Backyard chickens are becoming increasingly popular, and with good reason! Not only do they provide you with nutritious and delicious eggs, but they also provide you with hours of entertainment with their silly antics. For new (and not-so-new) chicken owners, there is a lot to understand about how to best maintain a flock of chickens. Many of our customers come to us asking questions regarding proper care for poultry birds and how to ensure they are in the best possible health. In this blog, we outlined some of the more common diseases that affect chickens and discuss the possible treatment options.
An Ounce of Prevention
Before we talk about poultry ailments, however, it is important to discuss proper disease prevention measures. After all, if you can prevent a disease from ever happening in the first place, you won’t ever have to treat it. Many bacterial, viral, and parasitic illnesses can be stopped in their tracks by keeping hygienic husbandry practices. It is suggested that you regularly clean the coop and run in order to limit bacterial growth. Additionally, whenever you introduce new birds into your flock, it is a good idea to keep them in quarantine for several weeks to monitor them for signs of disease, prior to integrating them into your coop.
“Extremes in the environment – cold, heat, humidity; overcrowding; access to toxins; and rodents can all contribute to diseases and disorders in the flock, such as cannibalism and heat stress. Awareness of these problems, good biosecurity, and buying poultry from NPIP certified, reputable hatcheries are good management practices that can reduce or eliminate disease in the small flock,” explains the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. “If an outbreak of disease occurs, use it as an opportunity to evaluate and adjust your management practices within your flock.”
Chicken Diseases
There are a number of diseases that chickens can contract and suffer from. Chicken diseases tend to fall within four distinct categories: behavioral diseases, metabolic diseases, infectious diseases, and parasitic diseases. Normally, behavioral diseases (such as cannibalism or aggressive behaviors) stem from stressed chickens and overcrowded living conditions. Meanwhile, metabolic diseases (like reduction in egg production or soft bones and beaks) are often a result of inadequate nutrition.
The following list is a guide to some common infectious and parasitic poultry diseases. If you have any questions regarding the health of members of your flock or require poultry health advice, we encourage you to speak to your veterinarian.
Infectious diseases
Infectious diseases are among the most common poultry diseases because they spread easily from animal to animal. This class of disease includes bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.
Fowl Pox can be transmitted via mosquito bites or from bird to bird. It can present in two forms: dry pox and wet pox. Dry pox causes lesions on your chicken’s skin (specifically the comb, waddle, mouth, and throat), while wet pox presents with lesions as well as eye discharge. Fowl pox can cause reduced egg production and weight loss in layers and poor growth, loss of appetite, or death in broilers and pullets. During the active infection stage, be sure to quarantine diseased birds to manage the spread of disease in your coop. There are no treatment options for fowl pox, but the outbreak will typically last about two to three weeks; during this time Banixx Chixx Wound Treatment or Manna Pro Theracyn Wound & Skin Care Spray for Poultry can be used to minimize the lesions and prevent additional infections. If quarantine measures are not properly implemented, it may take months for the disease to work its way through your birds because it is slow to develop and chickens tend to take a while to fight it off. In order to prevent fowl pox, consider vaccinating your flock.
Newcastle Disease is a respiratory ailment that shows symptoms of difficult breathing, nasal and eye discharge, murky eyes, and a reduction in egg production. In extreme cases, some birds develop twisting in their necks and paralysis in their legs and wings. To treat Newcastle (ND), there are a number of antibiotics available to assist your chickens in fighting the infection. Full-grown chickens are more likely to be able to recover from ND, however, it is typically fatal in young chicks. ND is carried by wild birds, so proper biosecurity practices are essential. Make sure that you keep your coop and runs clean to deter wild avians from entering them. Additionally, you can transmit it to your flock if you have infected bird feces on the soles of your shoes, hands, or clothing. There are vaccines available on the market to prevent Newcastle.
