Household Poultry :

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 79, Issue 6, 15 December 1949, Page 577

Household Poultry :

Symptoms, Prevention, and Cure of Diseases, Parasites, and Vices

'T’HOUGH the impression that poultry diseases are widespread is common, it is questionable whether, under proper conditions, poultry suffer any more ailments than other livestock. Certainly there is a greater tendency for sick hens to be neglected and for a hopeful attitude that the birds might recover of their own accord to be adopted, but that is the result not so much of wilful cruelty as of a general lack of knowledge. Many simple ailments may be treated profitably. This month’s article for the household poultry keeper by W. L. Mclver, Poultry Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Hamilton, advises on the symptoms for which to look and emphasises that “prevention is better than cure.”

THE incidence of poultry diseases now shows a very encouraging improvement on that of the early part of this century. Even until little more than 10 years ago pullorum disease took its toll unchecked in New Zealand. Now the majority of hatcheries blood test for this disease and kill all the carrier hens, breaking one of the links in the chain of infection. Instead of being the most dreaded complaint among chicks, it now kills very few. The disease is still carried on because of insufficient testing and, ironically enough, because of improved brooder rearing methods, which increase the chances of affected chicks surviving. Such chickens remain carriers and can pass the disease on to their progeny. Unfortunately, most poultry keepers running hens for egg production and not for breeding have the impression that blood testing and tested stock are the concern only of the hatchery owner, but, as affected hens do not lay their full potential of eggs, it is just as important to all hen owners that the disease be wiped out. The pullorum germ affects the ovary and a proportion (averaging about a fifth) of the yolk sacs fail to mature. The hens can show all the visible signs of intensive laying and yet be poor layers or even non-producers. Household poultry keepers should ensure that they buy birds not only from a farm that has blood testing done, but also from a stock with a very low proportion of reactors.

Coccidiosis made heavy inroads in many flocks. The idea that a strict plan of cleanliness and ■ sanitation which involved the removal of litter from brooder houses every few days could aid in its control would not have been accepted . without the supporting evidence which research had brought to light. Thousands of birds were lost annually from “going light” before it was established that this malady was frequently identical with tuberculosis and that infected fowls could be identified by. the tuberculin test. Fowl pox also took its toll. Flock owners accepted with what grace they could the foregone conclusion that they would have fowl pox to contend with each year. Now advantage can be taken of vaccination methods with reasonable assurance that losses from pox will be almost nil. When the nutritional disturbances to which fowls are susceptible, especially the vitamin deficiencies, were almost

unknown, the losses they caused helped to increase the total mortality from unexplained causes. Now everybody has some understanding of dietetics, and poultry feeding is a matter of applying that knowledge with common sense.

This article is not intended to cover all poultry diseases fully, but even the household poultry keeper must have a little knowledge of the subject or he cannot be expected to recognise symptoms.

Pullorum Disease Pullorum disease can be passed from the hen to her progeny through her eggs at hatching time. The organism causing the disease is located in the hen’s ovary and passes with the yolk into hen eggs. Thus, if an infected egg hatches, the chick carries the disease. This complaint used to be called B.W.D (bacillary white diarrhoea) after its major symptom, but it cannot be recognised by outward signs in older pullets or in hens. At that stage of life the disease does not affect body condition or weight, and to the eye the hen looks healthy. It affects chicks, usually under 10 days of age but sometimes up to about 3 weeks. Affected chickens assume a huddled, sick appearance, with drooping wings, but, as these symptoms apply to nearly all poultry ailments, something more definite must be looked for in diagnosing this complaint. Certain signs are an undue quantity of white droppings and the pasting up of the vent by white droppings.

Coccidiosis Of the two forms of coccidiosis one affects young chicks and the other maturing birds. The caecal type shows up mainly between 3 and 6 weeks of age. The distinguishing symptom is an undue amount of red droppings. Dead chicks should be examined for congealed blood in the caeca or blind guts. As the droppings are the most important distributing factor, frequent and thorough cleaning of the brooder pen is the best preventive. The intestinal type affects mainly birds between 3 and 6 months of age. It does not cause high mortality, but

frequently occasions a severe setback in growth and rate of maturity. In a mild form it may make the pullets appear only backward for their age rather than ailing, so it is finally the failure to begin laying at the normal age that makes the average owner realise that there is something wrong with the birds. This disease should not swell total mortality to any extent now as sulphamezathine has proved an excellent cure of the caecal form, though it is not so effective in the intestinal form. Tuberculosis Though tuberculosis probably is the first disease of which most poultry keepers think when making a diagnosis of sick birds, especially if the fowls are emaciated on the breast and keel, it is now far from common in New Zealand and affects very few commercial flocks. There are many causes other than tuberculosis for birds “going light” or wasting. Again droppings are the greatest source of infection. Control depends on strict sanitary methods and killing of suspected cases.

