Diseases of a Chick

Diseases of a Chick

By Brittney Ferguson and Tori Connor

Diseases

• Aspergillosis
• Blackhead
• Botulism
• Cage Layer Fatigue
• Cannibalism
• Capillaria
• Cecal Worms
• Chiggers
• Coccidiosis
• Erysipelas
• E. coli
• Fatty Liver
• Hemorrhagic Syndrome
• Fowl Cholera
• Fowl Pox
• Fowl Typhoid
• Gapeworms
• Heximitiasis
• Infectious Bronchitis
• Infectious Bursal Disease
• Infectious Coryza
• Lice
• Lymphoid Leucosis
• Marek’s Disease
• Mites
• Moniliasis
• Mycotoxicosis
• Necrotic Enteritis
• Newcastle Disease
• Omphalitis
• Pullorum
• Quail Bronchitis
• Tapeworms
• Ticks
• Ulcerative Enteritis

Disease name: Coccidiosis

Symptoms:

This disease is characterized by diarrhea, pale, droopy, tend to huddle, consume less feed and water, and may become dehydrated.

Prevention:

Clean manure out everyday as it is spread through manure. Diseased birds should be removed from healthy birds.

Treatment:

It is best treated by the addition of a drug (coccidiostat). A coccidiosis vaccine is also available commercially. The product is useful only in certain types of poultry operations and must be used as recommended.

Disease name: Marek’s Disease

Symptoms:

The disease affects the nervous system causing paralysis in the legs, neck and wings.

Prevention:

There is a vaccination that can prevent this but it must be given as soon as possible after hatching. Poor management can put birds under stressful conditions which can cause an outbreak.

Treatment:

Treatment is not effective. Diseased birds should be removed from the flock and humanely destroyed. Other birds in the flock are likely to be infected at this stage – it is too late to protect them.

Disease name: Tick Fever

Symptoms:

It will become drowsy, hangs it head, closes its eyes and passes greenish diarrhea.

Prevention:

To never get tick fever you should vaccinate your chook.

Treatment:

If your chook has tick fever should use insecticides to control ticks and other carriers of the disease.

Disease name: Internal Parasites

Symptoms:

Poor weight gain, little interest in feeding, diarrhea, in some cases paralysis occurs.

Prevention:

The higher standard of hygiene the lower risk of getting infestations. Birds that are on a dirty floor for a long period of time are more likely to be infected with worms. If you include Vitamin A in your poultry diet it will make birds more resistant to worm attack.

Treatment:

If your bird gets internal parasites there are drugs that can be added to food and drinking water to control certain types of worms.