The way healthy birds behave can be seen on any video. This will help to notice the main differences in the behavior of diseased individuals.

All about disease prevention

How to prevent the occurrence of certain ailments? The reason often lies in the neglect of the farmer with his “wards.” So, in order for the hens to be protected from serious misfortunes, it is necessary to perform a number of simple actions.

1. Disinfect the chicken coop before launching young animals and adults. To do this, you need to carry out a general cleaning of the room and whitewashing the walls.
2. Provide the chicken coop with an optimum temperature that should not be lower than 29 ° C for chicks, in summer you can lower it to 23 °.Adult broilers should be protected from drafts and weather changes.
3. Provide broilers with vitamins from the first days of life, repeating the intake after 20 days.
4. Have regular walks in spring and summer to the birds were able to get enough of greens and fresh air.
5. Saturate the chicks’ feed with fish oil in order to prevent rickets.
6. To diversify the diet: you can’t feed the birds only with compound feed, as this will lead to poor health. It is dangerous to consume compound feed for more than 2 weeks.
7. Keep track of the amount of boiled potato consumed, because its plentiful amount only provokes negative consequences and even death. The same applies to grain, especially low-quality and previously unknown.
8. Provide the birds with sufficient lighting and a 12-14-hour daylight. Lack of light leads to baldness.

How it turned out that poultry is a “tidbit” for many serious ailments and infections. To diagnose many of them, it is enough to trace changes in behavior, examine the crest and identify changes in nutrition. Serious symptoms sometimes lead to a very sad outcome, because it is the farmer’s care that the health of not only one individual, but the whole population depends on.If it became obvious that the birds are sick, it is urgent to determine what your chickens are dying of and deal with the problem, because the consequences of inaction can be fatal for the whole economy.