Backyard poultry Flashcards
The basics
Normal hr
- 220-360bpm
Normal resp rate
- 12-37brpm
Normal temp
- 40-42C
Points of interest for CE
- nasal/ocular discharge
- eyes should be bright and clear
- no ulcers or mucosal lesions in the mouth/tongue
- crop filling and consistency
- lumps/bumps
- covering on breast bone
- abdomen: free fluid, pain, masses
- wings: able to extend and move
- legs: trauma/mites
- feet: swelling/ulcers
- feather and plumage: loss/parasites
- vent: scour
Generic CS of dz
- depression or other behaviour changes
- changes in food and water consumption
- dull feathers
- soiling of the feathers around nares, vent, shoulders, or eyes
- swelling around or discharge around the eyes
- discharge from the eyes or nares
- abnormal faeces
- favouring or lameness in limbs
- decrease in activity
Notifiable diseases
- avian influenza
- Newcastle disease
What subtypes of avian influenza are important in birds?
- H5
- H7
Is avian influenza high or low pathogenicity?
- can be either
Avian influenza CS
- swollen head
- blue discolouration of neck and throat
- loss of appetite
- resp distress
- d+
- reduced egg production
- increased mortality
What virus is Newcastle dz?
- paramyxovirus
Severity of Newcastle dz
- acute
- high mortality
Newcastle dz CS
- sneezing
- nasal discharge
- coughing
- greenish, watery d+
- depression
- muscular tremors
- drooping wings
- complete paralysis
- swelling of the tissues around the eyes and in the neck
- sudden death
- increased death loss in a flock
- in laying birds there can be partial to complete drop in egg production, and production of thin-shelled eggs
Newcastle dz transmission
- birds droppings
- nasal, mouth and eye secretions
What environments can Newcastle dz virus survive in?
- warm and humid environments
APHA registration
- any bird (ANY no. of birds, even 1) must be registered
Why blood sample?
- PCV
- TP
- WBCc
- biochem
Where to blood sample?
- brachial wing vein
(- medial metatarsal vein - jugular vein)
How much blood can be taken?
- 1-2% of body weight
Risk with blood sampling
- haematomas form easily
– need to apply pressure
Forms/routes of fluid therapy
- SC
- oral
- IV catheter
When to use SC fluid therapy
- mild dehydration
- for maintenance fluids
Volume for SC fluid therapy
- 3-5ml/100g
- 5-10ml/site
SC fluid therapy sites
- axilla/lateral flank areas
When to use oral fluid therapy
- mild dehydration
Volume for oral fluid therapy
- 3-5ml/100g
- 5-10ml/site
When to not use oral fluids
- GI stasis
- lateral recumbency
- seizuring
- head trauma
- shock
Oral rehydration solution to use for oral fluid therapy
- 5% dextrose solution
Sites for IVFT
- right jugular vein
- medial metatarsal vein
Catheter type for IVFT
- butterfly catheter
How to do IVFT
- blue 10ml/kg over 5-10mins and repeat q3h for 12h, then every 8h, then BID
Benefit of IVFT
- rapidly expands circulatory volume
- perfuses kidneys
- good for shock pts
- severe dehydration
Common causes of wounds
- cannibalism/bullying
- trauma
Cannibalism/bulling prevention & tx
- always ensure sufficient space and feed
- provide environmental enrichment
- separate injured birds if possible
- spray with topical antiseptic spray after cleaning, ensure area is not red, coloured spray is best
- NSAIDs
- +/- ABs
Trauma tx
- prevent bacterial sepsis with ABs
- NSAIDs
- Supportive therapy
– warmth/heat lamp
– hydration with electrolytes
– tube feeding
Reproductive conditions
- egg binding/oviduct impaction
- egg peritonitis
Which birds are most affected by egg binding?
- pullets
- obese/early production
What is egg binding?
- obstruction of the oviduct
Egg binding diagnosis
- abdominal palpation
- US
- radiograph
Egg binding tx
- external reduction of the egg and natural passing
– wrap in a warm towel and massage or place in a warm bath
– use lots of lube - surgical remove of the oviduct
– salpingohysterectomy - calcium given IM and orally
Is egg peritonitis common?
- yes, very
What bacteria causes egg peritonitis?
- e.coli
What is salpingitis?
- inflammation of the fallopian tubes, caused by bacterial infection
What is egg peritonitis?
- ascending infection from the cloaca
Stress factors for egg peritonitis
- social & environmental
Infectious factors for egg peritonitis
- parasites
- mycoplasma
- infectious bronchitis
Which birds are more susceptible to egg peritonitis?
