Small - scale poultry muckle are susceptible to a turn of respiratory contagion , some producing exceedingly balmy illness while others result in eminent human death charge per unit . Regardless of whether you raise chickens for eggs , meat or show , a respiratory infection can result in decreased performance and even death in compositor’s case such as Newcastle disease andavian influenza , which are now rarefied in the U.S. They can also pose a threat to the wellness of other poultry on the premises .
Respiratory infection in poultry have several causes , but outward-bound signs might come along similar to the poultry keeper . In any slip of respiratory sickness , it ’s important to do it if you ’re deal with a viral , bacterial , fungous or parasitical disease . The treatment for one disease can be unable or even harmful for others , which is why it is imperative to partner with a qualified avian veterinary surgeon in making an exact diagnosis and set a treatment and management plan . Do not bank onhome remedy . In increase to the chance that they wo n’t work , they might also mask key indicators of a disease , making diagnosis more difficult or inaccurate .
If you suspect that a chicken is sick , right away keep apart it from the rest period of the great deal . To make a diagnosing , your vet will perform several tests , admit blood run and bacterial culture of the air passage . A faecal test for parasites , including tapeworms , which can lodge in the trachea and cause wicked respiratory suffering , should be conduct , as well .
For bacterial infections , such as fowl cholera ( aka Pasteurellosis ) , infective coryza andavian mycoplasmosis , your veterinarian can dictate an antibiotic to alleviate symptoms of the disease . However , keep in mind that in the pillow slip of infectious coryza , the antibiotic drug wo n’t eliminate carrier status , and in the case of avian mycoplasmosis , discourse with antibiotics wo n’t cure the disease .
Aspergillosis , aka brooder pneumonia , does not normally present with a cough but instead with a characteristic unsounded gasp and is because of fungous organisms , Aspergillus spp . , that grow readily in constitutional material . If big number of the organisms or their spores are inhaled , they can multiply in the bird ’s air sacs and spread throughout the respiratory nerve pathway . Treatment for aspergillosis involves fungicidal drug and is typically a lengthy and expensive process .
If the crybaby die out before your veterinarian is able-bodied to leave a diagnosing , straightaway refrigerate the carcass . ( Do not freeze out it . ) Ideally , your veterinarian should perform a postmortem examination within hour of destruction .
Using good biosecurity practices will serve slim down the incidence of communicable respiratory illness in minuscule - shell flocks . It ’s important to develop and implement a biosecurity programme for the health and safety of your poultry and your farm .
In summation to practice good biosecurity , consider putting a vaccination programme in outcome with your flock . This is peculiarly valuable in preventing eruption of viral transmission , for which there is no discourse . middleman a local veterinarian who knows avian medicine or an extension fowl specialist ; he or she can answer your question and recommend a program appropriate for your need .
This article in the beginning appeared in the November / December 2013 emergence ofHobby Farms .
