Common Diseases & Conditions
Your first defense against disease is prevention. But when foul days do strike, knowing how to detect disease and what to do can help save your birds.
This section covers:
Common contagious diseases
Disease detection and common symptoms
Vaccinations
Heat stress
LATEST BLOG POSTS ON THIS TOPIC:
Sour Crop: The Name Says It All!
From the name “sour crop” you can deduce the anatomical location (aka the crop) and the smell (aka sour). What and where is the crop? The crop is a pouch (see Figure 1) just “south” of the esophagus, used for softening feed and temporary food storage in prey species (predator avian species typically do not have a crop) of birds including chickens. The purpose of the crop is to allow a bird to quickly swallow what food it can, store it in the crop, then fly to safety and digest the meal. Food enters the crop after exiting the
Keeping Your Flock Cool: Assessing and Reducing Heat Stress in Backyard Chickens
Just like us humans, heat stress can be a major concern for backyard chickens. Poultry, particularly chickens, are susceptible to heat-related issues, which can lead to reduced egg production, poor growth, and even fatalities if not properly managed. Understanding how to assess and reduce heat stress is essential to ensure the health and well-being of your flock. In this article, we'll delve into the basics of identifying heat stress in chickens and implementing effective measures to keep your feathered friends cool and content. Identifying Heat Stress in Chickens Chickens are most comfortable in temperatures between 65°F to 75°F (18°C
How to Interpret Misshapen Eggs
Misshapen eggs from chickens can be caused by a variety of diseases, conditions, and environmental factors. Here are some of the most common causes of misshapen eggs: Infectious bronchitis: This is a viral respiratory disease that affects chickens and can cause misshapen eggs, as well as reduced egg production and fertility. Egg drop syndrome: This is a viral disease that can cause soft-shelled, misshapen, or shell-less eggs. This disease can also cause a decrease in egg production. While the virus is naturally occurring in waterfowl such as ducks and geese, EDS occasionally finds its way into domestic chickens Avian
Good Riddance to Rickets
Causes of Rickets Rickets in humans’ chickens and every other animal that gets rickets is caused by a deficiency of Vitamin D3, phosphorus, or imbalance between Calcium and Phosphorus. Of all these, a deficiency of Vitamin D3 is the most common, and that is often secondary to bad feed that has been depleted of fat-soluble vitamins including Vitamin D. Ultimately, rickets usually occurs due to improper nutrition which results in poor skeletal calcification. Signs and Symptoms In chickens, rickets typically causes soft and pliable or rubbery bones and beaks that appear deformed. You can see this and other clinical
Understanding and Preventing Bumblefoot in your Chickens
When dealing with any disease we have a tendency to focus all of our energy on treating the disease and then moving on to other issues. However, like most diseases and conditions in poultry, bumblefoot is largely a consequence of less-than-ideal husbandry practices. This means that you can prevent bumblefoot by optimizing a few simple husbandry practices. What is Bumblefoot? Bumblefoot is a bacterial infection or abscess of the foot. It’s caused by a cut/scrape to the chicken’s foot that gets contaminated by different species of bacteria that are present and often ubiquitous in the environment including the bacteria
Preparing for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in SoCal: Tips and Resources for Backyard Owners
Our temperate winter climate is not only appealing to the estimated 39 million people that reside in California; it is also the perfect habitat for the approximately 6 million ducks and geese that migrate south in the fall and winter. This migration of waterfowl follows the “Pacific Flyway” which traverses Alaska to the southern tip of Chile. In addition to the birds, any diseases they may be infected with, including viruses, migrate south in the fall and north in the spring with them. One of the viruses that are endemic in waterfowl is Avian Influenza (AI). Unfortunately for our