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:
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
Defending Your Backyard Poultry Flock from Avian Influenza
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a dangerous disease for poultry, that oftentimes leads to death of not only the individual bird, but the entire flock. It is a highly contagious disease that poultry are extremely susceptible to, that can quickly jump from one flock to another. Not only does this disease affect chickens and turkeys, but also domestic ducks, geese, quail, pheasants, and guinea fowl. As you may know already, the United States has been hit hard with a widespread Avian Influenza epidemic this year, occurring from January 2022 to present day. Commercial and backyard flocks have been
Foods Toxic to Chickens
What NOT to Feed Your Bird Many backyard chicken owners will give their feathery friends a multitude of treats or table scraps without hesitation. Although some foods that we eat are also edible for chickens, it is important that you don’t mistakenly feed them any foods that are toxic to them but safe for humans. When considering if a food item is safe for chickens, you must consider the food item itself and the factors that may contribute to the toxicity of the food. Below is a list of toxins dangerous for all bird species, not just poultry.