Having a poultry farm and raising chickens is a bit complex things. But chickens itself is one of a productive animal we can raise. They have become a commodity and the demand for chickens rarely fell down. Almost all part of chickens can be consumed by people and they also provide eggs that give us enough animal nutrients. Therefore a healthy will provides us many benefits.
But for chicken farmer or people who just begins to raise chickens should paying an attention of their healths. Because chicken is quite susceptible to exposed by disease including infections. And the worst is if you raise chicks, one they got infected it will quickly spread to others chicks or chicken.
Most Common Chickens Disease or Infection
There are some common disease or infection for chicken, and we should care about the indication. Since for chicks especially most of this infection will bring them to mortalilty which mean give us a great lost financially. The following infection is commonly attack chickens are as following :
1. Newcastle disease
Usually it cause of the disease was infection of viruses (paramyxoviruses), it can be from another chickens or maybe from birds. The first indication is that your chicken is struggle to breath. It also can carried by our clothes, shoes, or whatever items that touch infected chickens.
These disease are consisted in three steps which are velogenic (strongly dangerous for chickens), mesogenic, and lentogenik (almost have no effects on mortality but made the productivity decrease. And how to treate this chicken’s infection?
All we have to do is separate the chickens infected from other chicken, since it is contagious. If it was a velogenic type, then the chickens must be eradicated. Another way to prevent them from this infection is using vaccine and bio security.
2. Fowl Pox
The first indication of fowl pox is white spots, the infection cause is from Avipox virus. This virus is contagious and can spread to the nearest coop. Your chickens will stop laying egg, have white ulcers in their mouth or trachea, and abrasions on the chicken’s comb. And how to treat this chicken’s infection?
To treat the infection give your chicken first a soft food and provide them with a warm and dry place. With an intesive care your chicken will be able to cure theirselves from this infection. We can also prevent the infection using a vaccine and clean your chicken’s coop regularly in order to prevent them from mosquitoes and other birds carrying viruses. Since this viruses can be contracted by air as well you must pay a good care of the coop’s condition.
3. Botulism
It is one of the serious diseases for chickens. The cause of this infection is from the consumption of toxic from Clostridium botulinum. If your chickens exposed by this infection or bacteria then it is highly possible that the chicken’s water supply and food contaminated too.
The first symptoms is progressive tremor and slowly will made their body paralysis include struggling to breathe. If you catch the disease in the earliest stage then you can mix a teaspoon of epsom with warm water and give them once daily. But if it is too late and the symptoms of your chickens became worst then to take care your chickens infection, you can use an antitoxin which can be bought in the local veterinarian.
To avoid the disease, you must clean your chicken’s coop from any dead carcass and keep the environment clean since the dead carcass is a potential carrier. To keep your chicken’s coop clean you can learn on how to keep chicken’s coop smells fresh.
4. Fown Cholera
The symptoms will be swelling of your chicken’s comb and wattles and some mouth and nasal discharge. The infection is caused by pasteurella multocida. Any food, water, and stray animal contaminated by this bacteria will be a carrier. If your chicken’s have a greenish or yellowish diarrhea, struggling to breathe, and pain in their join, indeed your chickens must contaminated by this bacteria.
The only way on how to treat this chicken’s infection is separated the contaminated chickens from others. Since there is no antitoxin for this infection. And it is better to destroy their carcass right away so it won’t contaminated other chickens. We can give them a vaccine to prevent them from the disease since it is dangerous.
5. Infectious Bronchitis
This disease or infection is brought by Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV). When your chicken’s have this symptoms such as snoring, sneezing, coughing, and liquid came out from their eyes and nose then it probably because the infection of IBV.
The virus is easy to travel through air, thus to treat chicken’s infection first they must be quarantine. Give them a warm and dry place to recoup, it better to give them a warm herb tea or fed them with a fresh herbs. Vaccine will also help you to stop this infection away from your chickens.
6. Infectious Coryza
It symptoms usually is swoller in their heads both eyes and even combs. They will be discharge that flowing from their eyes and noses and they will stop laying egg. Some moisture will be found under their wings. You can also learn more about how to treat chicken with foaming eyes since it will be the symptoms.
There is no vaccine on this disease. The only way to treat your chickens is separated the infected one and destroy it. And you must make sure that the body will be discard in order to keep other animal becomes infected by it.
Common Rules on How to Treat Chicken’s Infection
There is a general rules we can summarize from the above explanation on how to treat chicken’s infection. Since even they have a specific treatment for each infection or disease but the common rules will be as follow :
- Separate your infected chicken from the rest. It is mean to avoid the infection became viral since most of the infection is from bacteria and viruses. Viruses and bacteria are easy to travel through air, water, or any particular items.
- The coop must be warm and dry for chickens to recoup theirselves.
- Chicken’s coop must be clean regularly to prevent dead carcass or infected item still remain in steril area.
- Provide them with clean water and clean food daily or regularly according to their needs.
- Give them medical herbs with warm water, it will help to rejuvenate theirselves.
- A vaccine or antitoxin will help them againts the infection. Give a call to your closest veterinarian to get this vaccine and antitoxin.
- If the infection getting worst or classified as incurable disease then the chickens must be eradicated or destroy until there is no remaining body. The purposes is to prevent other animal infected by consuming the carcass.
- You also must paying an attention during summer time heat since the heat may take a serious effects on your chickens and they may even easy to get sick so you must take good care of sick chicken wisely.
Thus are the explanation of how to treat chicken’s infection. It is never been easy to prevent our chickens from infection, but we could learn and try always. Good luck!