Fowl Pox Fowl pox is unknown in the colder areas of New Zealand and occurs so seldom on some commercial farms that the owners do not recognise an outbreak, though other farms experience cases of it year after year. Once the disease breaks out it will run its course. It is recognisable by the sores it causes on comb, wattles, and face, but as this trouble and roup require special treatment too long to detail here, anyone needing help about them should seek the advice of the nearest Poultry Instructor. Intestinal Worms Poultry are very subject to internal parasites. Roundworms are by far the most prevalent, but tapeworm infesta-

tion is not uncommon. It is frequently stated that a few roundworms do no harm to the hen and that the small caecal worms have no ill effects, but scientific ideas on these worms are now changing and all poultry keepers are strongly advised to keep their stock, especially growing pullets, clear of these, parasites. The earlier method of deworming was to put nicotine sulphate in the wet mash at the correct dosage rate and to hope that each bird would eat sufficient, but birds dislike it to such'an extent that they will eat some of the medicated mash only after being starved. Even then few of the birds will eat enough. The correct treatment is by individual dosage and, though some flock owners contend that they have not the time to do this, it can be carried out very simply and quickly by either of two methods. The first is by injecting liquid carbon tetrachloride into the bird’s crop with a special type of drenching gun. With experience and the help of three people to catch the birds the operator can dose 200 in 20 minutes. The second is by giving the carbon tetrachloride in pill form, which is easy but takes longer than using the deworming gun.

It is most important that growing pullets be prevented from becoming even moderately infested with worms, which affect the bird’s appetite, rate of growth, maturity, and egg laying. Whether or not young pullets are suspected of being infested, they should be dewormed at 3 months of age and again at 4£ to 5 months.

In the past poultry keepers were always advised to take great care after dosing to clean up the expelled worms and worm eggs, but now it is felt that serious reinfestation, usually is prevented by the development of immunity as the birds increase in age. In many cases a second de worming is easier than making a thorough cleanout. Vitamin A Deficiency . Many poultry ailments ' are aggravated and even encouraged by the bodily condition of birds being weakened by worms. Another predisposing factor not considered or properly appreciated by many is lack of certain vitamins, of which vitamin A is important. What used to be called nutritional roup is now known to be . not roup at all but vitamin A deficiency. Lack of vitamin A, infestation with worms, or both weakens young stock to such an extent that intestinal coccidiosis is likely to develop in cases in which otherwise it would cause little or. no trouble. Vitamin A deficiency can be guarded against by ensuring that growing chicks receive adequate amounts of good-quality greenfeed. If doubt exists about the vitamin A content of the greens, or if growing stock are not getting sufficient direct sunshine, the feed should be supplemented with 1 per cent, by weight (based on the total daily food intake) of a reliable brand of fish-

liver oil placed in the mash or chick grain. Routine dosing for worms should also be carried out. External Parasites Most, poultry keepers can at least recognise lice and mites. A bad infestation of these' parasites can eventuate only under poor management conditions. They are easy to keep under control if their habits and life cycle are understood. Control methods depend on the principle that mites live and hibernate in the poultry house, starting at the roosts, and the body louse passes its whole existence on the fowl. The mite gets on to the fowl on the perch at night and leaves it before daylight, but the louse never quits the bird except accidentally. The cheapest methods of counteracting mites are by painting with a brush or spraying with a pump all interior woodwork with creosote, tar distillate, old car sump oil, kerosene, or a combination of them. Special care must be taken to ensure that the liquid seeps well into cracks and spaces between overlaying pieces of timber, especially about the perches and nests.

The house should be permitted to dry out reasonably before the birds are placed in it, as they can be upset by fumes, particularly if they are in lay. If the henhouse is thoroughly treated and cleaned once yearly and the perch and nest areas are painted or sprayed at 3 -monthly intervals, mite infestation will be prevented. As little timber bracing as possible should be used when perches are made and wood should not be nailed to wood, as the cracks make an ideal hide-out for mites. Perches can be rested on two cross-bars suspended by wires from the rafters, and even then they need not be nailed to the bars but can be slotted between projecting nails. A space of at least 3in. should be left between perches and side walls. Body lice live entirely on the skin of fowls. They are found mostly on the abdominal portion of the bird, as they prefer the loose, fluffy feathers between the vent and the keelbone. These parasites lay their eggs at the bases of the feathers around and under the vent and also, in cases of very heavy infestation, under the wings. Control is best achieved by direct application to the skin of 40 per cent.

