Laying & Backyard poultry Flashcards
What to now about backyard laying hens?
- Ex-commercial rehomed hens, point-of-lay pullets via third party
- often beaks trimmed
- often well-vaccinated btu long term efficacy unknown
- Lice problem
- small breeders will not be vaccinated
- Peritonitis & salpingitis common
Layer lifecycle & nutriton?
- Similart to broilers
- Point of lay earlier at 16 weeks
- Peak lay 27-29 weeks
- Energy: ‘lean for lay’
- Ca: 6g Ca / egg to maintain shell quality and bone health
- Protein: chick quality - ab
In adults - what condition good?
- Chick layer pellets
- Access to grit at all times Ideally grit size >3mm - flint grit or oystershell (when laying)
- Reserve maize for cold wether, or illness, for extra energy
Home health monitoring?
- Chicken are prey species so often not shown
- Owners must be vigilant at home and monitor them regularly to identify early signs of illness
- Give chart to owners (early weight loss etc)
Signs of sickness?
- Unusual vosalisation
- Weight loss
- Reduced BCS
- Bhvr (hunched ruffling)
- Gair/mov/ bhvr
- Vent (dirty covered)
- Crop (distended or firm)
- Feathers
- Scales
- Comb & wattles
- Discharge
- Sneezing or coughing
- Body shape/ silhouette
- Faeces (loos eyellow etc)
- Eggs (reduced)
- Temp <38° or >42.5°C
History questions?
- Eating & drinking as normal?
- Levels of redmite? (look with torch on posts and crooks etc)
Describe bullying
- Provide plenty of feeders & drinkers (1/10birds +)
- Keep good distance between each feeder and drinkers
- Provide enough nest boxes (1 nest/ 4 birds. +1)
- Keep mites & lice under control and manage breeding damage quickly
- Provide lots fo space & interest
- Introduce new chickens / reintroduced hospitalised hens
- Provide good nutrition
- Conmfortable environment
What pathogens are free range birds commonly exposed to ?
- Mycoplasma gallisepticum
- Mycoplasma synoviae
- Infectious Bronchitis Virus
What Vaccinations to do?
- Marek’s (do it day old)
- Mycoplasma G & synoviae -> to reduce antimicrobial use
- Pasteurella multocida
- Erysipelothrix rhizopiae
- (ILT?)
- Salmonella enteritidis/ tymphimurium
What ommoon presentations & diseases in backyard layers?
- Resp dx
- Gi dx (crop dx, inappetant, lethargic ruffled up)
- EctoP
- Worms
- Egg related
- Lameness
- Mortality
What Resp DDX categories?
- Bacterial
- Viral
- Poor ventilation with excess dust
- Ammonia blindness
- Yeast & fungal infections
- Protozoal infections
What BAct infections cause resp digns?
- Mycoplasma G (infraOrbital swelling)
- Avibact paragallinarum
- E.coli
- Pasteurella multocida
- Staph é strep
Wha main viral causes to resp dx?
- Avian metapneumovirus
- Infectious bronchitis
- Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT)
What yeast and fungal infections ddx for resp dx?
- Candida albicans
- Aspergillus fumigatus
What protozoal infections cause resp signs?
Trichomonas gallinae
What Respiratory diagnostics can we do?
-OroP/choanal cleft swab for bacteriology
- Tracheal swabs for bacteriology or PCR
- Serology
- Bacteriology from tissue sample on PME
- Aspergillus PCR on blood sample
- Environmental assessment
- Fluroscein staining of the eye to rule out ulcers in cases of ocular swelling
Describe Mycoplasmosis
(most common cause fo resp dx in backyard birds)
- Presentaiton: Tracheal rales
- Bacterial infection, birds remain persistently infected
- Recurrent cls when stressed
- Ideally culture or PCR to confirm
Tx for Mycoplasmosis ?
Henri only gives Tylosin or Tialumin if have temperature , severely inappetant or crackels on auscultation, otherwise Tx symptomatically with decongestant (Bisolvon or Vix/Olbas and nurse)
Common abdo -associated cause of sickness in hens ?
- Peritonitis - inflammation of peritoneum usually E.Coli
- Salpingitis
- Histomoniasis/Blackhead
- Coccidiosis in young birds
- Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome
- Clostridial diseases
- Marek’s dx
What does histomoniasis / blackhead cause?
Hepatitis, hepatomegaly, typhilitis with caecal coress
What does coccidiosis in young birds cause?
Haemorrhagic diarrhoea
Peritonitis - - Sick hen with no temp and no abdo distention, not emaciated and clear fluid on coelomcentesis - what tx?
Meloxicam
What Tx for peritonitis? if Sick hen, pyrexic, distended and emaciated or fluid on extraction appears purulent (be aware the difference of small yolk particles compared to purulent material)
Amoxicillin / a tetraC & meloxicam
Describe slapingitis
- Pus in ovidut or uterus
- May be acute (liquid) or chronic (solid pus)