- older birds / large egg laying birds
Causes of d+
- Upset in gut flora
- Anorexia
- Parasites
- Bacterial scour secondary to infectious disease
- Poor hygiene
Foot pad infection/bumble foot/pododermatitis: definition/cause
- bacterial infection causing swelling
Foot pad infection/bumble foot/pododermatitis: tx
- soak foot in dilute hibi
- surgery to remove callus
Fracture tx
- external fixation +/- intramedullary positive profile pins
How can Mareks dz cause lameness? How can this present?
- tumours on the sciatic nerve -> paralysis
- one leg positioned forwards, one positioned backwards
Bacteria causing septic joints
- staph aureus
- e.coli
- pasteurella
- salmonella
- mycoplasma
Septic joint CS
- 1 or multiple joints enlarged and warm
Why x-ray a septic joint?
- to assess osteomyelitis
How much water do poultry require?
- 1.5-3.5 parts water for every 1 part of feed consumed
- up to 5-6 times for waterfowl
Water consumption limitation factors
- salts
- dietary fibre content
- ambient temperature
- medications
- disease state
Nutritional issues
- insufficient water quality or amount
- vitamin d3
- urolithiasis/gout
Signs of vitamin d3 deficiency
Skeletal abnormalities including
- beading of the ribs, scoliosis, soft and pliable bones, keel,
and beak, and rickets
- lack of hydroxyapatite crystallization at the growth plate in long bones such as the tibia, femur, or humerus
Urolithiasis cause/definition
- blockage of ureter with urates
Gout cause/definition
- renal damage and high blood uric acid levels
- urate deposit in kidneys/joints/serosa surfaces
Causes of weight gain
- nutritional
- abdominal fluid (i.e. ascites)
- tumour
Nutritional causes of weight gain
- overfeeding high proteins
- maize corn
Why does feeding maize corn cause weight gain?
- it is high in starch and oil
Why does overfeeding high proteins cause a problem?
- causes increased egg size -> increased risk of vent prolapses/peritonitis
When does moulting occur?
- once a year late summer - winter
What should you give pet chickens when moulting begins?
- multivitamins
Cause of stunted feather growth
- vitamin deficiency
Mites found in pet poultry
- Northern fowl mite (Ornithonyssus sylviarum)
- Red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae)
- Burrowing mites (Cnemidocoptes spp)
Where are northern fowl mites commonly found?
- around the vent, tail and breast
Appearance of Northern fowl mites
- small
- reddish-brown flecks
When do red mites feed?
- only at night
CS of red mites
- feather loss
- irritation
- anaemia
Lice found in pet poultry
- yellow body louse (Menacanthus stramineus)
CS of Cnemidocoptes spp
- feather loss
- excessive scaliness
Parasites in pet poultry
- mites
- lice
- trichomonosis
- ticks
- threadworm/ crop capillariasis
- histomoniasis
- round and tape worm
- coccidia
CS of trichomonosis
- canker and fluid accumulation if crop affected
- inability to swallow
- open mouth breathing
- small white/yellow lesions of necrosis in oral cavity
Prevention & tx of trichomonosis
- clean feed and water areas
- ABs
CS of ticks
- anaemia
- paralysis
Are ticks commonly seen on affected birds?
- no
CS of threadworm infection / crop capillariasis
- open mouth breathing
- trichomonosis like lesions
Diagnosis of threadworm infection / crop capillariasis
- FEC
Problem with threadworm infection / crop capillariasis
- eggs very resistant in the environment
Tx of round and tapeworms
- flubendazole
Most common CS seen with round and tapeworms
- weight loss
Diagnosis of round and tapeworms
- FEC
Which species does histomoniasis mainly affect?
- turkeys
CS / PM findings of histomoniasis
- scour (sulphur yellow appearance)
- multiple necrotising target like liver lesions
- typhilitis (severe ulceration and/or necrotic cecal cores
Prevention of histomoniasis
- don’t raise turkeys, grouse, quails with chickens
Which age group are most commonly affected by coccidia?
- young
CS of coccidia
- scour with blood present
- decreased egg production
- malaise
- enteritis
- ill-thrift
- death
What is histomoniasis?
- protozoal infection
- also known as blackhead disease
- cause by Histomonas meleagridis
PM findings of coccidia
- thickened +/- dilatation of intestinal tract
- haemorrhagic intestinal/caecal contents/caseous cores
What kind of disease is Mareks disease?
- lymph proliferative and neuropathic disease
- cell associated herpesvirus
- immunosuppressive
What is the acute form of Mareks disease?
- tumours of viscera, muscle, skin, peripheral nerves
- multifocal lymphoma
What is the classic form of Mareks disease?