nicotine sulphatethree or four drops below the vent, one under each wing, one on each side of the breast, and another on the top of the neck behind the head. This treatment should be repeated two or three times at weekly intervals to kill newly-hatched lice eggs and the birds carefully examined periodically to see that they. are free of lice. Future treatments, provided infestation is light and newly-laid lice eggs are not present, can be applied to the perches instead of to the birds. The procedure is to clean the perches of organic matter during the day and, about 20 minutes before perching time, wet the tops of the perches with a rag and warm, soapy water, then put drops of nicotine sulphate about Ilin, apart on them. The rising fumes will kill most of the body lice. Flowers of sulphur dusted into the feathers and on to the skin is also effective. This treatment should be repeated in about 8 days. The sulphur may be added to the dust bath as a preventive. Scaly Legs Not really a disease, and certainly not a sign of age, scaly leg is a condition caused by a mite to be found under the scales on the legs of a fowl and on the perches. Treatment is by frequent applications, until a cure is effected, of lard, sulphur, and kerosene after the shanks have first been soaked in warm, soapy water. The kerosene must not be allowed to get on to the skin. Even better than kerosene is diesel engine oil or crude petroleum applied on its own either with a brush or by dipping the shanks into a container of oil. The bird may be released after treatment, which should be done early enough in the day to allow the oil to dry. In other than severe cases two applications are sufficient.

The heavy-breed varieties are far more prone to scaly leg than light breeds, which seldom get the trouble unless they are reared naturally from chickenhood under a heavy-breed broody hen or are housed for sufficiently long with heavy breeds. These factors supply another answer* to the question of how to clean up the trouble if the cures mentioned are considered to involve too much bother: At the end of the laying year quit all the birds—even those apparently unaffected —and thoroughly clean out and spray the house with creosote or one of the other materials recommended; then replace the stock with pullets, preferably of a light-breed strain (even if only for one year, after which heavy breeds can be reverted to) that have been reared artificially. Corns and Bumble-foot As a rule corns cause little major discomfort to fowls, but when the corn festers and turns into an abscess the whole foot swells. The swelling comes up between the toes and affects the joints. Finally, the bird limps around in obvious pain. This condition of bumble-foot can be operated on, but, though tedious trouble may be taken, not many permanent cures will be effected.

The causes are usually stated as inadequate, loose, and unsuitable litter on the floor, jumping off too high perches and projections, and prickles. These factors aggravate the incidence and should be remedied, but heredity seems to play a major part in this trouble. Protrusion of the Oviduct Though not a disease, protrusion of the oviduct could be classed as one in cases where the family strain has a hereditary disposition to it. Protrusion is commonly said to be the result of overstrain when laying a large egg, but probably a constitutional weakness of the oviduct is the more frequent cause. In that case attempting a cure is obviously a waste of time, as the condition is certain to recur. In any case, there is a grave danger that it will lead to the vice of vent picking. Vices Birds, being creatures of habit, rapidly learn not only good habits but vices. Once well established vices are very hard to stop. A very watchful eye must be kept on young chicks for toe picking because it can develop rapidly into cannibalism. - Affected chicks should have the picked parts covered with Stockholm tar or creosote and be removed temporarily from the brooder pen. Any chicks seen going round wilfully picking at the others should be segregated for a while. Many cases of this trouble are the results of overcrowding or letting the chicks go too long without food. Sometimes the habit is caused by the litter not being sufficiently deep and loose for the feet to sink in. Another cause is a small patch of sunshine showing up the colour in the toes of the few chicks in that area. Chickens should

be fed little and often and kept busy, especially with their greens and root vegetables. An even worse vice when it gets a hold is vent picking. The bad stage is at maturity, when some pullets have begun to lay and some have not. Many farmers have their “cures” for this complaint, but unfortunately no universal remedy can be given. It seems certain that the root of the trouble is a mineral deficiency in the diet, but the trace elements involved are present in such small quantities that no one mineral can be named in each special case. Outside runs, ample accommodation, adequate greens, darkened nests, increased salt in the mash, and a larger ration of meat meal all help on occasions to stop the vice, but more often than not the cannibal culprits have to be found by observation and isolated temporarily. Protrusion of the vent and vent picking must be carefully distinguished. Many deaths are blamed wrongly on protrusion. Once birds acquire a taste for intestines they soon go around looking for more. Preventive Measures Only short descriptions of poultry ailments have been given, but it should be appreciated that preventing such troubles is better than trying to cure them. A general idea of the ailments and vices to be expected and a general knowledge of what is most likely to prevent a severe outbreak should be the aim of the household poultry keeper. Well-built, adequate accommodation with proper equipment, thorough cleanliness, and a good diet with sufficient greenfeed and sunshine or fish-liver oils are important factors, which can be backed up by purchasing blood-tested stock from a reliable source and maintaining the birds free from worms, mites, and lice.

For more complete information than is given in this article the following free bulletins on poultry diseases are available from major offices of the Department of Agriculture: Bulletin —"lnfectious Fowl Paralysis." Bulletin 318"Pullorum Disease." Bulletin —"Coccidiosis." Bulletin 327" Internal and External Parasites of Poultry." For diagnosis of poultry ailments, typical ailing birdspreferably two or three live onesshould be sent to the Chief Diagnostic Officer, Animal Research Station, Wallaceville, with a covering letter stating concisely the symptoms recognised and giving a short history of the trouble suspected. No charge will be made for the postmortem report.