Some common problems and their possible causes in poultry farming
When you have noted certain abnormalities among your chickens, it is not always easy to determine what the problem is. Maybe the following tips can help you.
High mortality rate among young chicks
When a large number of chicks die during the first days and weeks, the following are possible causes
Learn More– Shortage of feed and / or water
– Diseases, especially those caused by infections.
You can avoid many problems by taking good care of the day old chicks.
Respiratory disorders
Respiratory disorders can be noticed when a chicken yawns, sneezes, rattles its throat, has teary eyes and produces phlegm.
Possible causes are
– Too little ventilation causing an excess of ammonia. This is easy to smell.
Provide more fresh air in the chicken house.
– Diseases, such as NCD with watery faeces and nervous disorders), IB (with deformities of eggshells), ILT (Infectious laringotracheiitis), CRD (much sneezing and teary eyes), diphtheria, etc.
Try to note what the specific symptoms are. If these occur often, it is advisable to vaccinate the chickens.
Digestive disorders
Problems with the digestion of chicken result in slow growth and diarrhoea. This can be indicated by dirty stomach feathers or wet litter. It can be the result of
– Bad chicken-feed, for example feed containing too much table salt (NaC1).
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– Diseases, such as coccidiosis, Salmonellosis, NCD (often greenish faeces), the diseases of Gumboro, etc.
Coordination disorders
Symptoms are paralysis, limping, twisted necks, and slow-moving birds. Possible causes are
– Nutrient deficiencies in the feed. Too little vitamin D causes rickets (deformities) among young chicks, too little calcium and / or vitamin D causes rickets among chickens of all ages, too little thing manganese caused deformities of the feet among older chickens (twisted feet) Diseases, such as, (twisted necks), the sickness of Marek (nervous disorder and therefore paralysis), synovitis (tendon infections with foot joints which feel warm), aviary encephalomyelitis (AE), etc.
Low production and egg deformities
Low egg production can have many different causes.
– Feeding disorders.
An energy deficiency in the feed, too little and bad quality protein mineral and vitamin deficiencies. To trace the problem, you could visit another chicken farmer who uses the same feed to see if the same problems occur there.
Feeding disorders can also be caused by diseases (which can also occur on other chicken farms!).
Possible diseases are NCD, IB (with distinct egg deformities), EDS (egg drop syndrome with discolouration of brown eggshells), pox-diphtheria, CRD (with much sneezing and teary eyes), and all kinds of parasites.
– Unhealthy climate in the housing, for example too cold housing.
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