- paralysis of legs and wings and sometimes neck (torticollis)
- lymphoid infiltration of peripheral nerves
Non-specific CS of Marek’s disease?
- loss of BCS
- immunosuppressions
What eye change is associated with Marek’s disease?
- brown to grey colour change
- decrease PLR if dz is in the eye
Is there a vaccine available for Marek’s disease?
- yes for commercial flocks
Ages affected by Marek’s disease?
- 8-20wks
How is Marek’s disease spread?
- spread in feather dust
- easily transmissible
Bacterial diseases affecting pet poultry
- e.coli
- mycoplasma (/chronic respiratory disease)
- salmonella
- pasteurella
Spp of salmonella affecting pet poultry
- S, Pullorum
- S. Gallinarium
- S Typhimurium
- S Enteritidis
- S Heidelberg
- S Kentucky
CS. of e.coli infection
Colisepticaemia
– affecting multiple body systems
– polyserositis
Chicks
– <1 week old
– yolk sac infection
– omphalitis/mushy chick disease
– abnormal discolouration of yolk sac, non absorbed, bad small
Airsacculitis
– secondary to viral, mycoplasma or environmental (dust+/-ammonia)
Egg peritonitis
– egg yolk coelomitis, salpingitis, impaction
Cellulitis
Coligranuloma
Are mycoplasma infections common?
- yes
Mycoplasma spp causing chronic respiratory dz
- M. gallisepticum
Mycoplasma spp causing infectious synovitis
- M. synoviae
Mycoplasma spp causing venereal infection and airsacculitis
- M. meleagridis
Other name for pasteurella
- fowl cholera
CS of pasteurella
- death
- swollen eyes, ears, wattles
- septicaemia (fibrin in multiple body cavities)
CS / PM findings of aspergillosis
- open mouth breathing
- yellow seed like granules of granulomatous inflammation in lungs
Ringworm pathogen
- microsporum gallinae
CS of ringworm
- small white chalky comb deposits
What are the multifactorial components of respiratory disease?
- Infectious: viral, bacterial, mycoplasma, fungal
- AI, ND, Infectious laryngotrachetic, infectious bronchitis virus, Pasteurella multocida, Avibacterium paragallinarum, Aspergillosis
- Non-infectious: dust, ammonia
- Environmental and host factors
- Primary viral or mycoplasma associated respiratory disease can predispose to secondary bacterial infection
Infectious laryngotracheitis - what type of virus?
- acute herpes virus
Infectious laryngotracheitis - CS
- severe dyspnoea/gasping
- blood stained mucus
- death
Diagnosis of infectious laryngotracheitis
- histopathology
Problem with infectious laryngotracheitis
- asymptomatic carriers
Infectious coryza - what is it?
- acute, highly contagious bacterial disease
- URT dz
CS of infectious coryza
- Severe nasal discharge
- sinusitis
- facial oedema
- drop in egg production
Diagnosis of infectious coryza
- bacteriology
Diagnosis of mycoplasma
- serology/PCR
Infectious bronchitis - what is it?
- acute, highly contagious virus
Infectious bronchitis - morbidity & mortality
- high morbidity
- low mortality
CS of infectious bronchitis
- decreased egg production and quality
- renal damage
Diagnosis and control of infectious bronchitis
- vaccination of commercial flocks
- RT-PCR
Chick diseases
- yolk sac infection
- poor environment
- fractures
- mild lameness
- d+
- poor thrive of incubated chicks
Why can poor environment cause disease in chicks?
- poor egg and incubator hygiene
- prolonged egg storage before incubation
- disease from adult birds e.g. mycoplasma, worm burdens
Cause of yolk sac infection (if death within 24h, if over 24h)
- dirty eggs in incubators if death within 24h/o
- environmental infection if over 24h/o
Potential cause of mild lameness in chicks
- vitamin d deficiency
Cause of d+ in chicks
- coccidia
Prevention of poor thriving of incubated eggs
- warm area
- soft bedding
- 33C ambient temp
- space to move away from heat lamp
- max temp under lamb 42C
Non-infectious neoplasia
- sporadic
- adenocarcinomas
- PM diagnosis with histopath
Infectious neoplasia
- Marek’s dz
Why does crop stasis / sour crop occur?
- failure to empty crop of feed -> fermentation + yeast and bacterial infections
Causes of crop stasis / sour crop
- overfeeding
- poor hygiene
- viral infections
- FB
- thickening of the crop wall (dilation of the crop, decreased BCS)
Tx of crop stasis / sour crop
- Local anaesthetic and drain to empty crop, flush with saline
- Antibiotics and antifungals
- Correct dehydration
- Nursing care
- Surgery may be required if can not be manually broken down
