Control of Diseases in Household Poultry Flocks

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 94, Issue 3, 15 March 1957, Page 249

Control of Diseases in Household Poultry Flocks

By

M. E. WHITE,

Poultry Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Levin

DISEASE in the household poultry flock can seriously affect production and so affect the source of supply of eggs for at least a part of the year to a large number of families. Just as important as the drop in egg production is the resultant and sometimes far-reaching effect such losses have on the poultry keeper himself. Quite often a novice s enthusiasm is killed at an early stage by poor results and high cost of obtaining a few eggs. All too soon he loses interest, finds, he can buy his eggs more cheaply at the local dairy and very quickly turns his back, and his axe, on his fowls. In an earlier article several of the more common diseases of poultry and their remedies were described. This article discusses four conditions which also occur fairly frequently in small flocks. Some of these troubles respond to individual treatment which may save the affected birds.

Feather Picking and Cannibalism

THE term cannibalism is usually restricted to cases where birds attack other birds in the pen and cause bleeding wounds. Both feather picking and cannibalism are regarded as vices which may arise from a number of causes, including overcrowding, idleness or boredom, dirty conditions, or the irritation caused by external parasites. Often one bird in the pen will start off an outbreak of these troubles.

Control

In a small flock the offending bird can often be identified at an early stage and the disposal of this bird will stop further trouble. A check on the diet should be made to ensure that the flock is being correctly fed, but usually a food deficiency is not the primary cause of feather picking or cannibalism. Measures which are usually adopted to control these vices are:— ' 1. Hanging silver beet or other greenfeed from the roof to allow the birds to pick at it. This reduces idleness. 2. Adding whole oats to the grain ration: At least part of the grain feed should be fed. in the litters to keep birds occupied. 3. Increasing the salt content of the mash for 2 or 3 days. On a mash-grain ration 4 per cent, of salt may be added to the mash. If these measures are not successful, it may be necessary to trim the upper beak with a sharp knife, removing about 3/16in. from the tip. The bird is then less able to peck at other fowls. All wounds caused by pecking should be dressed as soon as possible with a dark ointment or Stockholm tar, since other birds are attracted by the redness of the wound. Vitamin A Deficiency If the household flock is fed on the standard type of laying mash with grain on the lines recommended in previous articles, it is highly improb-

able that any deficiency of minerals or vitamins will occur. Special attention should be paid to the importance of vitamin A to the laying birds. Most owners of small flocks are aware of the necessity for greenfeed, but at certain periods of the year this may be of poor quality and fail to satisfy the need for vitamin A. Deficiency of vitamin A leads to poor egg production, lack of resistance to disease, and, if severe enough, symptoms similar to a cold —that is, swelling of the sinuses and a discharge from the eyes and nose. This is usually known as nutritional roup. Where there is difficulty in supplying adequate greenfeed of good

quality a fish oil containing vitamin A should be added to the mash. Many people consider it advisable to use the fish oil during the whole season as an added safeguard. Three tablespoons of a feeding oil should be well mixed into 101 b. of mash. The inclusion of this fish oil in the diet ensures that the vitamin D requirements are fully met. Vitamin D is required by young pullets and laying birds to ensure proper assimilation of calcium, which they require for bone building and the formation of

egg shells. Normally exposure to sunlight for a few hours daily is sufficient to enable the birds to synthesise their . own requirements of this vitamin, but if they are kept intensively with no access to sunshine, vitamin D must be supplied in the feed. Impacted Crop (Crop Bound) Impaction of the crop usually arises from the matting together of fibrous material such as coarse grass or straw which eventually prevents food from passing on from the crop to the stomach. Paralysis of the crop wall may also result from a disease such as fowl paralysis. The distended crop is observed as a large firmly packed swelling at the lower end of the neck.