Infectious Bronchitis is comparable to the common cold in humans. It causes labored breathing and discharge from the eyes and mouth, in addition to a decrease in food and water consumption and reduced egg production. It is highly contagious, so we recommend that you quarantine any infected birds. Currently, there are no ways to treat bronchitis; most chickens will naturally recover from the virus, but it is imperative that you monitor them to prevent additional infections from occurring. There are vaccinations on the market to help prevent Infectious Bronchitis in chickens. Many chicken keepers report that VetRx Poultry Remedy helps to keep the birds from developing bronchitis. Additionally, Hilton Poultry Airways Gold also helps to build up your flock’s immune system, making them able to more effectively resist airborne allergens and irritants, fungal infections, and bacterial infections.
Marek’s Disease is also referred to as fowl paralysis. Most commonly observed in chicks 12-25 weeks of age, it is a form of avian cancer. Symptoms of Mareks’ disease include tumors, partial paralysis, and irregularly shaped pupils (which leads to blindness). There is no proven treatment, many chickens with Marek’s quickly succumb to this often fatal disease; if your chick is able to survive, they will still be carriers of this infectious virus. It is recommended that any chicks displaying signs of Marek’s be removed from the flock immediately and the coop carefully disinfected. The most effective way to prevent Marek’s is to vaccinate chicks when they are one day old. Many of the chicks at The Cheshire Horse are vaccinated prior to purchase to ensure healthy flocks and prevent the spread of this deadly disease.
Botulism is a bacterial toxin that enters your chicken’s system when they ingest decaying matter such as old and rotting food scraps. It causes general weakness, weak neck muscles, paralysis of the neck muscles, and extreme fatigue; it is often fatal. Sometimes chickens who have eaten only a small amount of the toxin will live, but they will need to be carefully nursed throughout the course of the illness. Durvet Vitamins & Electrolytes can be used in these cases to help your chickens’ bodies fight off the toxin. To prevent botulism outbreaks in your flock, make sure that you keep the feeders as dry as possible and disinfect the feeders and waterers regularly. Additionally, make sure that you pick up any scraps of food that your chickens do not eat on a daily basis so that decay does not occur.
Parasitic Diseases
Parasitic Diseases are caused by internal or external parasites, such as ticks, fleas, mites, tapeworms, and intestinal parasites. Chickens commonly contract parasites from other chickens or from unclean living conditions. “Modern commercial confinement systems have significantly reduced the incidence of worm infestation by limiting the bird’s access to many parasites’ alternate hosts,” says the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. “On the other hand, confinement systems and high-density stocking rates have led to an increase in the incidence of protozoan parasitic disease in these flocks.” Typically, parasitic infections can be observed by monitoring your chickens’ feathers and feces.
Coccidiosis is the result of parasites damaging the gut wall of your chicken’s intestines. This causes loose feces, bloody or watery diarrhea, and weight loss. There are six species of Eimeria (the coccidiosis parasite) which may affect your flock; your chickens may become immune to one species and still contract coccidiosis from another. Coccidiosis can be treated by medicating your chickens with antibiotics to kill off the parasite population and restore healthy gut flora. Feeding medicated starter feed and probiotics to your chicks is one of the best ways to develop an active immunity to coccidiosis. Additionally, make sure that your coops and feeding areas are as clean as possible to help control the spread of the disease.
Blackhead, also known as histomoniasis, is commonly seen in turkeys but has made its way to chicken populations in recent years. It is caused by an infestation of internal parasites in the liver and intestinal ceca. Symptoms of blackhead include loss of feathers, loss of appetite, yellow droppings, and the hardening and reddening of the skin for which the disease is named. Currently, there are no treatment options available and birds commonly succumb to the disease after they are infected. The best way to prevent infection is to routinely pick up droppings and deworm the birds to lower the cecal worm load. Additionally, it is recommended that you wait at least three years before pasturing chickens on areas that previously held turkeys.
Raising chickens and poultry birds can be a fun and enjoyable experience, especially when you are armed with the proper knowledge and right supplies. In order to ensure the health and well-being of your birds, we recommend purchasing from a reputable hatchery or farm supply store and following proper biosecurity measures at all times. When properly cared for, chickens can be a fun addition to your farmyard and family!
Do you have questions about the health and wellness of your flock? At The Cheshire Horse, we carry an extensive selection of poultry health care supplies to make it easy to properly care for your layers and meat birds. Our friendly and knowledgeable sales staff is always available to make product recommendations and teach you more about proper chicken raising and poultry biosecurity measures.