Treatment If the condition is not too far advanced, the administering of 2 teaspoons of olive oil or liquid paraffin, followed by massage of the crop area toward the head, may relieve the condition sufficiently to allow recovery. This process is greatly assisted by holding the bird upside down. Operation on the crop can be successfully done if the first method is useless. The skin over the crop is incised with a sharp razor blade or knife after the feathers have been removed from the area. The skin incision should then be pulled to one side to cut the crop so that the second incision is not immediately under the first. The impacted contents may then be removed with a small spoon or forceps. The crop should then be washed out with boiled water to which common salt in the proportion of 1 teaspoon to a pint has been added and allowed to cool; alternatively a weak solution of a non-irritating antiseptic may be used. The opening need not be more than lin. long and the two incisions should be stitched up separately. Three or four stitches of silk or cotton thread are used to close the crop and the same number are used for the skin wound. • A soft wet mash should be fed for a few days. Sour Crop Sour crop is somewht similar to impacted crop, but the contents are more fluid, and therefore easily emptied out by upending the bird and massaging the crop. The bird should

be given an occasional rest during the process. Emptying of the crop may be followed by . dosing the bird with £ teaspoon of baking soda in warm water. . The feed should consist of grains only for 2 or 3 days after treatment. Infectious Coryza (Roup or Colds) The general term roup is often used by poultry keepers to indicate a purulent discharge at a bird’s eyes and nostrils which is usually accompanied by swellings on the face. However, this condition may be caused by several diseasesfor example, fowl pox and vitamin A deficiencyand is therefore a vague term which merely describes an obvious symptom common to a number of diseases. Mild outbreaks of colds giving rise to a slight nasal discharge are fairly common in poultry flocks. The condition is frequently accompanied by gulping or sniffing sounds which are more easily noticed when the birds are perching. Sometimes only one or two birds are affected and the condition does not appear to spread very rapidly to others. Infectious colds or coryza spread rapidly among birds and may cause several deaths, severe and general loss of condition, and a drop in egg production. Where this trouble is suspected the householder should seek advice regarding treatment from a Poultry Instructor of the Department of Agriculture. Control These conditions are more prevalent during damp, cold weather, especially

in autumn and early winter. Dampness, overcrowding, poor ventilation, lack of vitamin A, and worm infestation are factors which are commonly associated with the development of the common cold in poultry.

Immediately a bird shows signs of a discharge accompanied by sneezing or coughing it should be isolated if possible and a close watch kept on the remaining birds.

The household poultry keeper will generally obtain good results by isolating affected birds and providing comfortable, warm but well-ventilated quarters free from draughts. Wet mash is more suitable for sick birds, and an ample supply of good greenfeed should be provided. The use of antiseptics in the drinking water is of little value and renewing the supply of fresh water will give better results.

Local treatment of the symptoms is useful, but care must be taken to avoid spreading the disease after handling of sick birds. Cleaning the eyes and nostrils with a solution of boric acid, hydrogen peroxide, or other mild antiseptic helps to relieve the affected bird. Eucalyptus oil or menthol and turpentine sprayed in the house at night or the application of a menthol ointment to the nostrils is also useful. If a fish-liver oil is not being fed, it should be added to the diet in the amount recommended by the manufacturer.

Aid rin and Dieldrin Dips

IN. an article “Control of Sheep Lice, Keds, and Fly Strike” in the December issue of the “Journal” reference was made to an article in the October 1955 issue of the “Australian Veterinary Journal” by J. H. Riches and P. J. O’Sullivan describing trials in the jetting of sheep with dieldrin and aldrin as a protection against fly strike. In the incorporation of part of the Australian results in the “Journal” article, conclusions were. drawn that were not those drawn by the original authors from the whole of their work, and apology is made to them and to the “Australian Veterinary Journal”. In discussing their experiments the Australian workers stated “. . . under the conditions of assessment, based on larval implants, dieldrin and aldrin were approximately equal at all concentrations . . . .”

The use of dipping preparations containing either aldrin or dieldrin that have been approved by the Stock Remedies Board is recommended by the Department, as was stated in the “Journal” article.

There are some brands of dips containing dieldrin or aldrin that should be mixed at rates other than that stated in the “Journal” article. In the mixing of all dips the makers’ specifications on the packet should always be followed.